Texture modification has become one of the most common forms of intervention for dysphagia, and is widely considered important for promoting safe and efficient swallowing. However, to date, there is no single convention with respect to the terminology used to describe levels of liquid thickening or food texture modification for clinical use. As a first step toward building a common taxonomy, a systematic review was undertaken to identify empirical evidence describing the impact of liquid consistency and food texture on swallowing behavior. A multi-engine search yielded 10,147 non-duplicate articles, which were screened for relevance. A team of ten international researchers collaborated to conduct full-text reviews for 488 of these articles, which met the study inclusion criteria. Of these, 36 articles were found to contain specific information comparing oral processing or swallowing behaviors for at least two liquid consistencies or food textures. Qualitative synthesis revealed two key trends with respect to the impact of thickening liquids on swallowing: thicker liquids reduce the risk of penetration–aspiration, but also increase the risk of post-swallow residue in the pharynx. The literature was insufficient to support the delineation of specific viscosity boundaries or other quantifiable material properties related to these clinical outcomes. With respect to food texture, the literature pointed to properties of hardness, cohesiveness, and slipperiness as being relevant both for physiological behaviors and bolus flow patterns. The literature suggests a need to classify food and fluid behavior in the context of the physiological processes involved in oral transport and flow initiation.

In the original version of this article, Fig. 1 was published incorrectly. The corrected figure is given below.Fig. 1

Food delivery applications (FDAs) shined during COVID-19 global lockdown restrictions. Consequently, lifestyle changes imposed a greater use of these applications over this period. These changes may strongly influence the nutritional health of individuals, particularly adult Saudi females. A cross-sectional study was performed to examine the influence of using FDAs during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on attitude behaviours, including dietary habits and preferences among Saudi adult females. Participants voluntarily submitted their answers to a questionnaire administered via the Google Survey platform. Results illustrated that most Saudi female users of FDAs were aged between 18–24 years with 64.9%, 91.5% being single and 37% ordering food online within one to two days a month. There was a significant association between the influence of using FDAs during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and age, education, and average days of ordering food online (p ˂ 0.05). Another important factor is that higher education was associated with more frequent use of the FDAs, there were direct relationships between education level and using FDAs, 58% of the participants were educated as undergraduate or postgraduate. Although lifestyle changes increased the use of FDAs during COVID-19 global lockdown restrictions, these changes may negatively affect individuals’ dietary habits and preferences, particularly adult Saudi females. These findings can aid in promoting healthy diet management globally and in Saudi Arabia unless the governments lead to significant beneficial changes toward improving food delivery applications.

Citrus fruits are perishable and considered the most prominent and essential crops at the local and global levels. The world is focused on minimizing fruit postharvest losses, maintaining fruit quality, and prolonging its storability and marketability. Thus, this study was carried out throughout the two successive seasons of 2018 and 2019 on Murcott mandarin fruits, with the purpose of extending their storage period and shelf life by making a mixture of nanosilver and wax as a coating. The fruits were picked on the first of March, washed, and coated with the following treatments: 1000 ppm imazalil (IMZ as a control), wax, 50 ppm nanosilver, 100 ppm nanosilver, and finally, the combination of wax plus 100 ppm nanosilver, packaged in 0.005% perforated polyethylene (PPE), and stored at 5 ± 1 °C and 90%–95% relative humidity for four months. Samples of each treatment were randomly taken at monthly intervals to evaluate the tested treatments’ effects on fruit quality during cold storage and 6 days of shelf life. The data proved that the combination of wax plus 100 ppm nanosilver packaged in 0.005% perforated polyethylene (PPE) was the most effective treatment for reducing discarded fruits, fresh weight loss, and catalase enzyme activity, as well as maintaining pulp firmness and vitamin C content and keeping a better taste panel index. Therefore, these coatings could be promising alternative materials for extending mandarin fruits’ postharvest life and marketing period.