Characterizing Commercial Pureed Foods: Sensory, Nutritional, and Textural Analysis

Abstract

Dysphagia (swallowing impairment) is a common consequence of stroke and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Limited research is available on pureed foods, specifically the qualities of commercial products. Because research has linked pureed foods, specifically in-house pureed products, to malnutrition due to inferior sensory and nutritional qualities, commercial purees also need to be investigated. Proprietary research on sensory attributes of commercial foods is available; however direct comparisons of commercial pureed foods have never been reported. Descriptive sensory analysis as well as nutritional and texture analysis of commercially pureed prepared products was performed using a trained descriptive analysis panel. The pureed foods tested included four brands of carrots, of turkey, and two of bread. Each commercial puree was analyzed for fat (Soxhlet), protein (Dumas), carbohydrate (proximate analysis), fiber (total fiber), and sodium content (Quantab titrator strips). The purees were also texturally compared with a line spread test and a back extrusion test. Differences were found in the purees for sensory attributes as well as nutritional and textural properties. Findings suggest that implementation of standards is required to reduce variability between products, specifically regarding the textural components of the products. This would ensure all commercial products available in Canada meet standards established as being considered safe for swallowing.

Textural characteristics of safe dishes for dysphagic patients: a multivariate analysis approach

“…Only three studies evaluated commercial purees with vegetables and other ingredients like meat or fish. [16,21,22] The behavior of these commercial products and vegetables purees was similar. They behaved like thixotropic fluids, which means that the higher the shear rate or temperature of product, the lower the viscosity.…”

“…Figure 1b shows different profiles for the extrusion force of the four commercial products, therefore the back extrusion test can be used to classify the products, interpret their structure, their consistency and their behavior. Ettinger et al [22] proved this theory and established that the extrusion test is necessary for classification the products for dysphagic people.…”

Nutritional quality of regular and pureed menus in Canadian long term care homes: an analysis of the Making the Most of Mealtimes (M3) project

“…This was a secondary study, based solely on the planned menus of the homes. A total of 32 LTC homes were purposively recruited across four Canadian provinces (8 homes per province) in Canada: Alberta (AB), Manitoba (MB), New Brunswick (NB), and Ontario (ON), [27]. Eligibility criteria for LTC homes included the following: 1) in operation for at least six months; and 2) having a minimum of 50 residents who met the resident eligibility criteria.…”

“…In addition to menu planning the availability and use of commercially prepared modified textured food (MTF) may also influence nutrient quality of products. With the development and use of more commercially prepared pureed foods, it is not known if these menus are now on par with regular texture menus, especially as variability in nutritional quality of commercial products has also been shown [26,27].…”

Translational Advancements in Applications of Pureed Food

“…The first study on commercially prepared food in this special issue compares and contrasts the nutritional, sensory, and textural qualities of vegetable, meat, and bread products (12). This analysis demonstrates the significant diversity on these attributes of popular commercial brands.…”