Beta-Glucan Thickener Stability for Dysphagia Nutrition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with dysphagia face challenges with existing thickened nutritional products that lack cohesiveness, leading to aspiration risks and undesirable organoleptic properties, and current solutions fail to maintain the natural cohesiveness and viscosity of beta-glucan-based products over time.
Innovation Solution
A stable nutritional product is formulated with a beta-glucan thickener and stabilizers like Na2HPO4, sodium azide, potassium sorbate, and protease, which prevents degradation, maintains viscosity, and adjusts pH to enhance cohesiveness and shelf life, reducing the risk of aspiration and improving swallowing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thickener is added to increase shear viscosity for safer swallowing, then the nutritional product becomes less likely to aspirate, but the product leaves residues with high levels of viscosity resulting in undesirable organoleptic properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the molecular weight parameter of the beta-glucan thickener, using high molecular weight beta-glucan (HMWβG) with specific viscosity ranges (150-500 cP at 1000 s⁻¹ shear rate) to achieve safer swallowing while maintaining better organoleptic properties compared to conventional thickeners
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite thickening system by combining beta-glucan with specific stabilizers (phosphates, sorbates, azides, proteases) to maintain cohesiveness and prevent degradation, achieving both swallowing safety and desirable sensory properties
2Reliability
If conventional thickeners are used to increase viscosity, then aspiration risk is reduced, but the product lacks cohesiveness that saliva typically provides to food boluses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the rheological parameters of the thickener by using high molecular weight beta-glucan with specific viscosity and relaxation time characteristics (150-500 cP at 1000 s⁻¹, relaxation time 10-500 ms) to replicate saliva's cohesiveness while preventing aspiration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates localized cohesiveness in the oral cavity by using beta-glucan that specifically interacts with food particles to form cohesive boluses, while the rest of the product maintains liquid flow properties for easy swallowing
3Stability of the object's composition
If beta-glucan is used as a thickener, then cohesiveness is improved, but the product degrades over time losing viscosity and relaxation time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary stabilization by adding specific stabilizers (phosphates, sorbates, azides, proteases) to the beta-glucan formulation before use to prevent degradation during storage, maintaining cohesiveness throughout the shelf life
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces stabilizers as intermediary substances that protect the beta-glucan thickener from degradation by microorganisms and enzymatic breakdown, thereby preserving viscosity and relaxation time over extended storage periods
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a stable, cohesive, and palatable nutritional product that reduces aspiration risks and maintains viscosity, enhancing swallowing safety and comfort for individuals with dysphagia while extending the product's shelf life.
Implementation Method 1
the viscosity of the nutritional product decreases when the shear forces and the shear rate acting on the nutritional product (e.g., chewing forces) increase
Implementation Method 2
deactivating enzymes in the nutritional product; adding to the nutritional product a stabilizer selected from the group consisting of Na2HPO4, sodium azide, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium citrate, citric acid, hydrochloric acid, tartaric acid, protease
Implementation Method 3
preventing hydrolysis of the beta-glucan in the nutritional product
Implementation Method 4
adding to the nutritional product a stabilizer selected from the group consisting of Na2HPO4, sodium azide, potassium sorbate
Implementation Method 5
adjusting a pH of the nutritional product to from about 3 to about 7
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is related to a stable nutritional product, a thickener formulated for dilution into the nutritional composition, a use of the nutritional product, a method for making the nutritional product, a method for enhancing physical stability, especially with regards to rheological and in particular “cohesive” properties of the nutritional product, and a related system. The physical stability, especially with regards to rheological and in particular cohesive properties of a nutritional product consumed in liquid form and containing a beta-glucan can be enhanced by reducing and/or preventing growth of microorganisms in the nutritional product, and/or deactivating enzymes in the nutritional product, and/or preventing hydrolysis of the beta-glucan in the nutritional product.