EVALUATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS OF PUMPKIN JELLY AS A DYSPHAGIA FOOD

Abstract

Dysphagia is one of the most prevalent issues that has become more widespread in recent years, among elderly individuals     . Modifying the texture of the food is a fundamental factor for safe swallowing in patients with dysphagia since inadequate consistency can result in severe complications such as  aspiration pneumonia or dehydration. Therefore, this study created pumpkin jelly as a dysphagia food using gelling agents which is a mixture of 1:1 ratio gelatin and carrageenan. Various concentrations of gelling agents  were investigated. The result showed that the  samples containing 1% and 2%  gelling agents reached the suitable hardness values  for dysphagia food, which were 7.03 and 10.53 (×10³ N/m²), respectively. Moreover, both concentrations also reached level 5, the level feasible for dysphagic patients according to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). The      sample      with 1% gelling agents had higher content of polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and antioxidant activity as well as flavor quality than the      2%  sample. Overall, the gelling agent concentration at 1% was the most suitable option for the pumpkin jelly as a dysphagia diet.