Jingyi Li, an undergraduate student in Food and Nutritional Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), recently published a review article as first author in Trends in Food Science & Technology, a leading journal in food science. The journal has an impact factor of 17.4 and ranks 2nd among 187 journals in Clarivate’s Food Science & Technology category. The article is entitled “Unique Advantages of Marine Polysaccharides in the Development of Dysphagia Foods: A Comprehensive Review”, with the Faculty of Medicine at MUST listed as the first affiliation. Dr Zhenzi Yun (co-first author), Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Yuhe Dong (co-corresponding author), Associate Professor Dr Tian Zhong (corresponding author) and other researchers contributed to the writing and revision of the article. The study was supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund of the Macao SAR.
As the population ages, dysphagia has become a common health problem among older adults and patients who have experienced stroke, Parkinson’s disease or treatment for head and neck cancer. Developing dysphagia foods that combine swallowing safety, nutritional enhancement and sensory acceptability is therefore a pressing challenge in the broader health sector.
The review systematically examines the structural characteristics and processing methods of representative marine polysaccharides, as well as their current applications in dysphagia foods. It also summarises relevant processing technologies and reports that, under specific formulation and processing conditions, some food systems containing marine polysaccharides can meet Levels 4–6 of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI). These systems demonstrate potential for improving swallowing suitability and reducing pharyngeal residue.
The article also highlights the need to further improve swallowing-safety assessment systems, clarify how marine polysaccharides function in complex food matrices, and strengthen raw-material quality control, safety assessment, clinical validation and industrial application. These efforts may help advance dysphagia foods from experience-based formulation towards precision design.
▲Major processing strategies for marine polysaccharide-based dysphagia foods
This achievement demonstrates the research strength and talent-development outcomes of Macau University of Science and Technology in food and nutritional sciences. Drawing on its interdisciplinary strengths in food science, nutritional health and pharmaceutical sciences, the Faculty provides students with valuable opportunities to engage with frontier research topics, participate in research collaborations and broaden their international academic perspectives.
Macau University of Science and Technology has consistently promoted the coordinated development of teaching and research and actively supported faculty members and students in addressing practical challenges related to population ageing, nutritional health and the dietary needs of special populations. This research achievement reflects the University’s accumulated expertise in food and nutritional health and demonstrates MUST’s commitment to cultivating innovative, practice-oriented and internationally minded talent.
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