The effects of exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP, nitric oxide donor) on the growth, yield, photosynthetic characteristics, and antioxidant enzyme activity of kimchi cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt) was studied under the low temperature conditions. Kimchi cabbages were treated with SNP of three concentrations (7.5, 15, 30 mg·L-1) for three times at four-day intervals and exposed to low temperature (16/7°C) stress for seven days. SNP treatment induced increases of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intracellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and transpiration rate (Tr) under the stress condition with the highest level after the third treatment. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 were significantly lower in the treatment of SNP compared to the non-treated control. The activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), increased in treated plants by up to 38, 187, 24 and 175%, respectively compared to the non-treated control. SNP-treated and untreated plants had similar growth characteristics. Compared to the control group, SNP-treatment increased fresh weight and leaf area by 5%. Overall, our findings suggest that the application of sodium nitroprusside to the leaves contributes to reducing physiological damage and enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, thereby improving low temperature stress tolerance in kimchi cabbage.

As the demand for ready-to-eat foods continues to grow, concerns about the sodium in processed foods are also growing. In this study, a survey was conducted on the perception of low-sodium products and diffusion plans according to the type of employee (manufacturer, retailer, distributor). Of the 191 responses collected, 189 valid responses (98.9%) were analyzed. The results showed that the employees were aware of the health contribution of a low-sodium diet, labeling for low-sodium, and the promotion of low-sodium food to increase its consumption. Furthermore, retailers recognized the positive contribution of low-sodium products in terms of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management. The use of sodium substitutes was preferred as the best way to reduce sodium in ready-to-eat foods. With regard to sodium reduction in readyto- eat foods, we found that the technical factors involved were clustered by the type of business. Specifically, distributors showed a similar performance but had a lower perception of importance than retailers. Manufacturers had a lower perception of both importance and performance. In this study, we collected perceptions from employees who were working at food companies, which differed from previous research. We sought to examine the differences in the perception of sodium reduction and consumption of ready-to-eat foods across various types of employment. Furthermore, we provided specific approaches to reduce perception gaps and enhance understanding among employees.

To investigate Oiji (traditional Korean cucumber pickles) with reduced sodium content based on the use of saline foods as a salt substitute, Oiji was prepared using glasswort powder (Salicornia herbacea L.), and its physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation were examined. The moisture content of Oiji was shown to be higher in those to which glasswort powder had been added compared to the control without addition of glasswort powder, and Oiji with 40% glasswort powder substitute showed the highest pH and lowest acidity, resulting in slow progression of fermentation. The salinity of Oiji among those containing glasswort powder substitute was significantly higher with increasing level of glasswort powder. The sodium content of Oiji was significantly reduced as addition of glasswort powder increased. The L value of Oiji decreased with increased addition of glasswort powder, whereas the a value was highest in the control. The hardness of Oiji was higher in the control than in Oiji containing glasswort powder. Taste acceptance was highest for Oiji with 20% glasswort powder substitute, whereas acceptance of appearance was higher for Oiji with 10% glasswort powder substitute. Flavor and texture acceptance was higher for the control. In the attribute difference test, significant differences were found in brownness, off-flavor, salty taste, and sourness. Based on the findings, 10-20% substitution of salt with glasswort powder did not significantly lower overall acceptance compared to the control while salinity of Oiji was maintained. Therefore, the potential production of low-sodium Oiji has been verified.

