This study investigated the quality characteristics of convenient chicken porridge prepared with fresh ginseng powder (FGP). The porridge made with the addition of FGP showed significantly higher or similar pH at 5.99-6.13 compared to porridge made without adding FGP. The convenient chicken porridge with FGP had lower viscosity and higher spreadability than the control group (p<0.05). This porridge exhibited higher lightness (L) and yellowness (b) values but a lower redness (a) value than the control group (p<0.05). The porridge made with the addition of 0.4% blanched FGP (BG0.4) displayed higher total polyphenol content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities than the other types of chicken porridge (all p<0.05). The porridge with the addition of FGP showed weaker “rice grain size”, “glossiness”, “appearance cohesiveness”, “cooked rice aroma”, “sweet taste”, “texture cohesiveness”, “thickness”, and “stickiness” than the control group (all p<0.05). The appearance and flavor acceptance were significantly higher or similar for the porridge samples made with the addition of 0.2% non-blanched FGP (NBG0.2) and 0.4% non-blanched FGP (NBG0.4) when compared with those of the control group.

This study evaluated the consumers’ demands and points of improvement for restaurant meal replacement through importance–performance analysis by the restaurant meal replacement segment market using food involvement. The results were as follows. First, after segmenting the restaurant meal replacement market using food involvement, it was classified into three markets (multiple involvements, exploration-oriented, and product quality-oriented). Second, an analysis of the importance of restaurant meal replacement selection attributes revealed taste, sanitation, quality, freshness, price, saving time, texture, ingredients, preparation process, and quantity to be highly important. An analysis of the differences according to the market type revealed the multiple involvement type to be more important than other groups, considering the restaurant meal replacement selection attribute element. Third, an analysis of the importance-performance analysis of restaurant meal replacement selection attributes revealed that quantity and price as the selection attributes that needed to be improved first in all three markets. In addition, in the multiple involvement type, food additives appeared as a selection attribute requiring priority improvement, revealing the characteristics of a market that cares about diet and health.

To investigate residual pesticide levels in agricultural products contained in Meal-kits, 27 Meal-kit products were collected from marts, Meal-kit shops, and online stores in Incheon City, South Korea. Seventy-six vegetable and thirty-seven mushroom products were analyzed for residual levels of 339 pesticides. Residual pesticides were detected in 23 out of 76 vegetables and were not present in the 37 mushroom products. The residual pesticide detection rate was 20.4% (23/ 113 cases). The pesticides famoxadone 0.034 mg/kg (standard: 0.01 mg/kg or less, PLS) and fenpyroximate 0.302 mg/kg (standard: 0.01 mg/kg or less, PLS) exceeded their maximum residue levels (MRL). This survey revealed that various types of pesticides remain in agricultural products in Meal-kits. Due to the nature of Meal-kit products, there is no separate standard for residual pesticides in agricultural products. Therefore, continuous monitoring of residual pesticides is necessary.

The purpose of this study was to analyse factors related to Home Meal Replacement (HMR) use among university students and to determine the dietary quality according to its consumption. A survey on the consumption of HMR and Nutrition Quotient (NQ) was conducted from September to November 2021. The study included 232 university students (88 males, 144 females) from Chungcheong. The proportion of consumption at least once a week was 71.55% for ready-to-eat foods, 55.60% for ready-to-cook foods, 40.95% for fresh-cut products, and 21.12% for meal-kits. The preference ratings were as follows: ready-to-eat foods, 3.77 out of 5 points, meal-kits, 3.53 points, fresh-cut products, 3.52 points, and ready-to-cook foods, 3.45 points. In terms of satisfaction, convenience (4.06 out of 5 points), taste (3.71 points), variety (3.67 points), and food hygiene (3.62 points) were rated the highest. The scores in the moderation NQ were significantly lower in the groups that consumed ready-to-eat foods (p=0.0002), ready-to-cook foods (p=0.0002), and meal-kits (p=0.0068) at least once a week compared to the groups that consumed them less than once a week. In conclusion, the results will serve as basic data for nutrition education for proper consumption of HMR among university students.

