Modified wheat starch gels with propolis for dysphagia diets
What it found
In lab tests, wheat starch gels carrying red propolis held onto phenolic compounds during digestion, and the propolis gels calmed inflammatory signals.
The starch on its own had no such effect.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Phenolic compounds in digestion
In lab digestion tests, the starch matrix stabilized phenolic compounds. Gels with 10 percent starch and propolis improved bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity.
Anti-inflammatory effect
In lab anti-inflammatory tests, starch alone had no effect. Propolis gels reduced NF-κB activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release after digestion.
Other findings
Printing and texture
Lower starch concentrations of 6 percent or less formed clumps that blocked 3D printing. Higher levels of 8 to 10 percent gave smooth, printable gels.
Dysphagia criteria
A fork test showed that three gels met the criteria for dysphagia: DHT_2h 8 %, DHT_2h 10 % and DHT_4h 10 %.
Propolis dose
At 60 percent infill density, which gave the best results, eating three cubes would deliver 500 mg of propolis.
What the authors conclude
“These highlight the synergy between 3D printing and functional ingredients, offering a promising approach for developing functional foods tailored to meet the specific dietary and health needs of dysphagic populations.”
Also in their conclusions
- They highlight the synergy between 3D printing and functional ingredients.
- They say this offers a promising approach for developing functional foods tailored to the specific dietary and health needs of dysphagic populations.
How it was done
The authors wanted to develop functional foods for people with dysphagia, using Brazilian Red Propolis, modified starch and 3D printing.
They made gels from native and heat-treated modified wheat starches at 2 and 4 hours, at 4 to 10 percent concentrations, with 4 percent propolis. Gels that passed a fork test for dysphagia were put through lab digestion tests.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab digestion and cell tests, not studies in people. They can't show what happens when someone actually eats the gels.
- The work does not show whether these gels help people with dysphagia in real life.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors state that they have no recognized financial conflicts of interest or personal affiliations that could have potentially impacted the research presented in this paper.
- Authors work at
- University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil; Université Paris-Saclay, France
The paper
- Title
- Modified wheat starch for the development of 3D-printed red propolis gels for dysphagic diets: phenolic content and bioactivities during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Bitencourt BS, Guedes JS, Saliba ASMC, et al (2025). Modified wheat starch for the development of 3D-printed red propolis gels for dysphagic diets: phenolic content and bioactivities during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. International journal of biological macromolecules. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145240PubMed 40517866DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error