Commercial thickeners used by patients with dysphagia: Rheological and structural behaviour in different food matrices

In order to achieve a safe swallowing in patients with dysphagia, liquids must be thickened. In this work, two commercial starch based thickeners dissolved inwater,whole milk, apple juice and tomato juice were studied. The thickeners were Resource®, composed of modified maize starch and Nutilis®, composed of modified maize starch and gums. They were formulated at two different concentrations corresponding to nectar- and pudding-like consistencies. Influence of composition, concentration and food matrix on rheological properties and structure of the resulting pastes were analysed. Viscoelastic measurements and microscopic observations of the thickeners dissolved in water revealed structural …