Role of infant formulas in shaping children’s eating behaviors

The development of children’s eating behavior attracts more and more attention of researchers. The mechanisms and factors underlying the formation of taste perception at different stages of child development are discussed. It is shown that the first acquaintance with food occurs in utero, through amniotic fluid. Subsequently, before complementary feeding begins, breast milk or infant formula play an important role, the taste characteristics of which influence the children’s taste preferences in future. As for bottle feeding, soy formulas and hydrolysate-based formulas are the most studied in this respect. At the same time, aspects of the influence of adapted formulas based on cow’s and goat’s milk on the development of children’s taste preferences have not been studied until recently. Of interest is the data demonstrating the improvement of appetite, food enjoyment and quality of life of children when using goat’s milk-based formulas. Key words: feeding, children, infant formulas, goat’s milk-based formulas