Jul 2026· Journal of NutriLife· pp.
101696
· 0 citations· 91 references
Medicine
TL;DR
This narrative review synthesizes experimental and clinical studies published from 2020 onwards that treat TMFs as soft-matter systems, including gels, emulsions, and composite biopolymer networks used in geriatric nutrition and dysphagia care, and translates these soft-matter descriptors into quantitative, phenotype-aware engineering windows for safer and more nutritious geriatric TMFs.
Abstract
A soft matter physics framework offers a systematic approach to designing texture-modified foods (TMFs) that can improve swallowing safety, nutritional adequacy, and acceptability in older adults with dysphagia, malnutrition, and sarcopenia. This narrative review synthesizes experimental and clinical studies published from 2020 onwards that treat TMFs as soft-matter systems, including gels, emulsions, and composite biopolymer networks used in geriatric nutrition and dysphagia care. Evidence on rheology, tribology, microstructure, particle size, protein-polysaccharide and emulsion gels, three-dimensional (3D) food printing, and thermal and non-thermal processing is integrated to relate material parameters to swallowing safety and nutritional outcomes. Across studies, safer boluses are consistently soft, shear-thinning, cohesive, low-adhesive and sufficiently extensible, with quantitative windows of viscosity, yield stress, viscoelastic moduli, extensional viscosity and friction offering better prediction of swallowability than qualitative texture levels alone. Protein-polysaccharide gels, emulsion-filled matrices, plant-based networks and 3D-printed structures can be engineered to meet standardized dysphagia diet levels while increasing protein density, hydration, and delivery of bioactive compounds; processing conditions and particle-size control further tune tenderness, cohesion, digestibility and nutrient bioaccesibility. A physics-aware soft-matter approach thus provides actionable design rules linking formulation and processing to bolus flow, lubrication and sensory properties, enabling TMFs that are safer, more palatable, and more nutritious for older adults, although phenotype-specific targets and long-term clinical trials remain important gaps for future research on healthy ageing. Unlike prior reviews that emphasize either clinical dysphagia management or processing technologies in isolation, this work uniquely integrates rheology, tribology, microstructure, particle size, 3D printing, and thermal/non-thermal processing under a single soft-matter physics design framework, and translates these soft-matter descriptors into quantitative, phenotype-aware engineering windows for safer and more nutritious geriatric TMFs.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is frequently accompanied by progressive dysphagia, weight loss, and hypermetabolism, which complicate the maintenance of adequate nutritional status. For these patients, food systems must not only provide sufficient energy and protein within a limited volume but also exhibit textural and rheological properties that support safe swallowing. This review analyzes technological and rheological approaches to the design of texture‐modified food systems for nutritional support in ALS. Particular attention is given to apparent viscosity, shear‐thinning behavior, yield stress, structural homogeneity, and storage stability as parameters affecting bolus formation, swallowing safety, and product performance. The relevance of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative framework for classifying food textures and liquid consistencies is also considered. The review further examines the functional and technological roles of animal‐ and plant‐based raw materials, including regional raw materials, in the formulation of energy‐dense and structurally stable foods. Proteins, lipids, hydrocolloids, starch gels, and polysaccharide networks are discussed as key components for controlling texture, viscosity, gelation, emulsion stability, and nutritional density. Technological strategies such as homogenization, emulsification, protein‐based structuring, hydrocolloid thickening, high‐pressure homogenization, and 3D food printing are considered in relation to their potential for developing safe, acceptable, and locally adaptable products for patients with ALS‐related dysphagia. The findings highlight the need to integrate food texture science, rheological control, nutritional adequacy, sensory acceptability, and regional availability in the development of clinically relevant texture‐modified foods.
Z. Konarbayeva· Journal of texture studies· 0 citations
The feasibility of creating high-protein gel systems suitable for dysphagia patients by adjusting the levels of egg white protein and collagen hydrolysate is examined, offering a viable approach for designing tailored high-protein food formulations for dysphagia.
Deimantė Dagytė, Ieva Bartkuvienė, Evren Gölge et al.· International Journal of Foo...· 0 citations
Dysphagia, or difficulty in swallowing, affects a significant proportion of the aging population and individuals with neurological or physiological impairments, necessitating the development of safe, nutritious, and appealing texture‐modified foods. The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) provides a globally recognized framework to ensure consistent food texture and fluid thickness; however, delivering meals that are both compliant and sensory‐acceptable remains a challenge. This narrative review explores current research on 3D food printing for dysphagia, encompassing nutrition, food science, engineering, and clinical practice. Particular attention is given to the practicality of printing a complete, safe, and nutritionally adequate meal using 3D printing. Key challenges include formulation variability, printability of IDDSI‐compliant foods, equipment limitations, and practical issues in meal preparation and service. This review highlights the technological challenge of 3D food printing in dysphagia care, emphasizing that coordinated, multidisciplinary research is essential to translate this technology into routine clinical use.
