Perspectives on personalised food

Summary

Background: Personalisation of foods opens for improving individuals’ quality of life. In the personalised food approach, the focus of research is food, its components and the possibilities of different processes throughout the food value chain to impact on individuals and their needs. Scope and approach: In this paper, we will provide an overview of how research from a personalised food perspective can benefit consumers that require special food offerings. The paper is structured along the food chain addressing the following topics: i) Food raw material and components, ii) Food processing and culinary aspects, iii) Food digestion and microbiota, iv) Food perception. Key findings and conclusions: The paper highlights how food and its composition influence personal requirements, and how processing of the foods can contribute to optimised products for consumer groups. Furthermore, much attention has been accorded how digestion and microbiota are sensitive to food consumed and how this vary with consumer group. Finally, consumers’ perceptions and preferences play an important part in how foods are presented and chosen. More research is needed to utilise the possibilities of personalising foods to improve life for consumers with different needs.