Influence of thickening agents on rheological properties and sensory attributes of dysphagic diet

Abstract

Dysphagia is the difficulty during the progression of the bolus from the mouth to the stomach. Modifying the texture of the food is a fundamental factor for safe swallowing in patients with dysphagia since inadequate consistency can result in complications. To personalize and develop diets for dysphagia, understanding, and controlling the rheological and sensory properties of thickeners is useful. This review examines the different types of thickeners used to modify the texture of foods, as well as their influence on rheological properties and sensory attributes to efficiently manage the diet in dysphagia. The study discusses characteristics such as: hardness, viscosity, viscoelasticity, as well as sensory attributes related to rheology. The thickeners xanthan gum, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, guar gum, linseed, and chia, carboxymethylated curdlan, and konjac glucomannan were reviewed in this work. Sensory evaluations of different foods have already been carried out on some products such as: meats, carrots, soups, pates, and timbales with their modified textures. The sensory attributes measured among hydrocolloids are strongly correlated with rheological parameters. Dysphagic diets should have less hardness and adherence, but with adequate cohesiveness to facilitate chewing, swallowing to protect from aspiration and reduction of residues in the oropharynx. The use of a single type of thickener may not be ideal, their mixtures and synergistic effect can improve the viscous and elastic characteristics of foods, to obtain safe food to swallow and to improve the sensory interest of dysphagic patients. Personalized recommendations with follow‐up on swallowing approaches, respecting patient's individuality, explaining thickening agents' differences would be pertinent.

Food Processing and Nutrition Strategies for Improving the Health of Elderly People with Dysphagia: A Review of Recent Developments

“…To address these shortcomings, gum-based thickeners with better palatability and viscosity stability are being explored as new alternatives. In particular, xanthan gum is the most commercially used microbial polysaccharide secreted by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris and its main structure is composed of a β-1,4-D-glucopyranose backbone substituted on alternate glucose residues with a trisaccharide side chain [57]. As a new generation of thickening agents, xanthan gum has desirable properties, including high viscosity with a slippery mouth feel, good hydration properties, time stability, and insensitivity to amylase, temperature, and pH.…”

“…Compared to gum-based thickeners, starch-based thickening agents usually present different rheological properties, such as yield stress and extensional viscosity [57]. Recent studies have shown that starch-based thickeners require greater mass to achieve viscosity similar to that of gum-based thickeners [33].…”

The content of proximate, beta carotene, and organoleptic pumpkin mooncake as a snack to improve the immune system in the elderly

“…This is because pumpkin mooncake has a texture that suits the physiological needs of the elderly, namely, soft, soft, and not sour. According to Schmidt et al (2021), food texture is essential for safe swallowing and reduces the risk of choking. Alternative textures are required to increase the attractiveness of food.…”

Instrumental and sensory techniques to characterize the texture of foods suitable for dysphagic people: A systematic review

“…On the other hand, 340 articles are found when keywords as “thickener,” “water,” and “dysphagia” are considered, and most of them evaluated the effects of thickening agents in water (an “ideal model”). But the behavior of thickeners in water differs by comparison with a complex matrix as TFMs (Schmidt et al., 2021). In these documents, various instrumental and sensory methods were used to characterize the texture of TMFs.…”