The aim of this study is to identify the value structure of active seniors for noodles. Noodles are the secondly most preferred and familiar food in Korea, followed by rice. And noodles also have a variety of tastes/flavors and even a variety of ceremonial characteristics. The necessity of offering proper food to seniors has recently increasing because Korea becoming an aged society. This study conducted 1:1 in-depth interviews with 30 active senior participants using the soft laddering technique, which is based on the means-end chain theory. The Implication Matrix and HVM were derived from performing content analysis. The active seniors mainly consider the ‘taste’, expecting to obtain the ‘satisfying taste’, and pursuing the ‘family affair’, ‘pleasure’, and ‘self-satisfaction’. The results of this study indicated that the taste is the most important attribute and the active seniors consider their family as well as the pleasure and satisfaction of their own. Male seniors mainly pursue the ‘pleasure’ and ‘self-satisfaction’ by satisfying their taste through considering ‘taste’ and ‘familiarity’. But female seniors mainly pursue the ‘family affair’ by ‘satisfying taste’ through considering ‘taste’. These results can be used as a basic data for developing noodle products for the elderly. This study will also contribute to the development of special care food and product concepts for the silver generation.

This study aimed to develop processed foods that can be tailored to the tastes of consumers in countries to enter domestic and foreign markets utilizing fresh Korean pears, in which the consumption is decreasing. A survey was also conducted on three types of samples (pear jelly, pear rice cake, and pear muffin). As a result, both Korean and Chinese women aged in their 20s preferred pear muffins the most among the pear products evaluated. Pear jelly and rice cake were preferred by Chinese consumers because of their sweet taste (p<0.05). Pear rice cakes were preferred because of their texture (p<0.05). Pear muffins were not significant in all items except for odor/flavor and sweetness, but Korean consumers had a high preference for them and showed a significant preference for colors (p<0.05). Pear muffins were most familiar to both Korean and Chinese consumers showing a high willingness to purchase. An analysis of the preference inducement factors of consumers in each country of the three processed foods containing pears using Check-All-That-Reply (CATA) showed that the consumers of both countries preferred the ‘pear odor/flavor’ characteristics of pear jelly, and that pear rice cakes were preferred by Chinese consumers compared to Korean consumers. Pear muffins were preferred by Korean consumers. Overall, pear muffins are the product expected to be most suitable for female consumers in Korea and China aged in their 20s.

This study was conducted to understand the dietary life of North Koreans by analyzing dietary life-related articles published in Joseon Nyeoseong, which is the only women’s magazine in North Korea. This study employed content analysis of 769 articles from 1999 to 2017. The major findings of this study were as follows. Out of the 769 articles, 131 (17.0%) were about dietary culture, 541 (70.4%) were about the food and nutrition, and 97 (12.6%) were about food production. The articles emphasized ethnic food and North Koreans ingredients, spices, cooking methods, containers, and etiquette. A variety of foods and ingredients were used to maintain health, as well as to treat common illnesses and health problems. There were 173 recipes mentioned in the magazine, but no foreign food recipes. There were many dishes that could be preserved for a long time such as Kimchi and pickles. For food security, many vegetables and plant-eating animals such as rabbits were cultivated. Overall, the results indicate that North Korea has been maintaining its unique dietary life without being influenced by foreign countries.

This study was conducted to evaluate children’s purchase behavior (frequency of snack consumption and purchase) and preference for high protein snack products developed for weight control and nutritional balance. A total of 80 elementary school students (from the 3rd to 6th graders) in the Gyeonggi-do learning center were participated and 76 were used for the analysis. The most common response for liking snacks was taste (71.4%), and the most preferred types of snacks were chips (42.1%) and puff snacks (34.2%). The highest frequency of snack ingestion was 1-3 times per week (48; 63.2%), and the main purchasers were parents (65.8%). Cheese, corn and chili flavors were more preferred than the control, while yogurt taste was slightly less preferred than the control. The results of this study showed the possibility of commercialization of new protein snacks according to children’s seasoning preference and provide the insights into the snack preferences of children as main consumers.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of health lifestyle on high protein snack selection attributes and purchase behaviors among individuals aged 20-30 with high protein snack intake. In addition, the relationship between perception, attitude, satisfaction and recommendation of high protein snacks was invested. Finally, this study aims to provide basic information for marketing high-protein snacks and customized high protein snacks. Analysis of the selection attributes most important for healthy lifestyle, revealed significant differences among all groups excluding the external seeking group (p<0.001). The free living group regarded trust as one of the most important attributes of high protein snack selection, and both the tempered control group and the low-interest group found sensation and price factor to be important. Therefore, when developing high-protein snacks, it is important to determine which attributes of the snack will be highlighted by segmenting the consumer into health lifestyles. Focusing on what ingredients are used to develop high-protein snacks and nutritional ingredients is also important when targeting a free lifestyle group as the main customer. In addition, developing snacks that do not offer depending on the protein content is important when targeting a temperate management group or a low-interest group.

