• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.534-543
• /
• 2015

Recently, the Tenebrio molitor larva was recognized as a novel food ingredient by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea. Accordingly, we investigated its physical and sensory characteristics to establish the cooking conditions that may increase the demand of T. molitor larvae as a food. In this study, T. molitor larvae were cooked by various methods such as hot air dry, oven-broil, roast, pan fry, deep fry, boil, steam, and by microwave. In the physical evaluation of texture, the hardness and fracturability values were highest when larvae were cooked in the microwave. The adhesiveness, springiness, and chewiness values were highest when larvae were boiled. Boiled and steamed larvae had the highest lightness (L value), while oven-broiled larvae had the highest redness (a value) and yellowness (b value) values. Sensory evaluations assessed the appearance, aroma, flavor, and texture of cooked T. molitor larvae. Steamed and boiled larvae sizes were significantly large and the form was well preserved similar to fresh larvae. The moisture heat cooked (steamed and boiled) T. molitor larvae had the aroma and flavor of steamed corn, canned pupa, and boiled mushroom. In case of oven-broiled T. molitor larvae, the aroma and flavor of mealworm oil, seafood, sweet and roasted sesame were higher than in those cooked by other methods. In texture among sensory evaluation, the hardness and crispiness were the highest in the hot air dried and oven-broiled larvae, whereas juiciness was significantly higher in the boiled and steamed. Accordingly, we suggest that oven-broiled T. molitor larva will be prefered by consumer, due to its the rich aroma and flavor.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.704-710
• /
• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial activities and sensory properties of a sauce containing tea extract and garlic vineger against raw fish. The sauce was evaluated antibacterial activity against Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus which is considered as one of the major food borne pathogens. As a result, the sauce inhibited the growth of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus distinctly. In addition, the sauce with soy sauce and Kochujang showed the restricted growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in sliced raw flatfish. Sensory evaluations were measured by 7-point hedonic scale using sliced raw flatfish with the sauce mixed with Kochujang and soy sauce. The score of texture in the sauce with Kochujang was significantly higher than that of regular Chokochujang (p<0.05). Moreover, total preference including appearance, texture, aroma and taste were significantly higher in the sauce with soy sauce than those of regular soy sauce (p<0.05). Consequently, the soy sauce with tea extract and garlic vinegar may enhance the satisfaction of consumer and antimicrobial activity that against V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus, resulting in potential reduction the outbreaks of food borne pathogens.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.48-55
• /
• 2013

Objective: The use of nanoparticle products is expected to present a potential harmful effect on consumers. Also, the lack of information regarding inhaled nanoparticles may pose a serious problem. In this study, we addressed this issue by studying pulmonary toxicity after nasal instillation of Al-NPs in SD rats. Methods: The animals were exposed to Al-NPs at 1 mg/kg body weight (low dose), 20 mg/kg body weight (medium dose) and 40 mg/kg body weight (high dose). To determine pulmonary toxicity, bronchoalveolar lavage (ts.AnBAL) fluid analysis and histopathological examination were conducted in rats. In addition, cell viability was investigated at 24 hours after the treatment with Al-NPs. Results: BAL fluid analysis showed that total cells (TC) count and total protein (TP) concentrations increased significantly in all treatment groups, approximately two to three times. Also, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6 dose-dependently increased following nasal instillation of Al-NPs. However, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) levels showed no significant changes in a dose dependant manner in BAL fluid. In the cytotoxicity analysis, the treatment of Al-NPs significantly and dose-dependently induced cell viability loss (20 to 30%) and damage of cell membrane (5 to 10%) in rat normal lung epithelial cells (L2). Conclusions: Our results suggest that inhaled Al-NPs in the lungs may be removed quickly by alveolar macrophages with minimal inflammatory reaction, but Al-NPs have the potential to affect lung permeability. Therefore, extensive toxicity evaluations of Al-NPs are required prior to their practical application as consumer products.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.147-156
• /
• 2012

This study evaluated the effects of presoaking apple slices in 2 or 5% brine solution prior to air-drying at $50^{\circ}C$. Several quality factors of the dried apples were measured including moisture content (MC), water activity ($a_w$), shear force, color values, appearance and consumer likability. Except at time 0, the $a_w$ of presoaked samples was lower than those of control during and after drying. The relationship between MC and water activity during drying was well-fit by an exponential model. During drying, the moisture contents of presoaked samples were slightly higher than control samples with no presoaking. However, the $a_w$ of presoaked slices were lower than control at a given drying time. At a given $a_w$, presoaked slices had higher moisture content. The shear force was lower for samples presoaked in brine solution, particularly at shorter drying times. Presoaked apple slices also were lighter in color after drying than controls. Sensory evaluations suggest that presoaking of apple slices before drying may help enhance palatability. Samples presoaked in 2% brine solution had the highest scores for taste, texture and overallacceptability, while those presoaked in 5% brine solution had the highest scores for appearance.

