Impact of panelist's age on the ease of swallow and sensory perception of texture-modified broccoli purees

• Swallowing disorders affect approximately 8% of the global population. It is more prevalent in the elderly, leading to malnutrition and dehydration. Different strategies have been investigated to design new texture-modified food products that would reduce or mitigate the suffering from these swallowing disorders. Despite the recent interest and research in this area, there are, however, still a lot of unknowns regarding the specific sensory insights by this targeted group. The aim of this work was to understand if the ease of swallow and related sensory characteristics are perceived differently by “young” and “elderly” healthy individuals. Broccoli purees with different textural properties were created by changing the fluid component (water or xanthan solution) or processing conditions. Samples were evaluated by an elderly panel (n = 19, average age = 68.9 years) and a young panel (n = 16, average age = 25.4 years). Multivariate data analysis strategies were used to understand the intrapanel sample discrimination and to compare between panels. Results showed a similar overall discrimination between samples between young and elderly panels. The use of xanthan improved the ease of swallow in both age groups. In the absence of xanthan gum, processing conditions determined the ease of swallow, which was related to the particle size distribution. Nevertheless, small differences were found between panels. For example, the elderly panel was more sensitive when discriminating samples based on the ease of swallow (p =.005). Therefore, panelist age seems to be relevant when designing tailored foods enhancing the ease of swallow for the elderly populations. Practical Applications: The present study highlights new insights on the relevance of age and sensory capabilities when designing new texture-modified food products. It also provides new insights regarding the key sensory attributes to consider and how these are affected by the type of food processing. © 2022 The Authors.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Genetik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Genetics (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Livsmedelsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Food Science (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Analytisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Analytical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik -- Övrig annan teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies -- Other Engineering and Technologies not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Food processing

Multivariant analysis

Particle size

Particle size analysis

Product design

Sensory analysis

Sensory perception

Average ages

Fluid components

Global population

Healthy individuals

Multivariate data analysis

Processing condition

Sensory characteristics

Solution conditions

Swallowing disorders

Textural properties

Textures

Måltidskunskap

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