The viscosity of non-solid foods, and the stability of their viscosity over time, temperature change and shearing is critical in managing dysphagia. The starch-based foodstuffs thickeners used in dysphagia therapy are highly non-Newtonian and their viscosity is dependent on shear rate, shear history, temperature and time. This inherently results in the subjective measurement of viscosity and hence the management of dysphagia to be error prone. Given the ageing population, this problem is likely to become more widespread. This paper identifies the need for an objective measurement device rather than the current subjective methods. The use of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) as a viscometer for the starch-based thickeners is reported.
"©2005 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE." "This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder."