Abstract: Texture is a sensory response to the physical and structural properties of foods, directly affecting the eating process and sensory pleasure. Food gels are often used after being broken into clusters as swallowing aids for dysphagia patients due to their desirable soft solid texture. In this work, a commercial food gel was broken into particle clusters to investigate the relationship of the hardness of the particle clusters with the gel strength, particle size and the interactions between gel particles. It was found that the hardness of gel clusters decreased steeply and linearly with the decrease in particle size. However, it kept increasing with the increased gel strength interactions between gel particles. This study provides useful experimental evidence and theoretical support for the development and quality control of gel-based foods, especially for those used as an adjuvant for treating dysphagia.

Key words: food gels, gel particle clusters, hardness, gel particles, swallowing