• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.395-402
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• 2020

In recent years, the home meal replacement (HMR) market has expanded and the consumption of ready-to-heat (RTH) rice has significantly increased. In this study, RTH rice products containing seaweed were prepared with different types of grain: white rice, a mixture of white rice and barley, barley, and mixed grains. The control was a commercial RTH white rice without seaweed. The proximate components, total dietary fiber, in vitro starch digestibility, and antioxidant activity were compared. The ash content of the RTH seaweed rice was higher than that of the control (P<0.05). The total dietary fiber of the RTH seaweed rice was in the range of 1.03-6.57%, which directly impacted the in vitro starch digestibility. The in vitro antioxidant activity including total phenolic content, reducing power, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) and ABTS⁺ (2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging activity of the seaweed rice with barley and the white rice/barley mixture was greater than that of the other rice products (P<0.05). These results indicate that the in vitro digestibility and antioxidant activity of the HMR RTH seaweed rice were greater than those of the control. In addition, when the RTH seaweed rice was prepared with barley, the functional activity improved.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.650-661
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• 2021

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.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.25-43
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• 2020

Although ready meals have recently increased their market share in the Korean food industry, a literature review found that the use of ready meals triggers feelings of guilt in homemakers. Such guilt arises as a result of several factors apparently related to consumers' health. Consequently, levels of guilt might be expected to vary depending on consumers' perceived health locus. The present study aims to examine (a) how health locus affects guilty feelings about ready-meal consumption, (b) how the effect varies in relation to the consumption of different types of ready meal, and (c) the relationship between consumers' guilty feelings and willingness to buy ready meals. Three dimensions of health locus of control (HLC) -internal HLC (IHLC), powerful-others HLC (PHLC), and chance HLC (CHLC)- were presumed to influence consumers' feelings of guilt in association with ready meals. Data were collected via an online survey, and participants were randomly assigned to either of two groups: one group was instructed to heat meals in a microwave (ready-to-heat [RTH] group, n=104) and the other cooked using a pan with additional ingredients (ready-to-cook [RTC] group, n=101). The study found that guilty feelings about consuming RTH meals increased in line with increased external HLCs, namely, PHLC and CHLC. For the RTC group, guilt increased in line with increased PHLC. IHLC had no significant effect on guilty feelings in either group. Willingness to buy ready meals decreased for both groups as consumers' feelings of guilt increased. Even RTC meals, which require more time and energy in food preparation, did not reduce guilty feelings among consumers with higher PHLC. RTC meals are preferable for consumers with higher CHLC, since their sense of greater involvement in the cooking process alleviates their feelings of guilt. Cooking with already prepared and uncooked ingredients brought fun and joy, both for the participants and their significant others. This interpretation may be developed into a strategic plan by ready-meal producers to strengthen their marketing strategy.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.713-717
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sodium habituation on thermal resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in various ready-to-heat (RTH) sauces. The strain mixture of S. aureus strains KACC10768, KACC10778, KACC11596, KACC13236 and NCCP10862 was habituated up to 9% of NaCl. The inocula of NaCl-habituated and non-habituated S. aureus were inoculated in 5 g portions of pork cutlet, meat and Carbonara sauces at 7 Log CFU/g, and the samples were vortexed vigorously. The inoculated samples were then exposed to 60 and $70^{\circ}C$ in a water-bath, and survivals of total bacteria and S. aureus were enumerated on tryptic soy agar and mannitol salt agar, respectively, every 30 min for 120 min. At 60oC, the cell counts of total bacteria and the significant difference in survivals between sodium-habituated and non-habituated S. aureus were observed only in the Carbonara sauce; the tailing effect, which is the period of no reduction of bacterial cell counts, was observed in pork cutlet, meat and Carbonara sauces subjected to $60^{\circ}C$. At $70^{\circ}C$, total bacterial populations and sodium-habituated and non-habituated S. aureus cell counts in meat and Carbonara sauce also significantly decreased (p<0.05) after 30 min of heat treatment, followed by the obvious tailing effect. Sodium-habituated S. aureus cell counts in meat and Carbonara sauces were higher (p<0.05) than those of non-habituated S. aureus at $70^{\circ}C$. The results indicate that sodium habituation of S. aureus cells may increase the thermal resistance of the pathogen in RTH sauces; moreover, heating RTH sauces for a short time before serving may not sufficiently decrease the cell counts of S. aureus, particularly for sodium-habituated strain.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.124-136
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• 2017

