The application of a static in vitro digestion model adapted to the general older adult population (INFOGEST) as an assistance tool for the development of food formulations adapted to the elderly: Diet65+ project

According to the United Nations data, the proportion of older people - individuals aged 65 years and over (65+) - is growing faster than any other age group. Indeed, the number of people aged 65+ worldwide is expected to more than double by 2050. In Portugal the National Statistics Institute, estimates that this percentage will reach 3 million individuals in 2050. These demographic changes require societal and governmental responses to adequately address the challenges that are inherently associated with aging. In the elderly, taste, smell, vision, hearing, and touch undergo significant changes, with dysgeusia and hyposmia beginning around 60 years of age and progressively worsening with age. In addition, poor sensory stimulation can compromise some metabolic processes since salivary, gastric, and pancreatic secretions are induced by this initial sensory system. Some degree of gastrointestinal function impairment is also characteristic amongst the elderly and are generally assumed to be a decrease in the secretion of enzymes, juices, and mucus, as a result of atrophic gastritis and the consequent inability to produce gastric acid (hypochlorhydria) impairing the absorption of nutrients as well as promoting bacteria overgrowth [1]. The Diet65+ project - High nutritional and functional value food products integrated with tradition and sustainability adapted to elderly +65 consumer-, intends to develop food products tailored and fully adapted to preserved food’s taste, color, and flavor, enhancing the palate and enabling more adaptability, towards a nutritional pattern fulfilling 65 years plus (65+) individual specific nutritional requirements but, at the same time respecting individuals’ taste and dietary habits. These nutritional enhanced and adapted products will encompass organic food items developed in line with 65+ consumers' traditional dietary habits. In this context, a variety of food formulations were developed and in a first step the impact of the gastrointestinal tract is being assessed using a static in vitro digestion model adapted to the general older adult population (INFOGEST consensus) [2]. The use of an in vitro digestion model adapted for older people is of extreme relevance in understanding the fate of food in this specific population, facilitating the development of foods adapted to their nutritional needs. This first screening, using this type of in vitro model will allow the understanding of the feasibility of the food formulations developed to fulfill the mentioned dietary requirements in terms of both high fiber and protein requirements. These results will have a determinant role in selecting the best food formulations to be used in further clinical trial studies.