Abstract
Effects of food polysaccharides were investigated on mechanical properties of liquid type nutritional foods to clarify the suitability as a thickener for enteral nutrition. Three representative commercial products of the same caloric value were used as a source of liquid type nutritional foods. Among polysaccharide samples tested, hybrid-carrageenan, xanthan gum, and a commercial mixture of these polysaccharides provided a rheological behavior typical to weak gel or structured liquid with the foods. Also, these polysaccharide samples were more effective than the others in lowering load in syringing the specimen (i.e., the foods thickened with polysaccharides) through an enteral tube and in reducing the amount of residue within the tube after syringing. Furthermore, these polysaccharide samples effectively increased shape retention and decreased fluidity of the food bolus exuded from the tube upon syringing. The commercial mixture enhanced viscosity the most rapidly, reaching to a pseudo-plateau state within a short time (i.e., ‹ 10 min). The mixture of hybrid-carrageenan and xanthan gum has proven to be the most favorable thickener for this purpose.