This study was performed to investigate the perception and preferences regarding commercial universal design foods (UDF) made with different ingredients. A one-to-one interview was used for data collection and the survey was conducted on 41 elderly people (over age 65; males: 11, females: 30) attending senior welfare centers in Seoul. Twelve UDF samples were collected, which were widely sold in Japan. Majority of respondents prepared meals (53.7%) and ate alone (43.9%), respectively. The preferred cooking level of elderly food was "ready to eat (RTE)" (43.9%) or "ready to heat (RTH)" (43.9%) rather than fresh cut product. In most, the elderly had no problem with chewing-action (90.2%). Generally, food ingredients such as grain, meat, seafood and fruits showed higher preference than vegetable and nuts. Among 12 UDF samples, pumpkin gratin (4.17) and peach flavored jelly (4.27) showed higher preferences among tested samples on a 5-point facial hedonic scale. There were no significant differences in overall preferences of all samples by difficulty in terms of chewing and swallowing of respondents. Demi-glace sauce hamburger and pot sukiyaki were more preferred as age increased (p<0.05).

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the need to develop foods for the elderly based on their food preferences. A one-to-one survey method was used for data collection, and the survey was conducted on 165 elderly people (male: 47, female: 118) attending senior welfare centers in Seoul. The results of this study show that the preferred cooking method was steaming rather than stir-frying. Vegetables (4.24), fruits (4.22), Kimchi (3.87), fish (3.83), tofu (3.81), rice-cakes (3.65), dairy products/eggs (3.47), meat (3.45), noodles (3.44), seafood (3.44), poultry (3.23), bread/cookies (3.10) showed high preferences in order (p<0.05). The respondent's chewing & swallowing degree were "Not uncomfortable chew" 31.5%, "Hard food, and a big food is a little difficult to intake". 37%, "Hard food, and a big food is difficult to intake" 11.5%, "Small food, and soft foods can intake" 11.5%, and "It is difficult to intake solid food" 1.2%. Foods that were difficult to chew were meat 28.3%, seafood 15.2%, vegetables 15.2%, nuts 14.1%, fruits 12.0%, Kimchi 8.7%, and other 6.5%. For respondents, the most important factors affecting choice of elderly foods were flavor (48.5%), hygiene (43.0%), and nutrition (36.4%). The elderly wanted "Ready to eat (RTE)" 53.9%, "Ready to heat (RTH)" 15.8%, "Ready to cook (RTC)" 21.2%, and 'Fresh cut product" 9.1%.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.81-90
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• 2012

This study is to research the use and the demand of the elderly generation that pursue economic ability and active lifestyle. The composition of the meals were "homemade meals" 65.3%, "homemade & convenience meals" 26.7% overall. For the "never miss a meal" category, 70-74 years old was 48.3%, over 80 years old was 60.0%. The elderly under 70 years old showed a high frequency in the use of alternative meals (p < 0.05) and the elderly with higher education used the alternative meals more frequently (p < 0.01). The rice-cakes, bread, tuna cans, Korean side-dishes, beverages, meat, cup-noodles and seafood as alternative meals are in the order of most frequency. Also, 96.0%, 59.0% and 46.5% of the elderly had experience in using "Ready to eat (RTE)", "Ready to heat (RTH)" and "Ready to cook (RTC)". The oldest group surveyed, the elderly at the age of 80 years old and above showed lower preference for "completely cooked state" but showed highest results in the "half-cooked state". This shows the difference between people's perception and the behavior that showed high frequency of 96.0% in the experience with "RTE". This can be inferred that the elderly needs the development of convenience food that is moderately packaged according to the newer lifestyle where the elderly live independent from their children. Moreover, there is a higher demand in the healthy convenience food, which means that there is a need for development in the quality of the convenience food that will allow more faith in convenience food by the elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.87-103
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the food-related lifestyle choices of female baby boomers and to investigate variables regarding home meal replacement (HMR) buying behaviors and future needs. This study was conducted on 358 female baby boomers 53 years of age living in Gyeonggi and near Seoul. Out of 420 distributed questionnaires, 358 were returned and used for analysis (response rate: 85.2%). As a result of cluster analysis, three groups were identified based on the food-related lifestyles : a value-seeking group, a convenience-seeking group, and a health-seeking group. Among the three groups, there were significant differences in two socio-demographic characteristics, education level (p<0.05) and regular exercise (p<0.01), and in several health- and food-related habits, type of breakfast (p<0.01), type of dinner (p<0.05), dinner details (p<0.05), frequency of eating out (p<0.05), and eating habits score (p<0.01). The health-seeking group was significantly more likely to purchase ready to cook (RTC) items (59.1%) than were the other groups (p<0.001). However, the ratio of HMR purchasing for the purpose of meal replacement (p<0.05) and an HMR purchasing frequency of more than twice a week (p<0.001) were significantly lower in the health-seeking group. Reasons for selecting HMR showed a similar tendency among groups in taste (26.2%), convenience (18.7%), price (16.9%), safety (15.3%) and type of food (14.3%). However, the satisfaction scores for hygiene and safety reported by the health-seeking group were significantly lower than those reported by the other groups. More than two-thirds of all respondents were willing to purchase HMR in the future, though there were significant differences according to group: convenience-seeking group, 73.1%, health-seeking group, 70.1%, and value-seeking group, 65.7% (p<0.05). Our results suggest that the number of baby boomers purchasing HMR products will continue to grow and baby boomers will want HMR products to be more healthy (52.0%), safe (28.5%) and delicious (13.4%). An emphasis on taste was high in the convenience-seeking group, whereas an emphasis on health was high in the health-seeking and value-seeking groups. In conclusion, this study shows various food-related lifestyles amongst female baby boomers and illustrates the need to develop HMR marketing strategies targeted to these different lifestyles.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.480-487
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• 2018