• Convergence Security Journal
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.75-80
• /
• 2021

This study provided personnel and recruitment information related to job offer and job hunting, and proposed a non-face-to-face platform that can facilitate matching of one-time services as well as periodic services. The existing recruitment and job search method for personal assistant of the disabled is a one-way matching method in which a person in charge of the service providing centers assigns an activity assistant belonging to the institution when a consumer requests an personal assistant service, so the choice of job seekers is very weak. The job matching platform of the activity assistant for the disabled can be logged in separately by dividing users and separating them into the interface of the disabled or the disabled family members (job seekers) and activity assistants for the disabled (job seekers). Search for job offer and job seekers that meet their respective conditions, and real-time bidirectional decision-making through the chat function, and when the activity assistance service is completed, recruiters and job seekers can write service reviews and evaluations from their own point of view. The real-time interactive decision-making matching platform will also help minimize blind spots where it is difficult to provide services when short-term or one-time assistance is needed.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.31-43
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Service quality is a topic of constant interest in marketing research and practitioners. Service quality is an important factor influencing performance even in the context of coffee shops, and research on service quality management strategies continues by coffee shop researchers and practitioners. The service quality of coffee shops is a source of competitive advantage and is an important factor in enhancing customer and business performance. This study aims to identify the effects of cognitive evaluation on emotional and behavioral responses using a cognitive-emotional-behavioral framework and SOR model in the coffee shop context. Cognitive evaluation (service quality) consists of tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, reliability, and empathy dimensions. Research design, data, and methodology: In the proposed model, positive and negative emotions and satisfaction mediate the relationship between service quality and money to spend and visit frequency. The data were collected from customers who visited a coffee shop within the last 1 month. The survey was conducted for about one month. Among a total of 300 distributed questionnaires 261 responses were used for data analysis. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, measurement model analysis, and structural equation modeling analysis with SPSS 28.0 and SmartPLS 4.0. Results: Tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy had significant positive effects on positive emotion, while only reliability had a significant negative effect on negative emotion. Both positive and negative emotions had significant positive effects on customer satisfaction, but not on money to spend and visit frequency. Lastly, customer satisfaction had significant positive effects on money to spend and visit frequency. Conclusions: The study revealed the relative weight of cognitive factors on customer emotions and confirmed the validity of SOR model. The fact that tangibility is the most important factor in increasing positive emotions and reliability is the most important factor in reducing negative emotions provides a direction for emotional branding strategies using the service quality mix of coffee shops. This study confirmed the full mediating role of satisfaction between positive and negative emotions and consumer behaviors (money to spend and visit frequency). This infers that when a coffee shop increases customer satisfaction through customer emotion management, the customer's money to spend and visit frequency in the coffee shop increases.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2024

As the service robot market grows among the food technology industry, the quality of robot service that affects consumer behavioral intentions in the restaurant industry has become important. Serving robots, which are common in restaurants, reduce employee work through order and delivery, but because they do not respond to service failures, they increase customer dissatisfaction as well as increase employee work. In order to improve the quality of service beyond the simple function of receiving and serving orders, functions of recovery effort, fairness, empathy, responsiveness, and certainty of the process after service failure, such as serving employees, are also required. Accordingly, we assumed the type of failure of restaurant serving service as two internal and external factors, and developed a serving robot with a vocational ethics module to respond with a professional ethical attitude when the restaurant serving service fails. At this time, the expression and action of the serving robot were developed by adding a failure mode reflecting failure recovery efforts and empathy to the normal service mode. And by recruiting college students, we tested whether the service robot's response to two types of service failures had a significant effect on evaluating the robot. Participants responded that they were more uncomfortable with service failures caused by other customers' mistakes than robot mistakes, and that the serving robot's professional ethical empathy and response were appropriate. In addition, unlike the robot's favorability, the evaluation of the safety of the robot had a significant difference depending on whether or not a professional ethical empathy module was installed. A professional ethical empathy response module for natural service failure recovery using generative artificial intelligence should be developed and mounted, and the domestic serving robot industry and market are expected to grow more rapidly if the Korean serving robot certification system is introduced.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.525-532
• /
• 2024