The Korean buffet restaurant, which was developed by combining the Korean food and a buffet, allows a large menu to be enjoyed at a reasonable price and has become popular with men and women, young and old, and become a new type of eating out. This study examined the effects of the waiting time management and menu quality on the customer satisfaction and re-visit intention in a Korean buffet restaurant to help quality improvement and development of Korean buffet restaurants. The customer satisfaction and re-visit intention only had a significant effect on the staff attitude toward waiting time. Hygiene, sensory factor, and variety of menu quality were significantly related to customer satisfaction and revisit intention, respectively. In addition, satisfaction with food and service had a significant effect on the re-visit intention and customer satisfaction. Therefore, it is important to establish a virtuous cycle structure that will improve the re-visit intention by satisfying customers through waiting time management and menu quality for the development of Korean buffet restaurants.

This study has utilized the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique in order to plan the tangible (menu) and intangible (service) product of dumpling restaurant. The engineering characteristics of tangible products were classified into product planning, purchase management, production management, and information management based on the production system of foodservice. The engineering characteristics of intangible products were also classified into physical evidence, human interaction, and pre-communication based on the service operation and delivery system. As a result of analyzing the QFD, it was found that the customer hope the hygiene factor and response factor to be improved. It is analyzed that product planning, information management, and production management should be improved first in terms of engineering characteristics considering consumer needs. In the future, by utilizing the systematic product development process that the requirements of tangible and intangible product consumers are converted to the engineering characteristics, the development of competitive product within the market will be possible, and furthermore it is expected to be useful for reducing the unnecessary time and design costs due to failure of product development.

This study was carried out to determine the optimal storage conditions by examining the effects of the storage conditions on the quality of red pepper powder during storage in households. Red pepper powder was stored at room temperature (20oC), refrigeration (2 and -1oC) and frozen (-5 and -20oC) for 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The ASTA color value, capsanthin content and redness (a*) of the red pepper powders stored at -5 and -20oC were not decreased significantly depending on the storage temperatures until 9 months. The pH of red pepper powder stored at 20oC decreased significantly until 9 months and increased at 12 months. The microbiological quality of the red pepper powder stored at -5 and -20oC was more stable during long-term storage. In the sensory evaluation of red pepper powder stored under all conditions, the overall freshness, redness, hot flavor, moisture release, and edibility decreased with increasing storage period from the control to 12 months. Moisture release increased from 3 months to 12 months. Overall, red pepper should be stored at low temperatures (2 , -1oC) for up to 6 months, and frozen (≥ -5oC) for 6 to 9 months. The optimal temperature for long-term storage (≥9 months) was -20oC.

This study evaluated how fresh pear cognition variables influences the purchase of primary and secondary products to promote pear consumption. The survey was performed online using 200 consumers who have consumed pears. Consumers’ cognition was classified into two groups, one that was more favorable toward fresh pears and one that was less favorable. The cognition toward pear significantly affected the attitude (p<0.001) and purchase intention (p<0.001) toward fresh pear. When consumers bought fresh pear, sweetness was most important among the selection attributes to both groups, and the most common reason why consumers liked the pear analyzed by check all that apply (CATA) was also sweet taste. However, the negative group did not prefer fresh pear because of taste and texture, so those qualities should be wellcontrolled. In addition, cognition toward primary products influenced liking and purchase intention of processed pear products, especially beverages (p<0.001), bakeries and sweets (p<0.05). Therefore, these types of secondary products should be developed based on consumers’ demands.

To enrich a country’s food culture, it is essential that residents understand and care about that culture. Although various efforts to globalize Korean food have been made outside Korea, the importance of understanding Koreans’ perception of and increasing interest in Korean food has been neglected. Thus, this study was conducted to identify the cognitive structures regarding Korean food among 30 Koreans living in metropolitan cities using in-depth laddering interviews based on the means-end chain theory. The most dominant cognitive structures toward Korean food were familiarity (attributes), ease of digestion and health (functional consequences), sense of responsibility and will to live (psychosocial consequences), and family affection and sense of achievement (values). In short, Koreans were found to consume Korean food to achieve perceived high-dimensional values rather than simply for its attributes or benefits. These findings have important implications for future strategies and policies aimed at increasing Korean food consumption by Koreans, as they suggest that underlying and symbolic values rather than the attributes of Korean food are more effective in promoting its consumption. Further studies on understanding perceptions and values using a larger Korean population are needed to preserve and further develop Korean food.