Eunbin Park¹, Soo In Ryu², Minho Lee³, Hyo-Jeong Lee⁴, Jean Kyung Paik^1,

Korea has entered the aged society, with those aged over 65 years accounting for 14~20% of its population. Interest in the quality of life, nutrition, and health of the elderly is increasing. Since the energy intake of the elderly is lower than the estimated required amount, nutrient intake ratio of the elderly is related to mastication. Yanggaeng is a high-energy food made from agar, sugar, and red bean paste. Since it has a soft texture, it is highly utilized as a snack for the elderly who have inconvenience in mastication. Pinus koraiensis needle is known to possess antioxidant and antibacterial effects. The purpose of this study was to develop a functional snack added with Pinus koraiensis needle extract powder known to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antibacterial effects for the elderly that would be easy for them to chew. In this study, yanggaeng was manufactured with 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, or 8% of Pinus koraiensis needle extract powder, white sediment, and agar. In the experiment, moisture contents, color values texture characteristics, antioxidant activities, and sensory preference results were evaluated. Moisture content was the highest in the group added 6% of the extract powder. It was the lowest in the group added 8% of the extract powder, showing a significant (p < 0.001) difference between the two. Hardness, cohesiveness, and springiness of texture characteristics were decreased significantly (p < 0.001) while the adhesiveness and chewiness of texture characteristics were increased significantly (p < 0.001) as the amount of addition increased. Regarding antioxidative activity measurements, levels of polyphenols were the highest (p < 0.001) in the group added with 8% of the extract powder. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were increased as the amount of addition increased (p < 0.001). Overall sensory preference was the highest for the 2% addition group. It decreased as the amount of addition increased (p < 0.001). Results of this study indicate that Pinus koraiensis needle extract powder with antioxidant and antibacterial effects can be used to manufacture yanggaeng to make functional snacks with improved quality characteristics for the elderly.

pine needle powder, yanggaeng, texture, antioxidant activities, quality characteristics