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 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.

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.

Purpose: The importance and satisfaction with the purchasing characteristics and choice attribute of home meal replacement (HMR) products for consumers aged between 20 and 40, or over 50. In addition to identify the factors that must be first considered in the development of HMR products importance-performance analysis. Methods: 791 consumers aged between 20 and 40, or over 50, living in Seoul have experience in purchasing HMR participated in the survey. The survey consisted of four sections: the purchasing characteristics of HMR, the importance and satisfaction with HMR choice attribute, and general questions. T-tests and IPA were conducted to compare the groups of consumers aged between 20 and 40, or over 50. Results: The factor analysis show the following results: 0.899 for “convenience”, 0.094 for “hygiene”, 0.871 for “quality”, 0.834 for “taste”, and 0.822 for “price”. The average score of the importance of the choice attribute when purchasing HMR products 3.50. For consumers aged between 20 and 40, the score 3.49. For consumers over 50, the score 3.52. There is a significant difference “hygiene (p<0.001)”, “quality (p<0.05)”, and “price (p<0.05)”. For consumers aged between 20 and 40, the score 3.72. For consumers over 50, the score was 3.78. There a significant difference only in “hygiene (p<0.05)”. Conclusion: The results of the IPA demonstrate that the categories that belong to “Focus here” are “new HMR products” and “diverse HMR products” for all consumers aged between 20 and 40 and over 50. Hence, food companies should endeavor to develop new and diverse HMR products first.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the purchasing behavior and selection attributes for Home Meal Replacement (HMR) and to identify the selection attributes affecting purchasing frequency and purchasing costs of married women living in a city. Among 837 questionnaires distributed to HMR married women consumers, 752 complete questionnaires (89.8%) were analyzed. The younger married women group showed higher frequency of purchasing HMR than the older age group. The 20s and 30s age groups showed higher purchasing costs for HMR than the 40s and older age groups. A higher proportion of employed married women purchased HMR three or more times per week and spent an average of more than 20,000 won per purchase in comparison with unemployed married women. HMR selection attributes were classified into five factors: ‘taste and sanitation’, ‘economic efficiency’, ‘health and nutrition’, ‘convenience’, and ‘reliability and awareness’; mean scores of these factors’ importance levels were 4.28, 3.93, 3.59, 3.54, and 3.50 out of 5 points, respectively. The importance level of ‘taste and sanitation’ factor was significantly greater as married women’s age decreased. However, the importance level of ‘health and nutrition’ factor was significantly greater as married women’s age increased. The results of the logistic regression analyses indicate that the ‘taste and sanitation’ and ‘health and nutrition’ factors affected frequency of purchasing HMR. The ‘reliability and awareness’ factor had the most significant impact on cost per purchasing HMR. Therefore, a product differentiation strategy according to married women’s age and employment status should be applied. Product qualities and brand value should be improved to enhance competition in the HMR market.

Blanching and freezing of beef are important techniques used in developing frozen home meal replacement (HMR) products. These pre-thermal treatments minimize the deterioration of beef during storage. Beefs are washed, defatted, sliced (5.0×0.5×0.5 cm, fiber direction), and blanched by immersion in hot water for 2 min. Thereafter, the blanched beefs are spin-dried and frozen by individual quick freezing (IQF) method. Finally, the frozen beefs are packed using two methods: vacuum packages and air-containing packages. Packed beefs are stored at -12oC, -18oC, and -24oC for nine months. One in every three months, they are thawed in a microwave (400W). While thawing, vacuum-packed samples possess lower thawing loss than air-containing-packed ones. Compared to raw beef, blanched beef have a higher L* and lower a* value. However, less changes are observed after blanching the beefs as the enzymes get inactivated in the blanching process. Shear force of beef also increase through blanching. Moreover, vacuum-packed samples have maintained their hardness to a greater extent than the air-containing-packed samples. All the samples have met microbial safety standards. Thus, it is inferred that vacuum-packaging and -18oC storage temperatures are the best condition for maintaining beef that is later developed into HMR product.

