목재젓가락의 수종과 특성

Characteristics and Species of Wooden Chopsticks

In this study, the types and material characteristics of wooden chopsticks were reviewed as part of product development using wood. As a food culture of the Asian region, chopsticks have been used as tableware materials mainly used in Korea, Japan, and China. Although the characteristics of the food culture of the three countries are different, the use of wooden chopsticks made from wood is considered to be very important for the efficient use of wood in the carbon-neutral era. As a result of examining the species and materials used as raw materials for chopsticks, softwoods include pine (Pinus densiflora), cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), and cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), and hardwoods include poplar (Populus alba), and willow (Salix koreensis) with low density. In general, hardwoods with high density, beautiful grain, and high hardness were found to be birch (Betula pendula), beech (Fagus crenata), chestnut (Castanea crenata), elm (Ulmus rubra), camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), alder (Alnus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), magnolia (Magnolia kobus), maple (Acer spp.), plum (Prunus mume), and ash (Fraxinus chinensis). In the case of disposable chopsticks, wood material is used, but there is also a method to use urethane or lacquer in various ways to increase durability and use it semi-permanently.