Thick & Thin Liquids

RiJe Cup with Thin and Thick liquids.

RiJe® Cup, designed to work with a variety of thin and thick liquids.

It should be noted, that thickness of liquids is an informal concept of viscosity that is a quantitative description of the fluid’s ability to flow. For example, honey has a much higher viscosity (or “thickness”) than water.

The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) proposes liquid classification based on its thickness, dividing liquids into 5 levels. The following cross-reference table provides IDDSI levels with their corresponding names vs. commonly used liquid names among the food and beverage industry and SLP professionals. Upon adoption of the IDDSI Framework across the industry, the new names will be used.

It might be cross-referenced as follows:

IDDSI Liquid Thickness Category Level

0
1
2
3
4

IDDSI Liquid Thickness Category Name

Thin Liquid
Slightly Thick Liquid
Mildly Thick Liquid
Moderately Thick Liquid
Extremely Thick Liquid

Other commonly used Liquid names

Thin Liquid
Light Nectar
Nectar Thick Liquids
Honey Thick Liquids
Jelly or Puddings

IDDSI provides videos, demonstrating liquid’s thickness for different levels. [ (c) The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative 2016 @ http://iddsi.org/framework/.]

RiJe® Cup is designed to work with the first three mentioned categories of liquids: Thin Liquids (0), Slightly Thick Liquids (1), and Mildly Thick Liquids (2). To accommodate delivery of controlled volumes (small sips) for each liquid category, the cup is equipped with 3 rotatable plugs (always use only 1 plug at a time; never use 2 or 3 simultaneously)

IDDSI provides videos, demonstrating drink thickness and liquidized drink testing with the syringe test.[ (c) The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative 2016 @ http://iddsi.org/framework/.]

To use RiJe® Cup with Thin Liquids (Level 0), use the small aquamarine rotatable plug without an aperture. Regulation range for Level 0 liquids is from 3 ml to 15 ml.

IDDSI Flow Test for Slightly Thick Liquids (Light Nectars) shown on the video for Level 1. [ (c) The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative 2016 @ http://iddsi.org/framework/.]

To use RiJe® Cup for these liquids, use the small off-white rotatable plug with an aperture. Regulation range for Level 1 liquids is from 5 ml to 12 ml.

IDDSI Flow Test for Mildly Thick Liquids (Nectar Thick Liquids in commonly used terminology) shown on the video for Level 2. [ (c) The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative 2016 @ http://iddsi.org/framework/.]

To use RiJe® Cup with Mildly Thick Liquids (Nectar-Thick Liquids, Level 2), use the large off-white rotatable plug with an aperture if you need to set a bolus volume at 1 tea spoon. In order to set a bolus volume at 1 table spoon remove the plug and use the cup without any plug.

IDDSI Flow Test for Moderately Thick Liquids (Honey Thick Liquids) and Extremely Thick Liquids (Jelly or Puddings) shown on the video for Level 3 and Level 4, respectively. [ (c) The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative 2016 @ http://iddsi.org/framework/.]

Use of a proper plug for a particular liquid insures optimal combination of liquid delivery time, accuracy of regulation, and bolus volume consistency.

Please note that the thickness of a liquid is highly dependent on temperature, thickening time, and brand of thickener used. As a rule, the thickness increases when the temperature goes down and/or the thickening time gets longer. In other words, over time, the same beverage can deviate from one category to another. For example, a yogurt drink at room temperature can have a thickness of Slightly Thick Liquid (Light Nectar), but after being cooled in a fridge, its thickness might increase to Level 2, Mildly Thick Liquid (Nectar-Thick Liquids).

Please note: RiJe® Cup doesn’t work with carbonated liquids, substances like jelly or puddings, liquids with pulps, or clots. Also, RiJe Cup doesn’t work with soups that contain hard ingredients.

Although, RiJe® Cup can dispense Moderately Thick Liquids (Honey-Thick Liquids), its fairly long delivery time makes the use of RiJe Cup for those liquids impractical.