Abstract
The effectiveness of cutting up food for the elderly was examined, employing eight kinds of food as samples considered difficult for the elderly to masticate based on instrumentally measured data, an organoleptic evaluation, and the frequency of mastication.
Seven samples (apple, cucumber, boiled daikon root, boiled konjack, mushi-kamaboko, cuttlefish and boiled common octopus) were significantly softened by being cut up, while boiled carrot root was not. The frequency of mastication of all samples which had been cut up was significantly low (p < 0.05), the decrease ratio for cuttlefish and boiled common octopus being particularly high. Although those samples that had been cut up were not liked by the elderly, cutting up boiled konjack block and cuttlefish induced little sense of discomfort.
Cutting up of cuttlefish proved to be an effective preparation method which did not lead to any sense of discomfort for the elderly, and decreased both the food hardness and frequency of mastication.