Deepa Agarwal, Annie‐Claude M. Lassemillante, Sahiti Peddisetti et al.· Food Frontiers· 0 citations
Adequate hydration and nutrition are crucial for preventing health complications and functional decline in older adults, especially those with dysphagia. This study examined the use of direct frozen and reverse spherification, with different residence times, to create alginate-based, high-water-content (>95%) bite-sized structures that are safe to swallow and capable of encapsulating vitamins B9 and B12 for delayed release in the gastrointestinal tract. Residence time notably affected the beads’ microstructure and texture. Reverse-spherified liquid-core beads were soft and stable, maintaining high water content; however, they were not suitable for people with dysphagia because of their uneven texture and water release when compressed or bitten. Conversely, direct frozen spherification yielded solid-core alginate beads with low hardness (77.46–136.25 g), minimal adhesiveness (~11 g·s), good cohesiveness (>0.3), and rheological properties compatible with swallowing. A fiberoptic endoscopic swallowing assessment found that the patients rated these solid-core beads as easy to chew and comfortable to swallow. Over six weeks, vitamin retention was 59.4–79.4% for vitamin B9 and 69.6–97.0% for vitamin B12, with 80–90% released during simulated digestion. These results highlight frozen direct spherification’s potential to create dysphagia-friendly, high-water-content finger foods that improve hydration, nutrition, and vitamin encapsulation.
Enrika Lazickaitė, M. Keršienė, I. Jasutienė et al.· Gels· 0 citations
Four-dimensional (4D) food printing extends additive manufacturing by integrating stimuli-responsive edible materials that enable programmed transformations in food structure, texture, color, and nutrient release over time. This review critically evaluates the material-structure–function relationships governing these dynamic food systems, with emphasis on rheological requirements, transformation mechanisms, and process control strategies relevant to food production and processing. Printable bioinks typically require shear-thinning behavior and viscoelastic balance (storage modulus G′ ≈102–104 Pa) to ensure extrusion fidelity and structural stability while enabling post-printing responsiveness to external stimuli such as heat, hydration, and pH. Polysaccharide hydrogels, protein-polysaccharide composites, starch matrices, and lipid-based emulsions are examined as functional substrates capable of programmable swelling, gel contraction, phase transition, and controlled bioactive release. Experimental systems demonstrate shape deformation exceeding 70° under microwave activation and up to ~196% improvement in gel strength in protein-enhanced matrices, highlighting the role of compositional tuning and microstructural design. Strategies, including anisotropic infill architectures, gradient material deposition, and AI-assisted formulation optimization, provide improved control over deformation kinetics and nutrient delivery. However, industrial translation remains constrained by printing throughput, storage stability of metastable structures, and regulatory validation of stimuli-responsive food. Integrating material engineering, digital manufacturing, and predictive modeling will be essential for advancing 4D food printing toward scalable applications in nutrition, clinical diets, and adaptive food systems.
R. Abdelsalam, Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan· Food Production, Processing...· 0 citations
The development of sustainable materials for additive manufacturing (AM) has positioned starch as a compelling alternative to conventional thermoplastics. However, the successful implementation of starch in 3D printing (3DP) relies on precise control of its supramolecular organization, rheological behavior, and processing conditions. This article analyzes starch-based hydrogels for extrusion-driven AM, establishing explicit links between molecular architecture, gelatinization, and viscoelastic performance. The influence of key rheological parameters on extrudability and shape fidelity is examined in parallel with critical processing conditions. Chemical and physical modification routes of starch are compared in terms of their structural impact and printability enhancement. The integration of additives such as polysaccharides, proteins, and inorganic salts is discussed as a strategy to overcome intrinsic mechanical limitation. Emerging non-food application in drug delivery, tissue engineering, or conductive/intelligent hydrogels demonstrates the expanding technological relevance of starch-based formulation. Remaining challenges include predictive, rheology-based design, and the development of multifunctional 4D-printing capabilities. Progress in this field is crucial for positioning starch as a robust platform for sustainable AM, but, despite this progress, a systematic and quantitative framework linking starch molecular architecture and rheological behavior to printing-process parameters and outcomes is still lacking, thus constituting the central gap addressed in this review.