• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2017

This study systemically analyzed the data on the microbial levels in fresh vegetables in Korea to identify the points to control. We scanned the studies published between 2001 and 2015 in peer-reviewed research papers on the microbial levels in fresh vegetables produced in Korea. Plant products were categorized by using the US IFSAC (Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration) category. The most consumed, the non-heat treated, the epidemiological foodborne diseases sources of fresh vegetable in foodservice (KCDC data) were identified by literature review. Articles were screened using National Digital Science Library (NDSL) search engine regarding to microbial hazards in plant products. Based on the total plate count number and coliforms on the 89 data cases from 26 published articles, the total plate count number was high in the order of sprouts, leaf and stem, bulbs and roots, vine-grown, solanaceous, melons, and pome. Escherichia coli was frequently detected in leaf and stem and sprouts products. Focused on the microbial data of leek, lettuce and cabbage, the levels of total plate count, coliforms and Bacillus cereus showed the levels of 4.15~7.69 log CFU/g, 1~6.99 log CFU/g, and 0.51~3.9 log CFU/g, respectively, by 33 published papers. The levels of environmental factors affecting the microbial safety of lettuce and leek before harvest were investigated. Manure, soil, hands, scale, gloves were the major potential microbial contamination points to control. In addition, GAP (good agricultural practice), microbial testing, and improvement of irrigation methods are required to provide the safer fresh produce.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.515-540
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• 2016

This study investigated the characteristics of main house food cultures in Gyeonggi-do using a case study on the head family. The subject of this study was selected through an advisory committee of experts; it incorporated intangible and tangible elements of the main family based on relevant data. Selected representative main house of Gyeonggi-do had 12 parts in total. The entire investigation was conducted in five parts; literature search, telephone survey, in-depth interviews, inheritance food research of the head family, and cuisine demonstrations. Twelve families within the researched family clan had members of high merit or scholarly reputation qualified enough to serve bulcheonwi, a form of important religious worship. Food in Gyeonggi-do, specifically, can be served for Bongjesa jeopbingaek, which is a combination of performance of ancestral rites and greeting guests. Meat ingredients were frequently used. Articles of clothing were colorful and vivid, with wootgi that needed lots of work. Soup and steamed dishes tended to favor simple but fresh tastes that come with their cultural and historical context.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.96-104
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• 2013

Objectives: The inherent nature of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) design requires special analysis by incorporating sample weights, stratification, and clustering not used in ordinary statistical procedures. Methods: This study investigated the proportion of research papers that have used an appropriate statistical methodology out of the research papers analyzing the KNHANES cited in the PubMed online system from 2007 to 2012. We also compared differences in mean and regression estimates between the ordinary statistical data analyses without sampling weight and design-based data analyses using the KNHANES 2008 to 2010. Results: Of the 247 research articles cited in PubMed, only 19.8% of all articles used survey design analysis, compared with 80.2% of articles that used ordinary statistical analysis, treating KNHANES data as if it were collected using a simple random sampling method. Means and standard errors differed between the ordinary statistical data analyses and design-based analyses, and the standard errors in the design-based analyses tended to be larger than those in the ordinary statistical data analyses. Conclusions: Ignoring complex survey design can result in biased estimates and overstated significance levels. Sample weights, stratification, and clustering of the design must be incorporated into analyses to ensure the development of appropriate estimates and standard errors of these estimates.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2022

Research articles were reviewed to validate the estimated energy requirements (EERs) equations developed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM). These equations are based on total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. We subsequently aimed to provide the basis for the suitability to apply the IOM equations as EER equations for Koreans, and develop relevant equations for EER in the Dietary Reference Intake for Koreans (KDRI). Additionally, besides the EER(IOM) equations, other equations were examined for EER estimation. Research papers demonstrating the validation of the EER(IOM) equations based on TEE(DLW) were searched through PubMed (up to September 2019). Of the 637 potentially relevant articles identified, duplicates and unsuitable titles and abstracts were excluded. Furthermore, papers with irrelevant subject and inappropriate study design were also excluded. Finally, 11 papers were included in the review. Among the reviewed papers, 8 papers validated the application of the EER(IOM) equations for EER based on TEE(DLW). These included 3 studies for children (USA 1, Korea 2), 1 for adolescents (Portugal), 2 for adults (Korean), and 2 for the elderly (Korea, USA). EER(IOM) equations were found to be generally acceptable for determining EER by using the DLW method, except for Korean boys at 9-11 yrs (overestimated) and female athletes at 19-24 yrs (underestimated). Additionally, 5 papers include the validation of other EER equations, beside EER(IOM) for EER based on TEE(DLW). In Japanese dietary reference intake and recommended dietary allowance, EER equations are acceptable for determining EER based on TEE(DLW). The EER(IOM) equations is generally acceptable for determining EER using the DLW method in Koreans as well as several populations, although certain defined groups were found to be unfit for the estimation. Additionally, the concept of healthy body mass index of Koreans and physical activity levels need to be considered, thereby providing the basis for developing relevant equations of EER in KDRI.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.192-205
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• 2023