Purpose: The study examined the Chinese and Japanese consumers' preference for Korean home meal replacement (HMR) product package designs using conjoint analysis. Methods: The questionnaire survey was completed by 270 consumers living in Beijing, China and Osaka, Japan, over the age of 20 years old, who had previously purchased or consumed a Korean HMR. Based on the attributes and levels within each attribute related to the Korean HMR product package design, 54 profiles were constructed. Of the 54 profiles, 11 combinations were selected using an orthogonal design, and the participants were asked to rank the 11 combinations in order of preference from top to bottom. Results: The relative importance of the Korean HMR product package design attributes were analyzed. Chinese consumers regarded illustration, ingestion form, concept, and brand name, in that order, to be most important. In the case of Japanese consumers, illustration, concept, ingestion form, and brand name, in that order, were most important. For the illustration attributes, in order of importance, Chinese consumers preferred raw materials, characters, and celebrities, and Japanese consumers preferred characters, raw materials, and celebrities. For the concept attributes, Chinese consumers favored, witty, traditional Korean, and modern concepts, whereas Japanese consumers favored witty, modern, and then traditional Korean concepts. For the ingestion form attributes, both Chinese and Japanese consumers preferred Ready To Eat (RTE), followed by Ready To Heat (RTH), and then Ready To Cook (RTC). For the brand name attributes, both Chinese and Japanese consumers preferred the localized brand name over the Korean brand name. Conclusion: Differences in the relative importance of Korean HMR product package design attributes were observed among Chinese and Japanese consumers, and there were differences in preference according to the levels within each attribute. These results are expected to provide useful basic data to assist in the future development of differentiated HMR package designs and marketing strategies to meet consumer needs in the market for Korean HMR in China and Japan.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.157-163
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• 2022

The demands for Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products are continuously increasing owing to the convenience of instant food and online food delivery. Ready-to-heat (RTH) products have received massive attention in the HMR industry because these products can be easily warmed using a microwave oven. However, the conventional microwave packaging should be opened before microwave heating to prevent bursting or food loss owing to the steam-pressure build-up inside the package. Open packaging might lead to non-uniform food heating and cross-contamination. Therefore, packaging materials that are able to release steam without opening are of interest to the HMR industry. In this study, polylactic acid(PLA)/polyethylene glycol(PEG)/nanoclay composite films were manufactured using an extrusion method as packaging materials with a smart steam-releasing function. The introduction of PEG to the PLA imparted a steam self-releasing feature to the composite films owing to the morphology change of composite films during microwave heating. Further, PEG increased the ductility of PLA, which in turn prevented bursting caused due to the steam-pressure build-up. The uniform dispersion of nanoclay obtained by a twin-screw extrusion led to stronger mechanical properties. Therefore, the smart composite films developed here can be applied as microwave packaging materials with a self-releasing function.