An integrated rheological, tribological, and mucoadhesive framework for multiscale characterization of soft-solid foods designed for dysphagia

This oral presentation, given during the third year as part of the annual Workshop on the Developments in the Italian PhD Research on Food Science Technology and Biotechnology, focused on the design of innovative soft-solid foods tailored to individuals with swallowing impairments, emphasizing the importance of understanding the interactions between food structure and oral processing. To address this, a multiscale approach was adopted integrating macrostructural, microstructural, and mesoscale. The proposed experimental framework combines rheology (flow behavior, thixotropy, viscoelasticity), mechanical testing (back extrusion), surface interactions (ex-vivo mucoadhesion), and tribology (friction and lubrication phenomena), the latter two also evaluated including simulated saliva. This approach aims to provide an integrated multilevel understanding for the rational design of soft-solids for dysphagia management, within a sustainability-oriented framework.