Effects of High Pressure on the Textural and Sensory Properties of Minced Fish Meat Gels for the Dysphagia Diet

Abstract

A new product of minced fish meat with high pressurization was produced for individuals with difficulties in mastication and swallowing and for elderly people on a dysphagia diet. Minced fish meat was added to distilled water at ratios of 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:1.5 by mixing with 1.5% NaCl. Half of the samples were modified by heating (H-gels) and half by high pressure at 400 MPa for 20 min (P-gels). The hardness of the H-and P-gels was 0.97 to 2.83 [×10 4 N/m 2 ] and 2.25 to 10.03 [×10 4 N/m 2 ], respectively. For SDS-PAGE analysis, low-molecular-weight proteins in the P-gel were released more easily than those in the H-gel by the difference in gel formation, which is related to the detection of α-actinin in the supernatant of pressurized actomyosin. The ultrastructural observations showed a regular filamentous network structure in the P-gel. For the sensory evaluation, the P-gels were determined to be more lustrous, juicier, more moderately elastic and smoother. These gels conformed to the criteria of Dietary Uses for Dyspahgic Patients and Japanese Dysphagia Diet 2013. High pressure treatment denatured the protein composition of the minced fish meat gel, which led to a clearer three-dimensional network structure. High pressure made it possible to form minced fish meat gels with a low salt concentration. Obtained minced fish meat gels were improved in textural properties by addition of water and under high pressure, which were different from the ones by traditional heating. Improvement in textural properties will raise the sensory evaluation for elderly and dysphagic people. It is expected that the pressurized gels will be practical for a dysphagia diet.

Texture Modification Technologies and Their Opportunities for the Production of Dysphagia Foods: A Review

“…Only some conditions of the production of meat‐based dysphagia diets as reported by Yoshioka et al. () could be cited for using cohesiveness as a criterion.…”

“…Texture-modified foods is a term that refer to foods with soft texture; the softening may be due either to physical or chemical modification to reduce the risk associated with choking (Aguilera & Park, 2016;Cichero et al, 2013). Food texture recommended for dysphagia diets should be soft, moist, elastic, smooth, and easy to swallow (Tokifuji et al, 2013;Yoshioka et al, 2016). Sticky and adhesive textures as well as thin liquids should be avoided since these textures can cause food residue to accumulate in the oropharynx and may lead to aspiration after swallowing (Park, Kim, Lee, & Park, 2017).…”

“…Finally, the fourth hardness level (under 5 × Foster et al, 2011;Stokes et al, 2013;Witt & Stokes, 2015). Table 1-Textural properties of dysphagia diets of various levels (modified from Yoshioka et al, 2016 andPark et al, 2017). 1.0 × 10 3 to 1.5 × 10 4 1.0 × 10 3 or less 2.0 to 0.9 -III 3.0 × 10 2 to 2.0 × 10 4 1.5 × 10 3 or less -…”

“…Although cohesiveness is also a key characteristic of texturemodified foods, there are very few reports on the consideration of cohesiveness in relation to the criteria listed in Table 1. Only some conditions of the production of meat-based dysphagia diets as reported by Yoshioka et al (2016) could be cited for using cohesiveness as a criterion.…”

“…Foods containing liquids can, for example, be thickened by increasing their viscosity to prevent aspiration; this in turn allows a higher amount of food intake for dysphagic patients (Kouzani et al., ). Recently, alternative technologies, including those involving the use of high‐pressure, hydrodynamic pressure, pulsed electric field (PEF), plasma, ultrasound, and irradiation, have been applied to modify the texture (for example, hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness), sensory characteristics (aroma and flavor), and to maintain the nutritional value and extend the shelf life of an array of food materials (Jin, Yu, & Gurtler, ; Yoshioka, Yamamoto, Matsushima, Hachisuka, & Ikeuchi, ). It is therefore of interest to examine the ability of these technologies to modify foods to suit the need of dysphagic patients.…”