Comparison of Antioxidant Capacity by Cooking Method of Apios (Apios americana Medicus) and Its Applicability as an Elder-Friendly Food

Considering the deteriorated chewing ability among the elderly people, this study aimed to develop elder-friendly foods that comply with the hardness standards set by Korean industrial standards (KS). First, we sought to establish an optimal cooking method by analyzing the antioxidant activity of Apios. Second, a gelling agent was incorporated into Apios cooked using the optimal method (sous-vide) to make a mousse that meets KS hardness requirements by controlling its rheological properties. Third, we aimed to develop an elder-friendly sous-vide Apios that considers gastronomic characteristics by utilizing 3D printing technology. As a result, the loss rate of antioxidant capacity in the sous-vide Apios was the lowest. A gelling agent was added to the sous-vide Apios to achieve the desired hardness for KS, leading to the derivation of the regression equations: “Y = 1837.2X + 2829.2” for gelatin and “Y = 2937.1X + 1445.2” for agar. After preparing a mousse-type sous-vide Apios with KS's second-level hardness based on these regression equations, optimal printing conditions were established to ensure stable output from the 3D printer. Considering these results, it is believed that the development of 3D-printed elder-friendly foods, which control rheological properties for easier chewing, will meet the diverse needs of elderly consumers. Furthermore, this innovation is expected to contribute to the growth of the elder-friendly food industry by utilizing domestic agricultural resources such as Apios.