Abstract:Thickeners are often added to food to ensure the dietary safety of patients with dysphagia，and the rheological properties of thickeners are critical for customizing and developing diets for patients with dysphagia. In this paper，the alginate-Ca2+ structural fluid thickeners were developed by adding small amounts of calcium citrate and D-glucose-δ-lactone to 0.2% sodium alginate solutions. As a result，mildly，moderately，and extremely thick alginate-Ca2+ solutions were prepared. In addition，their rheological properties were evaluated.The results showed that all alginate-Ca2+ solutions exhibited significant shear-thinning behavior （n＜0.25），which was mainly driven by calcium citrate. Temperature and placement time were the main factors affecting the viscosity，which decreased with increasing temperature and stabilized within 12 hours of placement. The alginate-Ca2+ solutions exhibited weak gel properties，similar to xanthan gum，with general viscoelastic characteristics and limited yield stress，which could ensure safe swallowing.