In order to study low salinity Oiji (cucumber pickled in salt) with a reduced content of sodium, which was accomplished by replacing the salt in this saliferous food, we produced Oiji using sea tangle and, then performed physicochemical and sensory evaluations. It was found that the moisture content of Oiji was decreased with increasing the amount of added sea tangle. The pH and acidity were significantly different between the samples made with sea tangle, and the pH and acidity showed no consistent tendency according to the amount of sea tangle powder added. The salinity of Oiji was the highest in the control Oiji (2.92%), and the higher the amount of sea tangle added, the lower was the salinity in the Oiji with the salt replaced by sea tangle (2.78 to 2.89%). The sodium content of Oiji was also the highest in the control Oiji (591.65 mg/ 100 g) and significantly decreased with the increasing addition of sea tangle (560.43~366.71 mg/100 g). The color value of Oiji showed a significant difference between the samples, with no consistent tendency according to the amount of added sea tangle powder. The hardness of Oiji was significantly greater in the Oiji with the salt replaced by 40% of sea tangle, with greater hardness noted as the amount of added sea tangle powder increased (217.70 g). As a result of the acceptance test of Oiji, there were significant differences between the samples in overall acceptance, appearance, and taste, showing that the Oiji with salt replaced by 30% of sea tangle was significantly highest in overall acceptance and taste. The attribute difference test showed a significant difference only for the brown color, while no significant differences were found between the samples for off-flavor, bitter taste, fermented taste, salty taste, sour taste, hardness and crispness. The above results demonstrated that when sea tangle was substituted for 30 to 40% of the salt content, the Oiji with a low content of sodium and low salinity can be produced with a high level of taste and overall preference. Therefore, this study firmly demonstrated that 30 to 40% of the salt can be replaced by sea tangle as a substitute in order to produce Oiji that has low salinity, a low sodium content.

The purpose of this study was to develop a technology commercialization strategy by analyzing the consumer preference for low-sodium instant noodle ramen, which has a sodium content of 1,730 mg or less. For the commercialization of such low-sodium ramen, this study examined how much consumers would pay through an analysis of consumer preference by conjoint analysis. This study surveyed 1,004 men and women in their 20 s and 50 s between the ages of 20 and 50 years in Korea using an online survey. If the price of conventional instant noodle ramen is KRW 4,000 (approximately USD 3.57) per 5 packs for one pack of 5 servings in a supermarket, this study surveyed how much more they respondents would pay if the sodium was reduced by 10.0, 20.0, and 30.0%. The study found that if sodium was reduced by 10.0, 20.0, and 30.0%, the respondents would pay as much as KRW 4,180, KRW 4,307, and KRW 4,515, respectively. The attributes of low-sodium instant noodle ramen were examined according to the degree of sodium reduction, vegetable protein ingredients, brand, where to buy and price with each level. The Marginal Willingness To Pay (MWTP) was analyzed as follows. If the sodium content of ramen soup is reduced by 1.0%, the amount that can be paid would be KRW 105.78. Respondents could pay KRW 1,673 more for famous brand ramen than an unknown brand ramen. The study results indicated that when a new product is developed and released, it can be expected to increase sales of the new product by understanding the foreseeable value that consumers could pay for and realize the technological commercialization of the technology.

Low sodium (1,300 mg) containing menu items and recipes applicable to institutional food services were developed while maintaining taste and nutrition contents. These developed recipes were used in a total of 258 dish items, including 39 onedish meals, 43 guk or jjigae (soups or pot stews), 59 meat or fish side-dishes, 94 vegetable side-dishes, 9 jeons (pan-fried dishes), and 14 kimchis or pickles. A total of 90 menu items using 258 dishes were categorized into one-dish menu items or Korean dining table-setting items. They were re-sorted to soup or pot stew containing or not containing items. The protein content was significantly higher in one-dish menus than in Korean dining table-setting menus (p<0.05), whereas the energy, carbohydrates, lipids, and sodium did not differ significantly between them. Menus including guk showed no significant differences in energy, carbohydrates, lipids, or sodium when compared with menus not including guk. For practical application of these developed low sodium menu items for institutional food services, education manuals for nutrition should be developed, and networks among governmental agencies, institutional food services and research institutions should be established.

