The aim of this paper was to investigate effects of inulin and ultrasonic homogenization on particle size distribution and microstructure of oil-in-water emulsion gels stabilized by psyllium husk were investigated. The emulsion gel was assessed their utility in meat puree prepared for people with dysphagia. The results showed that increasing inulin percentage resulted in reduced particle size and improved emulsion stability with the optimum at 20% w/w inclusion. Ultrasonic homogenization further enhanced the emulsion stability by reducing the size of emulsion droplet and improving encapsulation of emulsion droplet. Increasing inulin concentrations in the emulsion gels added into purees also corresponded with decreasing total expressible fluid (TEF). The stability of puree against the action of carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) was improved with the addition of emulsion gels. Therefore, these developed emulsion gels could be beneficial in formulating modified-texture food prepare for people with dysphagia.

Odd chain fatty acids (C15:0 and C17:0) from dairy fat as well as odd chain phenolic lipids (alkylresorcinols) from whole grain are commonly reviewed as candidate biomarkers for dietary analysis and their ingestion are inversely related to chronic disease risks. Therefore, low levels of dietary intake of these odd chain molecules may be related to higher risk of physiological states that cause chronic diseases or mortality. It is a prerequisite to examine and understand their main role in beneficial health effects in disease prevention. We propose odd chain fatty acids (OC-FA) and most importantly odd chain phenolic lipids (OC-PL) as potential essential dietary compounds since they play key roles in physiological mechanisms. This review evaluates potential roles of OC-FA and OC-PL in mitigating chronic diseases in vitro and in vivo studies to support our hypothesis for odd chain molecules as essential dietary lipids. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between reduced intake of OC-FA and OC-PL containing foods and susceptibilities to chronic diseases.