J Texture Stud. 2021 Apr 12. doi: 10.1111/jtxs.12600. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Due to the importance of providing the appropriate fluid consistency for effective management of swallowing problems (dysphagia) in infants, this project sought to determine the effect of three commercially available thickening agents on the resulting thickened consistencies of commonly prescribed, ready to feed infant formulas.
METHODS: Nine ready-to-feed infant formulas were thickened with three different thickening agents to nectar and honey consistencies following manufacturer’s instructions and their resulting thickness was measured via line spread test. The nine formulas with nothing added to them (thin liquids) and the 27 target-nectar and 27 target-honey samples together created 63 unique samples for comparison. A series of one-way ANOVA analyses were conducted to determine if the resulting thickness (as measured by line spread test values) for target categories of nectar and honey consistencies was significantly influenced by the type of thickening agent used.
RESULTS: The achieved thickness of the formula samples as measured by line spread test values was statistically significantly different for the three different types of thickening agents used to achieve a target nectar consistency, F (2, 24) = 15.55, p < .001, partial eta squared = .709. Additionally, the achieved thickness of the formula samples was statistically significantly different for the three different types of thickening agents used to achieve a target honey consistency, F (2, 24) = 16.18, p < .001, partial eta squared = .709.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study reveal that the choice of thickening agent impacts the resulting thickness of ready to feed infant formula.
PMID:33843078 | DOI:10.1111/jtxs.12600