In Western countries, kimchi, the Korean traditional fermented cabbage, is considered to be a healthy. However, it is one of the main sources of the high sodium content of the Korean diet. In order to decrease the sodium content, we manufactured a low-sodium kimchi (LK, salinity 1.0%) and 4 additional low-sodium kimchi starters in which each of 4 lactic acid bacteria (Lb. sakei 1, Lb. sakei 2, Lb. palntarum and W. koreensis) were added. The LKL1 to LKL4 samples were prepared by adding 4 single LAB starters, each with an inoculum size of 106 CFU/g, when the cabbage was mixed with kimchi sauce. The kimchi starters were fermented at 10℃ until reaching 0.5% acidity, and then stored at －1.5℃ until reaching 0.75% acidity. The pH and acidity of the starter kimchi changed more rapidly in the early phase of fermentation (up to 0.75% acidity) than control low-sodium kimchi. After the acidity of the kimchi starters reached 0.75% it remained constant. As the fermentation progressed, the total aerobic and lactic acid bacteria concentrations in the kimchi starter with added Lb. sakei 1 were the same as in the control low-sodium kimchi. The low-sodium kimchi fermentation of the kimchi starter with added Lb. palntarum progressed differently due to a difference in acid resistance. The kimchi starter with added Lb. sakei 2 had an overall liking score that was slightly higher than that of the control low-sodium kimchi due to a lower off-flavor

Korean style DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and a dietary education program for sodium reduction were developed. Reduced sodium diets (15 and 30% reductions) were developed from general diets for 3 consecutive weeks from Monday through Saturday. Subjects (19 total) were classified into two groups according to dietary education. Experimental period was from June 24 to July 23, 2012. Total sum of adaptation scores for low sodium diets significantly increased in the group that underwent dietary education compared to that without (p<0.05). After the experiment, both groups showed significantly increased values in terms of food group balance, sodium-related nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice by paired t-test. Especially, group that underwent dietary education showed significantly higher values for attitudes by ANCOVA pre-test as a variation (p<0.01). For the results of the nutrient intake survey, group that underwent dietary education showed significantly increased values for dietary fiber (p<0.01), vitamin A (p<0.001), vitamin K (p<0.001), vitamin C (p<0.01), Folic acid (p<0.001), vitamin B12 (p<0.01), calcium (p<0.01), iron (p<0.05), and zinc (p<0.05) and significantly decreased values for sodium (p<0.05) and chloride (p<0.005). Subjects adapted to reduced sodium diets showed apparent improvements in sodium-related knowledge, attitude, practice and intake of nutrient, and these improvements were even higher in the group that underwent dietary education compared to that without. Thus, adaptation to low sodium diet combined with dietary education can improve dietary habits.

This study investigated the fermentative characteristics and immunomodulating activity in Kimchi added with various salts(salt replacement and herb-salt with Acanthopanax senticosus and Glycyrrhizae uralensis) for the reduction of Na concentration in Kimchi. Kimchi using a salt replacement and herb-salt showed a higher level of acidity (0.8～0.84%) than that of the control (0.7%) at 7-day fermentation. Kimchi using a salt replacement and herb-salt showed a lower level of salinity (1.72～1.98%) than that of control (2.3～2.57%) during fermentation. The growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Leuconostoc spp. recorded the highest level (2.3×10⁸ and 2.8×10⁶ cfu/g, respectively) in control at 6 day fermentation. However, those levels in Kimchi prepared with salt replacement and herb-salt were 3.5～5.4×10⁸ and 6.1×10⁶ cfu/g, respectively. It is assumed that the high level of acidity of Kimchi prepared with salt replacement and herb-salt was caused by the increase in the growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Leuconostoc spp.. When the macrophage stimulating activity of salt replacement kimchi (Salt-R kimchi) supplemented with hot-water extract from Acanthopanax sentisus (AS) or Glycyrrhiza uralensis (GU) was investigated on aging period, Salt-RA kimchi with AS 5% at 6 days (2.78-fold of saline control at 100 ㎍/㎖) and Salt-RG kimchi with GU 5% at 9 days (2.02-fold) significantly increased compared to the Salt-RA kimchi without AS or GU. In addition, Salt-RAG kimchi with AS 3% and GU 3% improved the bitter taste of Salt-RA and potently stimulated the macrophage at 6 days (1.28-fold of Salt-R kimchi) even though its activity was lower than Salt-RA (5%, 1.39-fold).