This study examined the MZ Generation Consumers’ perception and needs of HMR (Home Meal Replacement) using local food. The paper provides basic data for deriving a plan to promote local food consumption and reports the implications for various development and distribution strategies regarding HMR using local food. In this study, a quantitative survey was conducted targeting 600 consumers to examine the general consumption status of HMR using local food by MZ consumers. In addition, a qualitative survey was conducted targeting 21 people to derive the specific perceptions and unmet needs of MZ consumers. These results showed that MZ consumers require healthy and fresh HMR but have low awareness of HMR using local food. Therefore, it is necessary to deliver sufficient information and promote it. In particular, MZ consumers have high expectations for ‘healthy and safe’ food when purchasing HMR using local food, which plays an important role in purchasing decisions. They also valued ‘convenience’, which means ‘simple cooking’, ‘subdivision packaging’, and ‘accessibility of purchasing channels’, as important when purchasing HMR using local food. Lastly, MZ consumers positively evaluated the values of ‘healthy eating’ and ‘revitalization of the local economy’ through local food.

This study was conducted to explore the change in the market issues on HMR (Home Meal Replacements) using local foods after the COVID-19 outbreak. Online text data were collected from internet news, social media posts, and web documents before (from January 2016 to December 2019) and after (from January 2020 to November 2022) the COVID- 19 outbreak. TF-IDF analysis showed that ‘Trend’, ‘Market’, ‘Consumption’, and ‘Food service industry’ were the major keywords before the COVID-19 outbreak, whereas ‘Wanju-gun’, ‘Distribution’, ‘Development’, and ‘Meal-kit’ were main keywords after the COVID-19 outbreak. The results of topic modeling analysis and categorization showed that after the COVID-19 outbreak, the ‘Market’ category included ‘Non-face-to-face market’ instead of ‘Event,’ and ‘Delivery’ instead of ‘Distribution’. In the ‘Product’ category, ‘Marketing’ was included instead of ‘Trend’. Additionally, in the ‘Support’ category, ‘Start-up’ and ‘School food service’ appeared as new topics after the COVID-19 outbreak. In conclusion, this study showed that meaningful change had occurred in market issues on HMR using local foods after the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, governments should take advantage of such market opportunity by implementing policy and programs to promote the development and marketing of HMR using local foods.

This study was conducted to provide basic data for product development and marketing strategies for the Thai home meal replacement (HMR) market, to reflect the changing trends in household sizes in Thailand. The results of analyzing the characteristics and differences of HMR consumption behavior between single-person households and multi-person households in Thailand were as follows: It was found that single-person households use HMR to save money and for the convenience in cooking and preparation. In the preference by HMR type, multi-person households showed a higher preference for all types of products than single-person households. Thai consumers, regardless of their household size, mainly use department stores and large shopping malls to purchase HMR, and they most prefer to get information through Internet advertisements. The shelf life, quality, taste, hygiene, and freshness of HMR were the main considerations for their selection. Based on the results of this study, the Thai market requires the development of HMR products that are reasonable in terms of cost and preparation time. In addition, it is necessary to develop products that can satisfy consumer needs, such as nutritional enhancement and therapeutic foods, products that are organic, eco-friendly, cater to various menus, and address the premium segment.

