Viscosity Measurement Results of a Commercially Available Universal Design Food (UDF: Can be Crushed with the Longue) using the Line Spread Test (LST)

Abstract

In Japan, which is a super-aged society, people need the nursingcare foods in recent years.For the prevention of aspiration pneumonia, there is a demand for safe and delicious nursing care foodfor not only patients but also senior citizen. To create food for swallowing that can be easily prepared even at ordinary homes, among the previous studies that have already been reported, using a type of universal design food,but that can be crushed with the tongue, for which the results have not yet been shown, is suitable or not for nursing care food is not sure. To obtain theviscosity, we investigated using eight types of thickeners and reported them.After adding 1 g, 2 g, and 3 g of each of the eight types of thickeners to commercially available shrimp gratin, a line spread test (LST) was performed using a superficial thickness measuring plate (manufactured by Saraya Co., Ltd.). As a result, by adding 1 g, it was possible to obtain a thick viscosity of 30 mm or more and less than 32 mm, which is thought to promote safe swallowing. Eight kinds of thickeners are commercially available products containing xanthan gum, among which the thickener containing xanthan gum, calcium lactate, and trisodium citrate showed the highest viscosity. In the future, it will be necessary to investigate the effects of thickeners on universal design foods (UDF) that can be crushed with the tongue and have different nutritional values.