Press releases

Lenzburg, February 2, 2017: A Hero scientific article on the sensorial acceptability of whole grains by infants and their parents has been published in the renowned peer review journal Nutrients.

The research aims to demonstrate that the partial substitution of refined cereals by wholegrain cereals was not affecting the sensorial acceptability of the infant cereals in both infants and parents.

 “Having our research published in such a prestigious journal is a great recognition for us, together with the fact we are ultimately improving the nutritional composition of our cereals”, said Luisma Sanchez-Siles, Hero Group Director Innovation & Quality and lead researcher of this study.

Although in some countries such as the US, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK most infant cereals are made with whole grains, there are still many countries, including Spain, Turkey, Egypt and many others, that still use refined cereals.

Contrary to popular belief, the research demonstrated that in a country where practically all infant cereals are refined, whole grain cereals are equally well-accepted from the sensorial point of view. The study was conducted in Spain.

“We believe that the addition of whole grain in infant cereals could have a potential public health benefit and also improve the naturalness of infant cereals”, Sanchez-Siles said.

With an Impact Factor of 3.76, Nutrients is considered among the foremost in peer review journals.

“This is the best external validation we can have and further justifies our decision to include whole grain in our infant cereals ranges in some of our markets, including Spain and the Czech Republic,” said Stefan Bodenstab, VP Innovation & Quality Infant.

The other authors of the study are Juan Francisco Haro-Vicente and Maria Jose Bernal-Cava, both from the Hero Group, and Amparo Lopez-Fernandez and Gaspar Ros-Berruezo from the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Murcia, Spain.

The open access article can be viewed here: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/1/65

About Hero Group
The Hero Group is an international food company focused on branded nutritional food products. The company was founded in 1886 in Lenzburg, Switzerland, where its headquarters are still located today. Hero's main core product categories of Baby and Toddler Food and Milks, Jams, and Cereal Bars are complemented by its activities in the Decoration and Gluten-free product segments. The Group, which lives by its mission to Delight consumers by conserving the goodness of nature, boasts a global footprint and its portfolio consists of many well-known international and local brands. In 2015, the Group generated revenues of over CHF 1.3 billion.

About Nutrients
Nutrients is a peer-reviewed, open access journal reporting original research and review papers in the field of human nutrition. The Impact Factor (reported by Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science) of Nutrients has risen rapidly since its establishment in 2009 and the journal ranks 16th out of 78 journals published in the field of nutrition and dietetics research, putting it in the top quartile. Nutrients has published over 2,500 research articles since 2009.

Media contact

Hero Group
Stephen Chetcuti
+41 (0)79 616 1467
stephen.chetcuti@hero.ch

Nutrients
Maria Schalnich, M. A. 
 +41 61 683 77 35 
schalnich@mdpi.com