One of many principal issues confronted by many aged individuals is lack of fluids or dehydration. It may possibly happen because of psychological or bodily problems that result in altered talents of seniors to eat or drink on their very own. Kaunas College of Expertise (KTU) researchers are growing a particular meals product to cut back the chance of dehydration, in addition to deadly suffocation. Quickly the seniors themselves will have the ability to strive it.
“This innovation is a one-bite-sized meals product coated with a membrane that’s onerous to interrupt together with your fingers, however simply melts in your mouth, with vivid, noticeable colours and a contemporary style and aroma”, – describes the innovation, KTU School of Chemical Expertise (CTF) professor Daiva Leskauskaitė.
The thought to create a brand new product that will assist sufferers take in extra water and different vital substances in a sexy and simple method got here from Kristina Judine, the founding father of the nursing and supportive remedy hospital “Addere Care”.
“We deal with greater than 230 individuals day by day in our hospital in Trakai. Six of the 9 models look after individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s illness. We see their every day routines and know that if nobody reminded them to drink, they often would not. That is why we have been searching for methods to assist individuals unconsciously take in water, which is so vital for people. We’re happy with KTU scientists and the applied sciences they develop. With such assist, the issue of dehydration of aged individuals turns into extra solvable,” says Okay. Judinė.
New merchandise might be examined in nursing houses
The most important benefit of such a brand new product is its composition. Composed of 95% of water, enriched with nutritional vitamins D, C, B9 and B12 and minerals of iron, selenium and zinc, this product will meet the really useful consumption of minerals and nutritional vitamins particularly for the aged.
As well as, Prof. D. Leskauskaitė already assures that the particular product improvement expertise can even contribute to offering the physique with vitamins: “The product might be characterised by the managed launch of microcomponents throughout digestion. The biggest quantity of them might be launched within the small gut, which can result in higher absorption of gear.”
At present, the method of making and bettering meals merchandise, about which Enrika Lazickaitė, a scholar of the joint grasp’s examine program of KTU and LSMU, is getting ready her grasp’s thesis, continues to be ongoing, however the professor of the Division of Meals Science and Expertise of KTU says that lots has already been executed.
“The composition of biopolymers used for structuring meals merchandise containing lots of water was discovered, the chances of including nutritional vitamins and minerals to the product have been decided, the soundness of those elements in the course of the technological course of and storage of the product was evaluated, and ball-shaped one-bite merchandise have been created,” says Prof. D. Leskauskaitė.
A vital stage of the analysis is ready – to find out the acceptability of recent merchandise within the aged inhabitants of nursing houses. The outcomes of the analysis might be utilized in deciding on the style, aroma and colour of the merchandise.
“On the similar time, we’ll launch the nutritional vitamins and minerals added to the merchandise within the small gut in vitro analysis. The obtained outcomes will enable us to guage the bioabsorption effectivity of the added microcomponents within the our bodies of seniors,” provides the KTU researcher.
For this exercise, researchers will use the “synthetic abdomen” – SHIME (eng. the simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem) mannequin for the complicated modeling of the physiological, chemical and microbiological properties of the digestive tract. It is without doubt one of the most consultant of the college in vitro expertise that enables exams to be carried out in a take a look at tube as a substitute of in a residing organism.
The final stage is the manufacturing of a trial batch, throughout which the packaging of the merchandise might be evaluated and the ultimate changes of the manufacturing technological parameters might be made.
A product that has no analogues in Lithuania
Talking in regards to the causes that decide the inadequate consumption of liquids by seniors, D. Leskauskaitė states that they’re varied, however one of many principal ones is swallowing problems (dysphagia).
“Hospitalized sufferers with dysphagia are at larger threat of dehydration than those that are usually not recognized with dysphagia. Such individuals have to eat fluids with a modified texture, however older individuals typically don’t like them, so that they eat an inadequate quantity,” says the professor of the KTU Division of Meals Science and Expertise.
Nevertheless, D. Leskauskaitė provides that dehydration in previous age may be brought on by different issues, together with despair, dementia and even Alzheimer’s illness.
“Sufferers overlook to drink and eat, and never with the ability to use cutlery on their very own discourages sufferers from making any effort in relation to meals. This creates extra issues,” says the KTU researcher.
In keeping with prof. D. Leskauskaitės, the goal customers of the product and the recognized principal causes of their dehydration compelled to pay lots of consideration not solely to the composition of the product, but additionally to its exterior traits – dimension, texture and handy dealing with.
Diet and geriatrics consultants say that meals specifically ready to be eaten with the fingers, simply grasped and transported from the plate to the mouth, may be helpful for aged individuals with cognitive problems and turn out to be a dehydration-reducing facet.
Swallowing problems are harmful not solely as a result of the physique of an aged individual shouldn’t be sufficiently provided with water and vitamins, but additionally due to the elevated threat of aspiration pneumonia. Merchandise at the moment in the marketplace to cut back these dangers embrace quite a lot of thickened, modified-textured drinks.
And though it is a legitimate therapeutic technique to cut back the chance of choking in sufferers with dysphagia, quite a few research display that the consumption of thickened liquids alone doesn’t have a major impact on rising the quantity of water within the physique of those sufferers, and such drinks are usually not acceptable to everybody.
“There are not any specialised dietary dietary supplements supposed for individuals with swallowing issues in Lithuania, so a brand new, extra superior product by way of each usefulness and attractiveness is very vital,” argues prof. D. Leskauskaitė.
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– 2024-06-18 04:39:39