The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the importance and satisfaction of consumer selective attributes by home meal replacement (HMR) types using local ingredients. This study was conducted from December 4 to December 8, 2020. A total of 380 responses organized according to preferred types of HMR (100 for Ready to Eat (RTE), 92 for Ready to Heat (RTH), 88 for Ready to Cook (RTC), 100 for Ready to Prepared (RTP) were used for the final analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted by descriptive analysis, paired t-test, and importance-satisfaction analysis by HMR type. Findings of this study showed significant differences in consumer selective attributes by HMR type. RTE and RTC need to improve quality while RTH needs to improve quality and packaging. Notable selective attributes were quality, packaging, and information. They were located in different quadrants of each HMR type. All other attributes appeared in the same quadrant. Further research is needed to determine differences in quality, packaging, and information for each HMR type. Results of this study provide basic data for developing products and marketing strategies for each type of HMR products using local ingredients.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the influence of the determinants for home meal replacement (HMR) purchase frequency before and after COVID-19. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to the 2018~2020 Consumer Behavior Survey for Food data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI). Gender, age, number of households, monthly income, use of eating out, delivery and takeout order service, HMR food safety concern, the frequency of cooking at home, grocery shopping, and eating alone were applied as the explanatory variables to explain HMR purchase frequency. The results are as below. Compared to the previous year, the growth rate of HMR purchase frequency in 2020 was relatively high, indicating that the COVID-19 outbreak acted as a catalyst. Unlike in 2018 and 2019, there was no statistical difference in the HMR purchase frequency between single- and multi-person households in 2020, with indicating multi-person households began to emerge as one of the major HMR consumption groups. Unlike 2018, the 2020 HMR purchase frequency showed a statistically positive relationship with those of grocery shopping and eating alone. There was a positive relationship between the frequency of eating out/food delivery orders and HMR purchases. The more often cooking at home occurred, the less HMR food was purchased.

This study was conducted to provide basic data for evolving a strategy for the development of Vietnam’s customized HMR program and formulating a marketing strategy by analyzing the characteristics and variations of HMR consumption behavior by household size. The results of the analysis were as follows: The number of single households using HMR as a general meal at home was higher than multiple-person households. Moreover, there was a high preference for ‘ready to heat’ and ‘ready to eat’ products, which are relatively easy to cook and prepare. It was observed that single households preferred department stores, hypermarkets, and convenience stores for purchasing HMR when compared to multiple households, and that single households preferred to acquire information through TV/radio and internet advertisements. Among the HMR selection attributes, single households valued taste, quantity, price, preparation process, preparation time, and ease of storage as important. Reflecting on the results of this study, when developing HMR in Vietnam, it is necessary to develop a product that can nutritionally replace the general meal with a focus on convenience. In addition, there is a need for products that possess various attributes such as convenience, health, and eco-friendliness.

우리나라 가정간편식 시장은 2011년 이후 급격히 성장하였으며, 2021년에는 7조 원까지 성장할 것으로 예상되고 있다. 레토르트와 냉동식품을 기반으로 형성된 가정간편식은 다양한 기술 발전에 따라 진공포장식품, 무균포장식 품, 진공동결건조식품 등 여러 형태의 제품으로 개발되고 있다. 그 중 진공동결건조식품은 식품 내 수분을 동결시 킨 후 진공펌프를 이용하여 승화의 원리로 수분을 제거한 식품으로 열에 민감한 영양소의 파괴를 최소화시키는 장 점이 있다. 또한 식품 고유의 향미 손실이 적고 복원성이 우수하여 최근 각광받고 있는 가공 기술이다. 한편 2000 년대 죽 전문점이 등장하면서 다양화되기 시작한 죽은 가정간편식 시장 발전에 따라 통조림이나 레토르트, 건조 죽 등으로 개발되어 활발히 소비되고 있다. 가정간편식 죽 제조에 가장 많이 사용되는 곡물인 쌀은 품종에 따라 영양성분 및 호화 특성이 다르게 나타나며, 이는 최종 죽 제품의 품질 특성에 영향을 미친다. 본 연구에서는 가정 간편식 죽 제조에 적합한 품종을 선정하고자 여러 쌀 품종 중 진수미와 삼광미의 이화학 특성을 비교 분석하였다. 두 품종의 일반성분, 색도, 수분흡수율, 수분결합력, 팽윤력, 그리고 용해도를 측정한 후 비교 분석하였다. 일반성 분 분석 결과, 수분, 조단백질, 조지방, 조회분의 함량의 유의적인 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 색도 측정 결과, 명도 (L), 적색도(a), 그리고 황색도(b) 모두 진수미가 삼광미에 비해 유의적으로 낮은 값을 나타내었다(p<0.01). 수분흡수 율 측정 결과, 삼광미가 20.14%, 진수미가 18.42%의 값을 나타냈으며 유의적인 차이는 없었다. 수분결합력 측정 결 과, 진수미가 170.86%, 삼광미가 164.45%로 진수미가 삼광미에 비해 유의적으로 높은 결과를 나타내었다(p<0.05). 팽윤력 측정 결과, 팽윤력은 진수미가 1.37%, 삼광미가 1.46%로 진수미가 삼광미에 비해 낮은 경향을 보였다. 용해 도 측정 결과, 진수미가 6.97%, 삼광미가 6.30%로 진수미가 삼광미에 비해 유의적으로 높은 값을 나타내었다 (p<0.05).

