Establishment of a multimodal evaluation system for deliciousness and its utilization for establishment of dysphagia-adjusted diet

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H00961
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Asakura Tomiko 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 特任教授 (20259013)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 舟木 淳子 福岡女子大学, 人間環境科学研究科, 准教授 (60219079)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 嚥下調整食 / 表面筋電位 / 味覚 / 官能評価 / PLS回帰分析 / オトガイ舌骨筋

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We examined how taste sensation with comfortable or uncomfortable affect the easiness of swallowing and response to submental muscle movement in the throat. Five different concentrations of five basic tastes were prepared to test sensory evaluation. Palatability and easiness swallowing were evaluated using nine step analysis. Next, electromyogram of submental muscle at the time of swallowing of these taste solutions were examined. Fourteen factors of electromyography which consist duration, quantities such as PSD, Vp-p, maximum amplitude, and frequency were extracted from electromyogram. Palatability of easiness of swallowing were subjected to partial least squares regression analysis. Palatability and easiness of swallowing were used as objective value and fourteen factors of electromyography were explanation values. As a results, palatability and easiness of swallowing with all five basic tastes were exhibited predictive formula with high accuracy.

Free Research Field

食品科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

味覚の研究を進める中で、味も重要な要素ではあるが、食品の二次機能である嗜好性は、味以外の要素も多く、それらが互いに作用しあうことで総和として「おいしさ」を認知する。近年、日本では超高齢社会が深刻化し、介護食品の需要が高まる一方で、長寿国である半面、健康寿命との差が10年近くもあり、誰かの手助けなしには最後の10年間を送ることができない。これを短縮し、健康寿命と実寿命が等しくなるためには、生活習慣、特に食生活の占める役割は大きい。特に口から食物を得ることは健康維持に大きな効果を与えることから、味と嚥下の関係を解明することは嚥下調整食の開発に重要な研究である。