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Innovative Development of Texture-Softened Foods for Older Adults Living in Residential Care .

Author
Abstract
:

Oropharyngeal dysphagia, a swallowing disorder, is a common problem faced by older adults living in residential care. A direct management strategy for this disorder is to modify the texture of foods prior to serving using techniques such as chopping, mashing, liquid thickening, and reshaping. However, the process of texture modification causes foods to lose a significant amount of their nutritional value and reduces the motivation and fun of eating for diners. Eating is part of the enjoyment of life, and managing the nutrition status of older adults living in residential care is an important issue in aged societies. In this article, issues related to modified-texture foods, including their generally lower nutritional value, are discussed. In addition, combinations of cooking techniques that may increase tenderness in meat are explored to promote the future development of the soft-food meals for older adults living in residential care. One of the described techniques uses fresh fruits to pickle meat and vacuum low-temperature cooking technology that preserves the shape of meat after cooking and makes meat sufficiently soft to be broken up by the tongue. Vacuum low-temperature cooking allows for the precise control of cooking time and temperature, and professional cooking techniques may be used to improve the quality of the texture-softened foods. It is the hope of the authors that this article is used a reference for the future development of texture-softened foods for older adults living in residential care.

Year of Publication
:
2020
Journal
:
Hu li za zhi The journal of nursing
Volume
:
67
Issue
:
4
Number of Pages
:
33-38
ISSN Number
:
0047-262X
DOI
:
10.6224/JN.202008_67(4).05
Short Title
:
Hu Li Za Zhi
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