2022 Volume 26 Issue 2 Pages 87-98
We conducted sensory evaluation and physical property measurements to determine the usefulness of commercially available “Universal Design Food” (UDF). We also analyzed general foods (handmade foods) as a control. The test foods were okayu (rice porridge) and bread, which are frequently consumed food items. The sensory evaluation was performed on 46 healthy adult volunteers who were involved in the development of food items and nursing care food items. They evaluated six items each in two categories: ease of eating and taste. The physical property measurements included investigation of the hardness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness.
The rice porridge was tested as follows: the sensory evaluation was performed twice 60 min after preparation, and the physical property measurements were conducted by measuring the longitudinal changes that took place at 20℃ and 45℃. The results of the sensory evaluation showed that the UDF received higher evaluations for ease of eating than the food items prepared in saucepans or general food items. They also showed that in terms of taste, the handmade food items (rice cooker and saucepan) were evaluated higher than the UDF. Examination of the longitudinal changes of the handmade food items showed that there were problems at the time the foods were provided for consumption, but that the UDF underwent fewer longitudinal changes than the general food items, which indicates that the users were less worried about consuming UDF.
The types of bread tested were sliced bread, milk bread, and paste/mousse consistency bread. Each of these forms of the UDF and the general items were compared. The results of the sensory evaluation showed that the UDF was evaluated higher than the general items in terms of ease of eating, but that the general items tended to be rated higher for taste. The fact that the food forms that the user based on their personal dietary experiences were rated as tasting better indicates the importance of improving ease of eating while simultaneously maintaining the taste and appearance/image of the food item.
In the case of the UDF, we also found that factors such as the stickiness and effect on longitudinal changes were adjusted in addition to hardness. This can be interpreted as indicating the importance of increasing the precision of the sensory evaluation in addition to the physical property measurements.
