Comparing Taste Perception Across Modalities in Healthy Adults: Liquids Versus Dissolvable Taste Strips.
Ross M Westemeyer, Angela M Dietsch
PMID 37243729WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy adults rated custom-made dissolvable taste strips as less intense than liquid flavors, but liked them just as much.
These strips match the flavors known to affect swallowing, offering a potential safe sensory tool for patients who cannot eat or drink by mouth.
Key findings
01Liquid tastants were rated as significantly more intense than the revised-recipe taste strips.
02There was no significant difference in palatability ratings between liquid tastants and taste strips.
03Sour stimuli were rated as the most intense and least preferred, while orange stimuli were the most preferred.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (32 participants) and the study did not include individuals with dysphagia, so it is unknown if these ratings apply to the clinical population. The taste strips are custom-made and not commercially available, requiring further development and validation before clinical use. Intensity ratings were lower for strips than liquids, which may affect their efficacy in stimulating swallowing responses compared to the liquid protocols used in previous research.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by non-U.S. government research funds.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these taste strips are currently available for clinical use or that they have been proven to improve swallowing function. This study only tested how healthy adults perceived the taste and intensity of prototype strips compared to liquids.