Heston Blumenthal working with Society client Age UK

Britain's most provocative chef is supporting Age UK and the University of Reading in their research into hospital food for older people. The pioneering initiative aims to enhance the taste of hospital food to help prevent or treat malnutrition in older people.

The idea of the research is to use a taste central to Japanese food to modify the sensory properties of food to increase its flavour. Deliciousness in foods, especially savoury food, is enhanced by umami - which is known as the fifth taste and is the Japanese word for delicious and savoury.

Researchers at the Department of Food Biosciences at Reading and Clinical Health Sciences are working with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Blumenthal to modify foods so that older patients in particular will find them more flavoursome.  They have visited Blumenthal's restaurant, the Fat Duck, to watch how the chef cooks and develops ideas and to see how these can be recreated in hospital kitchens.

Dr Lisa Methven, the lead researcher, explains:

"As people get older their taste and odour thresholds increase so they may need more flavour to taste sufficiently and enjoy food. Malnutrition is a particular problem for older adults in hospital and nursing home settings, and it can result in longer periods of illness, slower recovery from surgery and infection and increased mortality rates."

The aged currently account for two thirds of all acute hospital in-patients. 60% of elderly patients come into hospital malnourished and, unfortunately, the percentage is even worse when they leave.

Once the researchers have perfected their recipes, the meals will be trialled on elderly care wards at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.