Oral processing in elderly: understanding eating capability to drive future food texture modifications.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nutritional Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Aging population faces increased malnutrition risk, impacting autonomy and health outcomes.
• Reduced nutrient intake in elderly is linked to declining muscle mass, oral function, and coordination.
• Traditional texture-modified foods offer limited innovation, negatively affecting eating pleasure and nutrient intake.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce and define 'eating capability' (EC) as a quantifiable measure of elderly individuals' food handling and oral processing abilities.
• Review current knowledge on EC, focusing on parameters like hand and oro-facial muscle forces.
• Highlight the need for further research to personalize texture-modified foods for the elderly.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on eating capability in the elderly.
• Focus on quantifiable parameters such as hand and oro-facial muscle forces.
• Exploration of EC score's predictive potential for eating difficulty and oral processing behavior.

Main Results:

• Eating capability (EC) is a novel concept to characterize elderly individuals' food handling and oral processing.
• EC score, though limited in literature, shows promise in predicting perceived eating difficulty.
• Further studies are needed to correlate EC components with oral comfort and processing behavior.

Conclusions:

• Understanding eating capability is crucial for addressing malnutrition in the elderly.
• Personalized, texture-modified foods using advanced technologies like 3D printing can enhance eating pleasure and nutrient intake.
• Developing a robust knowledge base on EC will enable the creation of next-generation foods for improved elderly nutrition.