Development of gerodietary meat products

Abstract

The relevance of the presented research on the development of gerodietary meat products is due to the fact that the relative preferences shown by older people to various protein sources, including animal protein sources such as red meat and poultry, as well as alternative plant-based protein sources, have not yet been identified. The food choices of older adults have not been studied, nor have their preferences and willingness to pay for different carbon tags depending on the protein source. The purpose of the study is to consider the current state and prospects for the development of gerodietary meat products. This article is an exploratory attempt to describe potential pathways for the development of nutritionally balanced gerodietary meat products aimed at helping older adults maintain an active and healthy aging process. The object of the study is age-related changes in the consumption of meat products. Age undoubtedly affects thresholds for recognizing basic tastes, especially sweet and salty. In particular, higher threshold values for sucrose and sodium chloride were found among older people compared to young people. Higher taste recognition thresholds create a natural need to add sugar and salt to food. The research methodology was a qualitative content analysis of the collected material. At the first stage, the texts of publications devoted to the production of gerodietary meat products were read and re-read in their entirety, that is, the so-called naive reading was carried out. Then thoughts were recorded regarding the integrity and relatively important elements of the publications read, arising on the basis of impressions aroused under the influence of naive reading. Further, all parts of publications related to the purpose of researching gerodietary meat products were divided into approximately identical semantic units. Qualitative content analysis involved grouping gerodiet meat products by identifying common characteristics between them, according to production processes and ingredients. At the next stage, the semantic units were subject to codification, and a number of categories with subcategories arose. Finally, after all the texts of the publications had been read, the texts were compared with the results of the undertaken content analysis, which made it possible to verify the reality of the coverage of the content of the publication texts and codes by the selected categories and subcategories in full.