3D Food Printing Applications Related to Dysphagia: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Dysphagia is a condition in which the swallowing mechanism is impaired. It is most often a result of a stroke. Dysphagia has serious consequences, including choking and aspiration pneumonia, which can both be fatal. The population that is most affected by it is the elderly. Texture-modified diets are part of the treatment plan for dysphagia. This bland, restrictive diet often contributes to malnutrition in patients with dysphagia. Both energy and protein intake are of concern, which is especially worrying, as it affects the elderly. Making texture-modified diets more appealing is one method to increase food intake. As a recent technology, 3D food printing has great potential to increase the appeal of textured foods. With extrusion-based printing, both protein and vegetable products have already been 3D printed that fit into the texture categories provided by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative. Another exciting advancement is 4D food printing which could make foods even more appealing by incorporating color change and aroma release following a stimulus. The ultra-processed nature of 3D-printed foods is of nutritional concern since this affects the digestion of the food and negatively affects the gut microbiome. There are mitigating strategies to this issue, including the addition of hydrocolloids that increase stomach content viscosity and the addition of probiotics. Therefore, 3D food printing is an improved method for the production of texture-modified diets that should be further explored.

Evaluation of aspiration risk by relatives of inpatients in the neurology service: A metaphor analysis

“…Here, caregivers described the risk of aspiration as a fine line between life and death. Dysphagia has serious consequences, such as choking and aspiration pneumonia, which can be fatal 46 . Aspiration pneumonia is one of the most common causes of mortality after stroke 47 .…”

The potential of future foods for a sustainable future

“…Unlike robot relied on food manufacturing, which automates manual operations to reduce human participation, 3D food printing technology allows users to embed creativity in the printing process and directly participate in the customization of the shape, color, taste, and nutrition of food (He et al, 2020). 3D printing has been applied to multiple food fields such as military food, children/elderly food, and snack food with technical progress (Lorenz et al, 2022).…”

Three-dimensional food printing: its readiness for a food and nutrition insecure world

“…Therefore, TMF could be suited to 3D food printing (5,6,49) . In turn, 3D food printing could address the multiple interacting drawbacks about TMF (50,51) . Firstly, 3D food printing may improve food intake by aged care residents by developing aesthetically appealing food options (Fig.…”