A Comparison of Behavior of Transitional-State Foods Under Varying Oral Conditions

This study aimed to understand the extent of dissolution of five transitional snacks items in relationship to time, tongue pressure, and amount of saliva. Thirty individuals ages 50 to 88 participated in this study (10 with diagnosed xerostomia). The foods tested included shrimp chips, Baby Mum Mums, the EAT bar, and the Savorease cracker with and without dip. Each test food was placed in the mouth for 5  s or 12 s with or without tongue pressure and then expectorated. Benchtop preparation via the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) protocol was also completed. An IDDSI fork pressure test was then performed on all samples. Significant differences between snacks were fou nd in degree of dissolution, with Savorease crackers dissolving more consistently than all others and Baby Mum Mums dissolving least frequently than all others. Tongue pressure positively influenced the dissolution of some foods, particularly those with decreased rates of dissolution. Differences al so existed between testing conditions. Overall, there was a wide variability in degree and speed of dissolution across different transitional foods and testing methods. These findings support the need for individual testing to explore post-oral processing consistency when determining the clinical ut ility of transitional foods.
Source: Dysphagia - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: research