HMR is a home-style food product designed for convenience and cooked outside the home leaving out cumbersome cooking process and consumed at home. The present paper aims to find out factors that influence the consumption of HMR by analyzing data on food consumption during the 3 years between December 2010 and November 2013. Following the classification of Costa et al. (2001), this study categorized HMR products as 3 types as follows: C1 (ready to eat), C2 (ready to heat) and C3 (ready to cook), and examined factors affecting purchase rate and per capita purchase price for each type of HMR product. The results of our analysis show that only the purchase rate of C3 products was influenced by whether the purchaser was housewife with job or not. For those who do not live together with parents, per capita purchase price for HMR was high; and the more they ate out, the higher the purchase rate of HMR was.

This study investigated the antioxidative activities and quality characteristics of Aster scaber Bibimbap as a home meal replacement with blanching (BASB) or without blanching (ASB) pretreatment. BASB samples at 5.0 g showed higher moisture, crude protein, and ash contents than the control (p<0.05). Color L, a, b-values of samples significantly decreased with increased content of Aster scaber powder (p<0.05). BASB samples showed lower hardness than ASB samples. BASB samples showed higher total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity than ASB samples. BASB samples showed higher sensory values for color, savory aroma, savory flavor, and aftertaste than ASB samples. Except for glossiness, BASB samples showed higher sensory acceptance scores than ASB samples. Sensory acceptance tests of all samples showed high scores for ‘usually like’, representing the possibility of successful development of Bibimbap as a home meal replacement, especially that containing blanching pre-treated Aster scaber powder.

The objective of this study is to find the optimal cooking condition of rice for the cold chain as home meal replace-ment (HMR) products. Two types of rice varieties were cooked either on an electric rice cooker (ERC) or a super-heated steamer (SHS) with different concentrations of beef bone broth added before cooking. Cooked rice wasstored at 5oC for 3 days and the quality was analyzed by moisture content, color, reducing sugar content, textureprofile, and sensory evaluation. The results indicate that retrogradation of cooked rice prepared using SHS can bereduced during cold storage by the addition of beef bone broth. Also, the addition of more than 40% of beef bonebroth caused a deterioration in the quality of the cooked rice, and it appears that the addition of 10-20% of bonebroth is optimal for the overall quality of the cooked rice during cold storage.

This study investigated the antioxidative activities and quality characteristics of gruel as a home meal replacement with Angelica keiskei powder pre-treated by far-infrared radiation or freeze-drying methods. Far-infrared treated Angelica keiskei powder (F-IAP) showed significantly lighter, weaker green, and stronger yellow color values than powder subjected to freezedrying (FAP) (p<0.001). F-IAP showed higher total phenolic compound contents than that of the FAP. ABTS radical scavenging activity of F-IAP was 50.31%, which was significantly higher than that of FAP, at 43.51% (p<0.05). Color values of gruel significantly decreased with increased addition of Angelica keiskei powder (p<0.05). Gruels containing far-infrared treated Angelica keiskei powder (F-IAG) showed higher total phenolic compound contents as well as ABTS radical scavenging activities compared to the gruels containing freeze-dried Angelica keiskei powder (FAG). Gruels containing 5 g of Angelica keiskei powder showed 2.0 to 2.5 times higher antioxidant activities than those containing powder alone due to the presence of other ingredients with antioxidant activities such as black soybean or sweet pumpkin. In the results of sensory evaluation, F-IAG containing more than 5 g of Angelica keiskei powder had higher sweetness and roasted grain flavor, as well as lower bitterness and astringency compared to FAG. Sensory acceptance tests of all samples showed higher scores than 5.0 representing possibilities of successful development of gruels as a home meal replacement containing Angelica keiskei powder.

In this study the effect of rice type and cooking methods on the quality of cooked rice during cold storage wereinvestigated to develop home meal replacement (HMR) products. The chemical and physical properties and sensoryquality of rice were studied by rice type (Oh-dae-mi, Baek-jin-ju S., and Indica) and cooking methods (electric ricecooker and super heated steamer). Cooked rice was stored at 5oC for 3 days and the moisture content, color, reduc-ing sugar content, texture profile, and sensory evaluation were analyzed. The results show that rice type Baek-jin-ju S. has the highest moisture content and that color and textural properties are maintained during storage. Ricecooked with an electric rice cooker has higher moisture content and better color properties; however, rice cookedwith a super heated steamer shows higher reduced sugar content with a softer texture. The selection of Baek-jin-juS. and cooking with a super heated steamer have a positive effect on the quality of rice during cold storage.