ZILKEN

Food Design

Soft Meal for Dysphagia Patients

Dysphagia and mastication disorder are malfunctions of the chewing mechanism, oral transport, and swallowing during the intake of solids and liquids. It could be deadly if the patient chokes on rough food and later gets into a critical situation caused by the inflammation in the lungs.

Pureed diet is common for this group of patients as they are particularly vulnerable not only to the methods of eating but also to the nutrition intake. Most public hospitals and care homes need to strictly control their budget for catering which consequently affects the quality of the meals.

This project pursues the essential element of this diet group which is often overlooked. To our brains, the way we „taste“ food is a fusion of a food‘s taste, odour, sight, and touch of textures into a single sensation. The aim is to improve the presentation of this diet by developing a certain production or preparation method, which as a result would let the patients enjoy their meals aesthetically and safely without any chemical preservations and additives.