Classification of starch gel texture for the elderly diets based on instrumental and sensory methodology.

As the elderly population is increasing throughout the world, there are growing interests in developing food products for older adults with difficulties in chewing and swallowing in the food industry. In this study, the instrumental texture of solid foods in a starch gel system was correlated with the sensory properties perceived by the people aged 60 and older. Based on the principal component analysis, the corn starch gel samples with different hardness were classified into the five groups that were presented with the ranges of stress values. The results obtained in this study may thus provide valuable information on the standard criteria and guidelines customized for the elderly.