LAUSR

Texture modification of food is one of the strategies to manage people with dysphagia. It is commonly done by addition of thickener to achieve the desired texture for people with dysphagia which aids in reducing the risk of aspiration. In this study, the effects of different thickeners (tapioca starch, sago starch and commercial thickener) at different concentrations (1–3% of total weight of ingredients) on rheological and textural properties of rice porridge were evaluated. The flow behaviors of samples were determined based on the rheological parameters of Power law and Casson model. All samples showed shear thinning behavior (exhibited by flow behavior index, n, <1) with yield stress. The dynamic moduli (G′ and G″) and tan$$\delta$$δ values from oscillatory frequency sweep test indicated that all samples exhibited more elastic behavior except for control and sample of rice porridge with the addition of low concentration (1%) of commercial thickener. Textural parameters of thickened rice porridge, analyzed using back extrusion test were found to be increased with increased its concentration of the thickener used. Overall, sago starch shown to have greater potential to be used as an alternative thickener compared to tapioca starch as it provides higher viscosity and more elastic behavior in rice porridge.