26.6% of people aged 65 and older have difficulty chewing… Rural Development Administration releases three-stage chewing-friendly cooking methods and frozen mixed multigrain rice

 More than one in four older adults aged 65 and above have difficulty chewing food. According to the 2024 Korea National Health Statistics, 26.6% of older adults aged 65 and above reported chewing difficulties. The share of people with insufficient nutrient intake—whose energy intake is below 75% of the estimated requirement and whose intake of calcium·iron·vitamin A·riboflavin all falls short of the estimated average requirement—was also 17.3%. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, more than half of those aged 65 and above have hypertension. Statistics Korea’s future population projections show the share of the older population rising from 20.3% in 2025 to 40.1% in 2050. For this reason, calls are growing for dietary measures tailored to the physical characteristics and health status of older adults.

The National Institute of Crop Science under the Rural Development Administration disclosed the results of its research on diets for older adults on Oct. 2, the 30th Senior Citizens’ Day. The research began with easy-to-chew cooking techniques and has expanded to the commercialization of senior-friendly foods, identification of the functionality of domestic agricultural products, and even therapeutic food programs.

 

Three-stage cooking method for teeth·gums·tongue …expanded this year to grains such as rice·soybeans

For older adults with weak chewing or swallowing function, the National Institute of Crop Science divided intake stages into three levels—teeth-gums-tongue—and developed fruit·vegetable preparation and cooking methods for each stage. Apples are sliced 1㎜ thick in Stage 1, made into jelly in Stage 2, and into purée in Stage 3. Spinach is cooked as a stir-fry with eggs, but in Stage 3 it is served in mousse form. The institute compiled 39 types covering 13 fruit items in 2023 and 30 types covering 5 vegetable items in 2025 and published two guides, while making cooking videos for applied menus available through QR codes. This year, the scope was expanded to five grain items such as rice·soybeans.

 

Ratios of five grains found after screening more than 30 varieties and 80 combinations

In the senior-friendly food sector, mixed multigrains made with domestic minor grains led to a commercial product. The research began in 2019. The National Institute of Crop Science first examined blood sugar control-related activity by crop and variety, and from 2020 began full-scale experiments on blended compositions. The candidates numbered around 30, including varieties developed by the National Institute of Crop Science that had an existing cultivation base and varieties with promising functionality even if their cultivation area was small.

Kim Hyun-joo, a researcher in the Quality Management and Evaluation Division of the National Institute of Crop Science, explained, “We considered cultivation area first, and even for varieties with somewhat smaller areas, we selected those with a certain level of functionality because, as a research institution, we also have a mission to expand their cultivation.”

The research team made around 80 combinations using promising varieties and conducted a first screening based on inhibitory activity against the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme (alpha-glucosidase) . Among them, about 8 were selected for enzyme·cell experiments, and combinations that produced good results were verified through animal testing. The ratio found in this way was oat ‘Daeyang’ 30%, sorghum ‘Sodamchal’ 30%, finger millet ‘Finger No. 1’ 15%, red bean ‘Arari’ 15%, and proso millet ‘Geumsilchal’ 10%.

In an in-vitro enzyme reaction test, this mixed multigrain blend showed alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 54.5%. When diabetes-induced rats were fed the mixed multigrain diet, their fasting blood sugar was 22.5% lower than that of diabetes-induced rats fed a regular diet. Clinical trials in humans have not yet been conducted. Researcher Kim said, “It would be good to go as far as clinical trials, but conditions such as the budget are not easy, so the project proceeded up to animal testing.”

 

Frozen rice ‘Joeunnal Dangho Rice’, designated as an Excellent Senior-Friendly Food·ranked No. 1 in tasting evaluation

A representative product made with this mixed multigrain blend is ‘Joeunnal Dangho Rice’, a frozen rice product from the agricultural association corporation Wentteok Village. This product, cooked only with mixed multigrains, has been designated as an Excellent Senior-Friendly Food. It also ranked 1st at this year’s ‘Neulpyeon Food Premium Tasting Evaluation’ hosted by the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency.

Wentteok Village sells four products made with mixed multigrains offline, including Dangho Rice as well as snacks·porridge·garaetteok rice cakes. Among them, the porridge and snacks began preparations in the second half of this year for designation as Excellent Senior-Friendly Foods, and Wentteok Village expects designation as early as next year.

The National Institute of Crop Science also developed and patented a mixing ratio for hypertension. As of last July, 10 technology transfers had been made for the two technologies—anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive—and products such as beverages for special medical purposes, powdered grain meal, and mixed grains have been launched.

 

Quality controlled through enzyme testing before launch…all raw materials are domestic

After technology transfer, product quality is managed through enzyme testing. This is because there is no research funding to repeat cell·animal experiments for each company’s product. Researcher Kim said, “Because crop yields vary due to abnormal weather, we set a certain range based on experimental values accumulated since 2019, and if the inhibitory activity falls within that range, we judge that the product can be released,” adding, “Whether it is whole grain or a processed product, this is a system in which we directly verify up to the enzyme test stage before sending it out.”

All raw materials are domestically produced. Wentteok Village receives mixed grains from Goesan Miscellaneous Grains, another technology-transfer company, and Goesan Miscellaneous Grains procures raw materials through its own contract farming. The Rural Development Administration is also strengthening the raw material supply base together with technology-transfer companies by increasing contract-farming production complexes in places such as Hongseong(red beans), and Gangjin(oats) .

With 160g of cherry tomatoes, 5㎎… of lycopene; mung bean sprouts·amaranth greens are at the animal testing stage

The institute also released functional information that can be used in everyday diets. The research team conducted a comprehensive analysis of 47 domestic and international clinical studies (2,435 people) reported through April 2025. As a result, it was analyzed that consuming at least 5㎎ of lycopene from tomatoes per day lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.41㎜Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.33㎜Hg. The lycopene content of six types of domestic cherry tomatoes from the 2025 crop averages 3.13㎎ per 100g. Considering this, eating about 160g(250㎖ one cup, around 12 tomatoes) provides 5㎎ of lycopene.

Mung bean sprout extract, made from young mung bean shoots, reduced inflammatory substances (IL-6 21%, IL-8 25%) in gum cell experiments. In a periodontitis animal model, it lowered the degree of periodontitis progression by 8.5% and the inflammation score by 50% . When extract of amaranth greens, also called ‘longevity greens’, was administered to mice with induced brain inflammation, the proportion of time spent exploring a new object increased from 29% to 55%, approaching the normal group (62%). Patent applications have been filed for both materials. However, as these are results from the cell·animal testing stage, human application studies must follow before they can be used as food ingredients.

 

Five therapeutic food programs targeting active retirees …operational guidelines to be published in December

The institute also developed five therapeutic food programs for ‘active retirees’ who are active in health·travel·hobbies. From May to September this year, four farms in Nonsan·Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, operated programs such as seasonal vegetable farm-to-table experiences, communal cooking with native grains, food meditation with native soybeans, and exploration of cheonggukjang fermentation culture. The institute also compiled 80 seasonal meal plans by type and 136 recipes.

When the brain waves of participants in sessions 1 to 3 were compared before and after the program,  alpha waves, an indicator of relaxation, increased by 45.1% and delta waves, an indicator of drowsiness, decreased by 18% . During active activities such as cooking or comparing varieties, beta waves, an indicator of concentration, increased by 92.4% . The National Institute of Crop Science plans to publish an operational manual for therapeutic food programs in December and expand the range of mixed multigrain products designated as Excellent Senior-Friendly Foods.