본 연구에서는 국내 유통중인 가정간편식 샤브샤브 밀키트를 원료별(쇠고기, 숙주, 쌈추, 새송이버섯, 배추, 단호 박)로 구분하여 미생물 오염도를 알아보기 위해 일반세균수(total aerobic bacteria), 대장균군(coliform)/대장균(E. coli), 효모 및 진균류(fungi), 황색포도상구균(S. aureus), 및 바실러스세레우스(B. cereus)에 대한 정량적 분석을 실시하였다. 아울러, 살모넬라(Salmonella spp.)와 리스테리아 모노사이토제네스(L. monocytogenes)에 대한 정성적 분석을 실시하였다. 샤브샤브 밀키트 원료의 일반세균수(총균 수)는 3.98-6.50 log CFU/g로 검출되었다. 특히, 쇠고기의 경우 6 log CFU/g 이상의 균이 검출되었으며 숙주, 단호박, 배추의 경우 5 log CFU/g 이상의 균이 검출되었다. 진균류 (곰팡이/효모)의 오염도는 2.78-3.52 log CFU/g 수준으로 검출되었다. 대장균군은 일반세균수와 마찬가지로 쇠고기에서 3.28 log CFU/g으로 가장 높게 검출되었으며 기타 신선야채류의 경우 2 log CFU/g 수준으로 검출되었다. 대장균은 6가지 원료 모두에서 검출되지 않았다. S. aureus 는 쇠고기와 쌈추를 제외한 숙주, 배추, 새송이버섯, 단호박에서 1.33-1.71 log CFU/g의 수준으로 검출되었다. B. cereus는 쌈추를 제외한 모든 원료에서 1.15-2.01 log CFU/g 의 수준으로 검출되었다. L. monocytogenes는 새송이버섯을 제외하곤 모든 원료에서 25-50%의 양성검출을 보였고 Salmonella는 모든 원료에서 음성으로 나타났다. 본 연구 결과의 종합적 분석시, 쇠고기 원료에서 일반세균수와 대장균군 기준치를 초과하였고 황색포도상구균과 바실러스 세레우스는 대부분의 원료에서 식품안전을 위협할만한 위험한 수준은 아니었으나 검출되었고 저온성식중독균인 리스테리아모노사이토제네스 역시 일부 원료에서 양성을 보였기 때문에 본 제품의 원료별 생산단계에서의 살균·소독의 적절한 공정과 섭취시 충분한 열처리를 통해 잔존미 생물을 사멸하는 것이 긴요하다. 또한 조리기구 및 조리 종사원 손에 의해 최종 식품을 공정하면서 미생물이 전 파될 가능성이 있으므로 최종 식품의 안전성을 확보하기 위해 오염된 접촉면에 의한 교차오염을 최소화하며, 개인위생수준의 개선, 조리기기의 분리사용과 세척 및 소독을 통한 조리기기의 청결유지가 무엇보다도 중요하다. 아울러 본 연구의 미생물오염수준 자료는 가정간편식밀키트의 미생물위해평가(Microbial Risk Assessment) 의 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

