Dishes Adapted to Dysphagia: Sensory Characteristics and Their Relationship to Hedonic Acceptance

Dishes whose texture has been modified for dysphagia undergo changes in other sensory characteristics as well. Therefore, it is necessary to identify these characteristics in adapted dishes and their relationship to hedonic acceptance. In the present work, the sensory characteristics of five dishes adapted to dysphagia associated with cerebral palsy were investigated using the check-all-that-apply method. A hedonic evaluation with a panel of non-dysphagic judges was performed to relate the degree of acceptance with the sensory characteristics of the adapted dishes. The identification of the original non-adapted dish as well as the relationship between the hedonic evaluation by non-dysphagic judges and dysphagic judges were explored. The main attributes of the dishes adapted to dysphagia were homogeneity and easy-to-swallow. Attributes that increased the hedonic evaluation were flavorful, flavor of the original dish, soft texture, easy-to-swallow, and odor of the original dish. The attributes that decreased the hedonic evaluation were thick mash and bland. The fish dish was the only one correctly identified more than 62.5% of the time. The adapted dishes received scores above 4.7 out of 9.0 in the hedonic evaluation. The most accepted dishes were the chicken stew and the chickpea stew. Except for the pasta dish, the test yielded similar results to those obtained with dysphagic judges. The texture-modified dishes were correctly characterized and accepted. This study shows that all the sensory characteristics of the adapted dishes are crucial for acceptance and identification.

Automated summary

This study investigated the sensory characteristics of dishes adapted to dysphagia associated with cerebral palsy, finding that attributes like homogeneity and easy-to-swallow were key. Hedonic evaluation showed that flavorful taste, soft texture, and original flavor of the dish increased acceptance, while attributes like thick mash and blandness decreased acceptance. The adapted dishes were correctly characterized and accepted, with certain dishes being more preferred by judges.