Physicochemical characteristics and sensory acceptability of crackers containing red ginseng marc

Red ginseng marc (RGM), a by-product from ginseng industry, still contains bioactive compounds such as ginsenosides and dietary fibers. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of baking conditions and formulations on physicochemical and sensory characteristics of crackers in which RGM was incorporated. The sum of ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1 and Rg3 (58.69 ± 2.93 mg/100 g, dry basis) and dietary fibers (7.52 ± 1.22 g/100 g) were the highest in the crackers baked at 120 °C for 60 min. The crackers with 5% replacement of wheat flour with RGM scored the highest in taste and overall acceptability. The baked crackers still contained relatively high amounts of ginsenoside Rb1 (7.62 ± 0.34 mg/100 g), Rg3(R) (7.51 ± 0.99 mg/100 g) and Rg3(S) (8.65 ± 0.77 mg/100 g) and dietary fiber (2.59 ± 0.17 g/100 g). The results suggest that low temperature-long time may be a suitable baking condition to retain bioactive ginsenosides in RGM and using proper amount of RGM in bakery products may improve not only nutritional quality but also sensory properties.