This study explores the impact of physical characteristics (e.g., shape, color, material, size, weight, technical features) of smart wristbands and smartwatches on consumers' perceived functional, aesthetic, and symbolic values using an extended technology acceptance model. An online survey was conducted with adult residents of the United States who had experience using smart wristbands or smartwatches. Participants were asked about various physical characteristics of products they had used in the past year or were currently using, and their evaluations of these characteristics. The results revealed that the shape of the front display shape significantly influenced symbolic value, with circle shape and square shpae showing significantly higher symbolic value than rectangle shape. Wristband materials also had a significant impact on symbolic value, with metal and leather showing higher symbolic value among various materials. Additionally, an increase in product size was associated with higher symbolic value. Moreover, certain technical features such as activity tracker, alarm clock, and distance tracking influenced perceived functional value, while functions like time display, GPS, and email influenced perceived aesthetic value. Pedometer, GPS, and email were found to enhance perceived symbolic value. These findings provide valuable insights into consumer preferences for smart wristbands and smartwatches, serving as valuable information for product improvement and new product development.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.521-530
• /
• 2009

Perilla leaves powder was added to cookies to determine a practical use for the herb, which has been shown to have medical benefits and functionality. We examined the antioxidant activity and quality characteristics of cookies prepared with different amounts (as ratios of 0.5%, 1%, 3%, 5% to the total materials) of perilla leaves powder. The antioxidant activity was estimated by DPPH free radical scavenging activity and the total phenolic compound content in perilla leaves powder and cookies. The quality characteristics of the perilla leaves cookie were estimated in terms of the bulk density, pH of the dough, spread factor, loss rate, leavening rate, color, texture profile analysis, and sensory evaluations. While the bulk density and pH of the dough as well as total polyphenol contents and DPPH free radical scavenging activity of cookies significantly increased, the spread factor, loss rate, leavening rate and L value of the cookies decreased with increasing perilla leaves powder content(p<.05). The consumer acceptability scores for the $1{\sim}3%$ perilla leaves cookie groups ranked significantly(p<.05) higher than those of the other groups in appearance, taste, flavor, texture, and overall preference. This study suggests that perilla leaves powder is a good ingredient to increase the consumer acceptability and the functionality of cookies.

• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.29-62
• /
• 2012

As distribution environment is changing rapidly and competition is more intensive in the channel of distribution, the importance of retailer image and retailer equity is increasing as a different competitive advantages. Also, consumers are not functionally oriented and that their behavior is significantly affected by the symbols such as retailer image which identify retailer in the market place. That is, consumers do not choose products or retailers for their material utilities but consume the symbolic meaning of those products or retailers as expressed in their self images. The concept of self-image congruence has been utilized by marketers and researchers as an aid in better understanding how consumers identify themselves with the brands they buy and the retailer they patronize. Although self-image congruity theory has been tested across many product categories, the theory has not been tested extensively in the retailing. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the impact of self image congruence between retailer image and self image of consumer on retailer equity such as retailer awareness, retailer association, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty. The purpose of this study is to find out whether retailer-self image congruence can be a new antecedent of retailer equity. In addition, this study tries to examine how four-dimensional retailer equity constructs (retailer awareness, retailer association, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty) affect customers' repatronage intention. For this study, data were gathered by survey and analyzed by structural equation modeling. The sample size in the present study was 254. The reliability of the all seven dimensions was estimated with Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability values and average variance extracted values. We determined whether the measurement model supports the convergent validity and discriminant validity by Exploratory factor analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. For each pair of constructs, the square root of the average variance extracted values exceeded their correlations, thus supporting the discriminant validity of the constructs. Hypotheses were tested using the AMOS 18.0. As expected, the image congruence hypotheses were supported. The greater the degree of congruence between retailer image and self-image, the more favorable were consumers' retailer evaluations. The all two retailer-self image congruence (actual self-image congruence and ideal self-image congruence) affected customer based retailer equity. This result means that retailer-self image congruence is important cue for customers to estimate retailer equity. In other words, consumers are often more likely to prefer products and retail stores that have images similar to their own self-image. Especially, it appeared that effect for the ideal self-image congruence was consistently larger than the actual self-image congruence on the retailer equity. The results mean that consumers prefer or search for stores that have images compatible with consumer's perception of ideal-self. In addition, this study revealed that customers' estimations toward customer based retailer equity affected the repatronage intention. The results showed that all four dimensions (retailer awareness, retailer association, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty) had positive effect on the repatronage intention. That is, management and investment to improve image congruence between retailer and consumers' self make customers' positive evaluation of retailer equity, and then the positive customer based retailer equity can enhance the repatonage intention. And to conclude, retailer's image management is an important part of successful retailer performance management, and the retailer-self image congruence is an important antecedent of retailer equity. Therefore, it is more important to develop and improve retailer's image similar to consumers' image. Given the pressure to provide increased image congruence, it is not surprising that retailers have made significant investments in enhancing the fit between retailer image and self image of consumer. The enhancing such self-image congruence may allow marketers to target customers who may be influenced by image appeals in advertising.