본 연구는 최근 소비가 크게 증가하고 있는 가정간편식의 원료에 대한 모니터링을 수행하였다. 다양한 유형의 가정간편식 제품을 구입하여 112개 원료의 DNA 바코드를 분석하였다. 원재료의 종을 동정하기 위하여 DNA 바코드 증폭에 주로 이용되는 미토콘드리아의 16S ribosomal RNA 유전자 부위를 증폭하는 프라이머 세트를 이용하였다. PCR 산물은 정제하여 염기서열을 분석한 후, 이를 이용하여 미국국립보건원에서 제공하는 BLAST search를 수행하였다. GenBank에 등록되어 있는 종의 염기서열과 유사도(Identity) 와 매치 점수(Match score)를 비교하여 원료의 종을 판별 하였다. 112개의 원료에서 24개의 종(Species)과 3개의 속(Genus)를 동정하였다. 3개의 속은 Identity의 기준이 되는 98% 이내에 해당하는 종이 다수 존재하여 속 수준에서 판별하였다. 판별 결과를「식품의 기준 및 규격(제2019-57 호)」중 ‘(별표 1) 사용할 수 있는 원료 목록’에서 제시하는 사용 가능한 원료와 비교하여 국명 및 섭취 가능 여부를 판단하였으며, 등재되어 있지 않은 6개 종은 국제적으로 공인된 기구에서 어획량에 대한 정보를 확인하고, 식용 근거, 학명·이명 등을 확인하여 식용 가능 여부를 판단 하였다.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the consumption behaviors for purchase of Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products and importance and satisfaction on selective attributes of HMR in middle-aged adults by gender. The subjects were 919 middle-aged adults (400 males and 519 females; 40 to 64 years) residing in Seoul and its metropolitan area, who have HMR purchasing experience. The survey was conducted from January to August 2018. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 program. Consumption frequency of HMR products in male and female subjects was 1-2 times a month by 42.3% and 40.8% and 4-6 times a month by 26.8% and 19.8%, respectively (p<0.05). Reasons for purchasing HMR in male and female subjects were shown significantly different from saving time by 44.8% and 50.5% and easy cooking by 25.8% and 16.6%, respectively (p<0.01). HMR products with high preference and satisfaction for the subjects included Gimbap, precooked dried rice, and frozen food. According to the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), selective attributes of HMR with high importance and low satisfaction in the second quadrant were food additives, origin, nutrient content, and price, for both male and female subjects; additionally, hygiene was a factor included only by female subjects. Therefore, these results suggest that it is needed to consider to produce HMR products with improved qualities using reliable food materials and ingredients and to maintain competitive pricing for the expansion of HMR products consumption of middle-aged adults.

여러 규모의 가정간편식 제조업체를 대상으로 설문조사를 통해 업체의 식품안전문화를 수행 정도와 각 업체들이 식품안전문화 요소들에 대해 인식하는 중요도를 조사 하고, 식품안전문화 측정요소들이 HACCP 선행요건프로그램을 수행하는데 미치는 영향 수준을 분석하였다. 식품 안전문화의 측정은 기업문화, 경영진의 의지, 교육·훈련 및 종업원의 참여 등 식품안전문화의 5개 요소를 지표로 평가하였다. 식품안전문화 요소가 HACCP 선행요건프로그램의 수행도에 미치는 영향은 로지스틱 회귀 분석을 실시하여 분석하였다. 식품안전문화 요소의 수행도는 기업문화, 종업원의 참여 부분에서는 업체 규모에 따른 유의적 차이가 나타나지 않았으나(p>0.05) 경영진의 의지, 자원의 투입, 교육·훈련의 경우 대규모업체에서 유의적으로(p<0.05) 높았다. 한편 기업의 문화는 대규모업체에서는 중요도가 높다고 인식하고 있었으나 소규모업체에서 중요성에 대한 인식도가 매우 낮아 업체 규모에 따른 인식도의 불균형을 보여주었다. 식품안전문화 요소들이 기업의 HACCP 선행 요건프로그램의 수행도에 미치는 영향을 조사한 결과 ‘종업원의 교육·훈련’이 HACCP 수행도에 통계적으로 유의하게(p=0.043) 영향을 미치는 식품안전문화 요소로 나타나 HACCP 내실을 기하기 위해서는 종업원들에 대한 교육· 훈련이 매우 중요함을 시사하였다.