Yan, Mary RChessum, KeeganNand, SaleshniKam, Rothman2024-09-232024-09-232024-09-23Journal of Food Research, ISSN: 1927-0887 (Print); 1927-0895 (Online), Canadian Center of Science and Education, 14(1), 13-13. doi: 10.5539/jfr.v14n1p131927-08871927-0895http://hdl.handle.net/10292/18035The increasing awareness on overall health of consumers has driven a shift from fruit juices and carbonated beverages to functional beverages. This research aimed to incorporate yacon concentrate to the formulation of functional beverages to improve the health-related properties. Using yacon concentrate as main ingredients, three functional prototypes have been developed: yacon-collagen, yacon-blackcurrant, and yacon-vitamin c. Sensory evaluation for yacon-collagen and yacon-blackcurrant beverages was conducted by a 9-point hedonic scale. Antioxidant activities of three yacon beverages were evaluated using the CUPRAC, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Yacon-collagen and yacon-blackcurrant beverages were sensory acceptable with ratings above the centre point of the scores (all ratings > 5, n = 50) on four sensory attributes (appearance, sweetness, flavor, overall liking). The antioxidant capacity of yacon-collagen, yacon-blackcurrant, yacon-vitamin c, and yacon concentrate were 1941mg/2300mg/1891mg/1193mg TE/100g (CUPRAC), 1943mg/2404mg/2122mg/1365mg TE/100g (DPPH), and 1219mg/2614mg/2990mg/992mg TE/100g (FRAP). The antioxidant capacity of yacon-blackcurrant and yacon-vitamin c were much higher than that of yacon concentrate because blackcurrant and vitamin c enhanced the antioxidant capacity. The development of yacon functional beverages with acceptable taste, verified health-related properties, applicable shelf-life, as new dietotherapy applications of yacon concentrate, could provide more healthier food products for consumers to exercise healthier food choices.Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.00605 Microbiology0908 Food Sciences3006 Food sciencesJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.5539/jfr.v14n1p13