Dysphagia management relies heavily on texture-modified foods (TMFs), often for individuals with difficulties chewing, controlling entrapped food in the mouth and tongue or modulating saliva during swallowing. While the main goal of conventional TMFs is to obtain such safe texture and consistency, altering the texture alone does not guarantee optimal swallowability, nutritional adequacy, sensory acceptance or long-term adherence. Thus, developing next-generation TMFs necessitates the replacement of consistency-oriented modification with an integrated food design informed by a patient-centered dual-targeting strategy.
This review synthesizes rheological concepts, oral processing biomechanical principles related to TMF structure and function as reviewed with a critical lens toward key design requirements for high-quality future TBMFs that includes citizen science approaches within the context of food innovation. Rheological parameters such as viscosity, yield stress, shear-thinning behavior, viscoelasticity and cohesiveness are ever so important in terms of bolus formation and swallowing performance. Special emphasis is placed on dynamic alterations during oral processing (mastication, saliva incorporation, lubrication and bolus transition), which cannot be sufficiently represented by static texture measurements. Nutrition design objectives are considered together with rheological requirements, in that if texture-modifying food changes do reduce total energy and/or food intake (as has been shown), there is increased demand for nutrient-dense formulations containing different forms of protein, dietary fiber, micronutrients and water. If sensory properties (but especially appearance, taste, odor, texture and visual familiarity) were major factors of foodLinked to acceptance or adherence to dietary plans.
Emerging technologies such as 3D printing of food, AI-assisted formulation, predictive rheological modeling and personalized nutrition open up avenues for incorporating these parameters into patient-specific TMF design. Nonetheless, barriers related to standardization, clinical validation, manufacturing scalability, and translation of instrumental measures into swallowing outcomes continue to persist. In conclusion, next-generation TMFs should not be developed in silos, but rather as an integrated food system where the swallowing safety and rheological performance are optimized with nutritional adequacy, sensory acceptability, and personalization. This approach may help bridge the gap between traditional texture modification to safer, nutritionally adequate, acceptable and patient-centred dysphagia care.

Tanzia Islam Shorna, Zou Ping,"Design Principles of Next-Generation Texture-Modified Foods for Dysphagia Management: Integrating Rheology, Oral Processing, Nutrition, Sensory Science, and Emerging Technologies" International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Educational Development, V2(3): Page(1568-1585) May - June 2026. ISSN: 3107-6513. www.ijamred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.