Antioxidant Activity and Quality Characteristics of Rice cookies Prepared with Maca (Lepidium Meyenii) Powder
This study was conducted to find out the bakery processing suitability of maca and to develop rice-based processed foods. We investigated the antioxidant activity and physicochemical properties of rice cookies prepared with the addition of maca (Lepidium meyenii) powder (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% of the total materials). We observed an increase in the total polyphenol and flavonoid content, and DPPH-ABTS+ radical scavenging activity of the rice cookies as the proportion of added maca powder increased (p<0.05). The quality characteristics such as the “a” value, “b” value, and the hardness of the cookies increased with an increase in the proportion of maca powder (p<0.05) in the cookie, whereas the moisture content, pH of the dough, spread ratio, loss rate, leavening rate, and “L” values showed a significant decrease (p<0.05). In the sensory evaluation results, consumer acceptability showed a significantly higher value in the 2% maca cookie group (p<0.05), and the characteristic intensity rating (color, flavor, bitterness) increased as the proportion of maca added to the cookie increased (p<0.05). Therefore, this suggests that adding 2% maca powder as the functional ingredient in rice cookies can result in rice bakery products with excellent qualities.