Application of freeze–thaw enzyme impregnation to produce softened root vegetable foods for elderly consumers

Abstract

The aims of this study were to determine the viability of using freeze-thaw infusion (FI) technology to produce a range of root vegetables using enzyme treatments with improved texture characteristics for elderly consumers with swallowing difficulties. We applied enzyme impregnation as a technology to soften the textures of root vegetables commonly consumed in Korea; balloon flower root (Platycodon grandiflorus), burdock root (Arctium lappa L.), carrot (Daucus carota L.), and lotus root (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) through the use of a texture analyzer after the FI of a commercial enzyme. Out of 15 commercial enzymes that were analyzed, three enzymes exhibited a marked softening effect on the tested carrots, burdock roots, balloon flower roots, and lotus roots. The hardness of the enzymes-treated food materials reached 1.4 × 10 N/m for carrots, 3.0 × 10 N/m for burdock roots, of 3.0 × 10 N/m for balloon flower roots, and 3.2 × 10 N/m for lotus roots without changing the original shapes of the samples. These findings confirmed the potential benefits of softening carrots, lotus roots burdock roots, and balloon flower roots and will contribute to the development of foods that can be easily eaten as part of a balanced diet by elderly adults with eating difficulties.

Food consumption frequency of Korean adults based on whether or not having chewing difficulty using 2013–2016 KNHANES by sex-stratified comparative analysis

“…According to a study, senior welfare center users disliked vegetables due to their chewing difficulty as a result of the tough textures [ 5 ]. In recent years, the Korea Food Research Institute introduced tenderized vegetable products that were easy to eat by controlling the physical properties of samples using the freeze–thaw enzyme impregnation method [ 33 ]. For the elderly who follow a vegetarian diet, it is more necessary to develop vegetable products or menus that are easy to eat because vegetables are their main source of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers [ 34 ].…”

“…The significantly less frequently consumed foods in both genders were nine items including 3, 2, 2, 1, and 1 items in grains, vegetables, fruits, meats·fish·eggs·beans, and milk·dairy products, respectively. Looking into these nine items, loaf bread, ready-to-eat cereal, sweet potatoes, lotus roots, burdock, green laver, sea mustard, apple, tomato, and squid were known to contain relatively high dietary fiber content or a high content of connective tissues or were considered as foods to avoid by those with chewing difficulty due to strong or hard texture [ 6 7 33 34 35 36 ]. It was also noteworthy that the number of significant items for females was five whereas that for males was only one in vegetable group, suggesting vegetables consumption exhibited the most significant difference between males and females.…”

“…The previous studies on the elderly reported that the elderly preferred grains, vegetables, or soft fruits to seafood or meats in relation to missing teeth or health status. They also preferred steamed foods to fried, as well as completely cooked or semi-cooked to instant food types [ 5 33 ]. Since the present study directly analyzed a commonly used food list based on the KNHANES FFQ of Korean adults, its results are meaningfully different from previous studies as it identified the in-depth relationship between individual foods and chewing difficulty beyond identifying the preference of food group.…”

“…Recently elderly-friendly foods have been included in the nation's ‘the 5 food sectors for fostering industry’ plan and is receiving profound attention from the people and ever-increasing politic support from the government [ 38 ]. According to some studies, the elderly generally preferred fully cooked simple meals to pre-processed or semi-cooked products [ 5 33 ]. Given the rapid aging of Korean society, the increase in single-person households, and the chewing difficulty problem of the elderly, the need for an in-depth discussion about the development of soft and easy-to-chew foods and a strategy to spread such type of foods has increased.…”

Comprehensive strategies of Lignocellulolytic enzyme production from microbes and their applications in various commercial-scale faculties

“…The idea behind using cellulase and xylanase with a few other enzymes in food industries is to make frozen food chewable and maintain the quality of frozen food. These enzymes were stable at pH 4-5, heat tolerable up to 50 • C (Eom et al, 2018).…”