Texture and sensory evaluation of whey protein jellies for nutritional care in the elderly

Background and objectives: The elderly are at risk of undernutrition due to deterioration of swallowing function, loss of appetite with aging, and social factors. The aim of this study was to contribute to improving energy and nutrition intake in the elderly to prevent frailty and sarcopenia. We prepared protein jellies containing whey protein and examined whether they are suitable snacks for the elderly through sensory evaluation and texture measurement. Methods: Protein jellies (orange, apple, grape, grapefruit, and pineapple flavor) were prepared as snacks and sensory evaluation was performed for appearance, taste, aroma, stickiness, smoothness, hardness, ease of swallowing, and overall evaluation in 13 female students. Two improvement plans were then made for the snacks, and the same sensory evaluation was performed in 14 female students. The textures of hardness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness were measured using a creepmeter (RE2-3305S, Yamaden). The proportion willing to eat the jellies from the two improvement plans was investigated in 78 elderly residents of a long-term care facility. Results: Grape-flavored protein jelly was rated worst in terms of preference. The orange-, apple-, grapefruit-, and pineapple-flavored jelly retained their aroma and acidity when protein was added, but the grape flavor had weak aroma and acidity. Two improvements plans were made to improve the taste of the grape-flavored protein jelly: (1) enhancing acidity and sweetness by adding lemon juice and sugar to grape juice and (2) sprinkling grape sauce on a lemon-flavored protein jelly. The hardness and adhesiveness of all five types of protein jellies were low, but the cohesiveness was high due to the addition of protein. Classifications of the protein jellies according to the Dysphagia Diet Pyramid ranged from Level 0 to Level 3. The proportion willing to eat the protein jellies was 95.7% for improvement plan 1 and 97.8% for improvement plan 2. Conclusions: These results suggest that the fruit protein jellies are appropriate snacks for the elderly to take in protein from the perspectives of taste and texture.