Study on food oral processing of the elderly by fragment-size analysis

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K02248
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: KOBAYASHI Naoki 日本大学, 生産工学部, 准教授 (30453674)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 咀嚼と嚥下

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The results of this research project are as follows:
(1) We conducted food mastication experiments using 15mm and 3mm square agarose gels with different molecular weights, and investigated the relationship between these parameters and the mathematical properties of the fragment-size distribution and the texture properties given by texture profile analysis (TPA), which is commonly used in this field. (2) In order to experimentally investigate the physical properties of food bolus produced in the oral cavity and transported to the esophagus, we created simulated food bolus and measured the cohesion when they were dropped using a laser.

Free Research Field

パターン形成の物理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒトの接触過程において, 食塊は, 歯によって破壊された食片群と口腔内で分泌される唾液等の凝集物であり, この形成ダイナミクスを理解し, さらに食塊そのものの物性を研究することは高齢者で多く見られる誤嚥性肺炎を防ぐという意味でもその理解を欠かすことができない。
本研究では食塊のテクスチャーを科学的な妥当性を持って評価しようとする試みであり, 実際の嚥下時の食塊の物理的状況を踏まえた研究である。