A Study on Consumer's Recognition of Frozen Processed Foods and Contamination Levels of Frozen Seafoods

냉동가공 식품에 대한 소비자 인식도 및 수산 냉동식품의 오염 상태 조사 연구

In this study, we assessed consumers' recognition of frozen foods via a survey study, and monitored the contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria and Escherichia coli in imported and domestic frozen seafoods obtained from five whole sale markets in Seoul. A questionnaire used to assess the perception of frozen food safety and the attitude towards frozen food usage was developed and distributed to 350 adults. A total of 324 questionnaires were subjected to frequency analysis and a chi-square test, using SPSS for Windows. The results of our survey study demonstrated that 44.6% of the respondent consumed frozen processed foods two to three times per month, with dumplings being the most frequently purchased. 70.5% of the respondents selected "convenient cooking" as the principal reason for their frozen food purchases. 58% of the respondents believed that frozen processed food is not safe to eat as the result of food additives and changes in quality during the shelf life period. Consumers most profoundly preferred frozen seafood originating from America, and preferred that from China least profoundly (81.2%). Microbiological analyses demonstrated that the aerobic plate counts of frozen seafood, regardless of origin, fulfill the standard requirements except for one frozen clam (6.6 Log CFU/g), which was a heated-frozen domestic product. In addition, E. coli was isolated from frozen cooked mussels, frozen raw clams and squids, thus indicating that more strict hygienic regulation for frozen seafoods will be necessary to protect the consumer in both domestic and foreign markets.