Relationship Between Sensory Evaluations of Jelly Beverages and Neck Ultrasound Videos

Abstract

Jelly beverages have become popular hydration solutions for people with swallowing difficulties. Jelly beverages are also used in meal replacements, nutritional support, and sports nutrition. Products that focus more on drinking and individual preferences are anticipated to become more popular. In this study, we focused on the sensory evaluation of jelly swallowing. In sensory evaluations, viscosity and grain size are relevant for evaluating the ease of swallowing. These are evaluated in an integrated manner to obtain an impression of the jelly; however, selecting and standardizing appropriate evaluation terms are labor intensive. Therefore, in this study, we examined ultrasound videos of the neck. The biological reactions and flow characteristics observed in the ultrasonic videos were analyzed, and the results were compared with those obtained from sensory evaluations. Consequently, two factors obtained from B-mode moving images correlated strongly with sensory evaluation. One was “time from inflow of food mass into esophagus to return of esophageal wall to original position” and the other was “angle of bulge at tail of bolus mass”. These methods are potentially useful for designing jelly beverages that meet individual tastes and needs.