Abstract

Author(s): García Raurich, Josep; Pérez Ruiz, Queralt; Mas Herrador, Anna

Introduction: Food for people with Dysphagia is prepared with products that modify viscosity so that they can be safer when ingested.

Objective: To establish the interaction between sodium chloride and calcium chloride with three vegetable thickeners.

Methods: The behaviour of three thickeners was determined: Resource®, Densiter® (of the first range) and ViscoInstant® (second range). The relationship between viscosity and thickener concentration at different temperatures was determined using distilled water, prepared “in situ”, from deionized water as a solvent. The viscosity values of the different samples, expressed in cP, were determined immediately after being prepared, homogenized and thermally stabilized. Once the value of this parameter was determined, the samples were stored at 4ºC inside a refrigerator and the process was repeated after 24 hours.

Results: The selected concentrations of sodium chloride and calcium chloride were: 0.5%; 2.5%; 9%; 27% and 36% while the concentrations of the thickeners were: 0.5%; 1%; 3%; 4%; 5% and 6%. Up to a concentration of 1%, the three thickeners presented a Newtonian behavior. From higher concentrations, the freshly prepared samples behaved as a non-Newtonian fluid. After the resting period, all samples showed Newtonian behaviour.

Conclusion: The presence of both sodium chloride and calcium chloride modifies the behavior of the three selected thickeners, affecting the control of the desired degree of consistency