{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T03:42:41Z","timestamp":1791258161830,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]],"date-time":"2025-10-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760918400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004504","name":"Research Council of Lithuania","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["S-A-UEI-23-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S-A-UEI-23-1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004504","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Dysphagia is a common problem in older adults, characterized as a swallowing disorder that prevents food from passing from the mouth to the esophagus. Besides impairing dietary intake and leading to malnutrition, dysphagia also severely restricts water intake. Purpose: This study aimed to develop polysaccharide-based hydrogels as dysphagia-friendly finger foods designed to provide high water content and enable controlled vitamin delivery to older persons with dysphagia. Procedures: Agar\u2013carboxymethylcellulose (Agar-CMC) composite hydrogels with incorporated vitamins C, B9, B, and D3 were developed and tested for their textural and rheological properties, vitamin stability during storage, and vitamin release under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Finally, a fiberoptic endoscopic swallowing assessment and sensory evaluation were conducted. Main Findings: Increasing the agar concentration in Agar-CMC hydrogels improved their internal structure and handling properties as finger foods, while still being easily breakable during swallowing. Agar-CMC hydrogels\u2019 structure protected vitamins during processing and six weeks of storage. Vitamin release started immediately and remained steady in the gastric phase, with a noticeable increase at the beginning of the intestinal phase, resulting in 70\u2013100% vitamin release by the end of this phase. The Fiberoptic Endoscopic Swallowing Evaluation confirmed their suitability for individuals with mild to moderate oropharyngeal dysphagia, with a low risk of aspiration (1 point on the Penetration-Aspiration Scale out of 8). Principal Conclusions: The developed Agar-CMC hydrogels present a promising dysphagia-friendly finger food alternative with high water content. They effectively deliver essential vitamins throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and notably demonstrate a low aspiration risk, making them suitable for individuals with mild to moderate oropharyngeal dysphagia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17203289","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]],"date-time":"2025-10-20T09:23:34Z","timestamp":1760952214000},"page":"3289","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Hydrogel-Based Finger Foods: Enhancing Nutritional Intake and Swallowing Safety in Older Persons with Dysphagia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Enrika","family":"Lazickait\u0117","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9053-4772","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Milda","family":"Ker\u0161ien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5805-3680","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Viktorija","family":"Eisinait\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6553-0067","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ina","family":"Jasutien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6212-6392","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gyt\u0117","family":"Damulevi\u010dien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania"},{"name":"Geriatrics Centre, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Hospital, LT-47144 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3107-6756","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daiva","family":"Leskauskait\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mayocp.2020.08.001","article-title":"Dysphagia in older adults","volume":"96","author":"Thiyagalingam","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mayo Clin. 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