Objectives: Previous studies have evaluated the association between mercury exposure and obesity but have yielded mixed conclusions. The aim of this study was to systematically review and summarize scientific evidence regarding the association between mercury exposure and obesity in the human population. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct for articles related to mercury exposure and obesity. Meta-analyses of the highest and lowest categories of mercury levels were evaluated using a random effects model. Begg's test was used to detect publication bias. Results: A total of 9 articles were included. The pooled random effects odds ratio (OR) for mercury exposure and obesity of all 9 studies was 1.66 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.38). This positive association was evident in adults (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.02-2.54) and among studies with Asian populations (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.53-2.59), but not among those with North America/African populations (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.50-1.65). Conclusions: The present meta-analysis identified a positive association between mercury exposure and obesity. These findings suggest that toxic environmental metals such as mercury may be an important risk factor for obesity along with dietary habits and lifestyles.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.108-114
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sustainable practices in foodservice organizations including commercial and noncommercial ones are critical to ensure the protection of the environment for the future. With the rapid growth of the foodservice industry, wiser usage of input sources such as food, utilities, and single use packaging should be reconsidered for future generations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the customer's perceptions on sustainable practices and to identify the relationship among sustainable practices, social contribution and purchase intention. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study was conducted using content analyses by reviewing articles on sustainable food service practices published domestically and abroad. Thereafter, data were collected with a face-to-face survey using a questionnaire and analyzed with factor analyses and multiple regressions. RESULTS: Sustainable practices classified with factor analysis consisted of 6 dimensions of green food material procurement, sustainable food preparation, green packaging, preservation of energy, waste management, and public relations on green activity, with a total of 25 green activities in foodservice operations. Consumers were not very familiar with the green activities implemented in the foodservice unit, with the lowest awareness of "green food material procurement (2.46 out of 5 points)", and the highest awareness of "green packaging (3.74)" and "waste management (3.28). The factors influencing the perception of social contribution by foodservice organizations among 6 sustainable practice dimensions were found to be public relations on green activity (${\beta}=0.154$), waste management (${\beta}=0.204$) and sustainable food preparation (${\beta}=0.183$). Green packaging (${\beta}=0.107$) and the social contribution of the foodservice organization (${\beta}=0.761$) had strong relationships with the image of the organization. The purchase intentions of customers was affected only by the foodservice image (${\beta}=0.775$). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that sustainable practices by foodservice organization present a good image to customers and increase the awareness of valuable contributions that benefit the customer as well as the community.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.280-294
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• 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of propolis extract as a natural preservative for livestock products in term of chemical and microbiological characteristics by meta-analysis. The stages carried out in this study were identification, selection, checking suitability, and the resulting selected articles were used in the meta-analysis. The selection results obtained a total of 22 selected journal articles consisting of 9 articles for analysis of the antimicrobial activity of propolis extract and 13 articles for analysis of the chemical and mirobiological characteristics of livestock products. The articles were obtained from electronic databases, namely Science Direct and Google Scholar. The model used in this study is the random-effect model involving two groups, control and experimental. Heterogeneity and effect size values were carried out in this study using Hedge's obtained through openMEE software. Forest plot tests and data validation on publication bias was obtained using Kendall's test throught JASP 0.14.1 software. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between propolis extract with the results of the antimicrobial activity (p<0.05). In addition, the results of the application of propolis extract on the livestock products for the test microbes and the value of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) showed significant results (p<0.05). Conclusion based on the random-effect model on the effectiveness of antimicrobial activity of propolis extract and their apllication as a natural preservative of the chemical and microbiological characteristics of livestock products is valid by Kendall's test (p>0.05). Propolis in this case effectively used as natural preservatives in livestock products.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.15-32
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends and co-author networks of academic articles published in the Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association from 2010 to 2022. The network analysis was conducted using Excel and NetMiner 4.4, and the results were as follows. First, the number of published articles has been maintained at around 40 per year since 2019. By field, most articles were published in the field of child studies and family studies, followed by consumer studies, home management, clothing studies, home economics education, food and nutrition, and housing. The research methods were primarily quantitative (71.61%). Second, the most common keywords in the titles of the published articles were "influence" and "relationship", with "influence", "consumer", "mediating effect", "parent", and "control" identified as influential keywords. Third, the published articles were categorized into nine topics based on subject matter, while the number of topic types varied by year. Fourth, the total number of authors of the 627 articles was 712, with 1.92 authors per article, as well as the number of authors who published two or fewer articles accounted for 85.5% of the total. By institution, Yonsei University had the highest number of authors and the highest number of published articles, while Korea National Open University played a leading role in the network of co-authors by institution. This study is significant in providing basic data for the future development of the Korean Home Economics Association and the field of home economics.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.57-69
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D is produced in the skin during sun exposure and is also ingested from foods. The role of vitamin D needs to be considered in the prevention and management of various diseases. Moreover, since the majority of Koreans spend their days indoors, becoming susceptible to the risk of vitamin D deficiency. The current study aims to prepare a basis for determining dietary reference intake of vitamin D in Korea, by reviewing the evidence against various diseases and risks. MATERIALS/METHODS: Literature published in Korea and other countries between 2014 and 2018 was prioritized based on their study design and other criteria, and evaluated using the RoB 2.0 assessment form and United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Evidence Library Conclusion Statement Evaluation Criteria. RESULTS: Of the 1,709 studies, 128 studies were included in the final systematic analysis after screening. To set the dietary reference intakes of vitamin D based on the selected articles, blood 25(OH)D levels and indicators of bone health were used collectively. Blood vitamin D levels and ultraviolet (UV) exposure time derived from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed to establish the dietary reference intakes of vitamin D for each stage of the life cycle. The adequate intake levels of vitamin D, according to age and gender, were determined to be in the range of 5-15 ㎍/day, and the tolerable upper intake level was established at 25-100 ㎍/day. CONCLUSIONS: The most important variable for vitamin D nutrition is lifestyle. A balanced diet comprising foods with high contents of vitamin D is important, as is vitamin D synthesis after UV exposure. The adequate intake level of vitamin D mentioned in the 2015 Dietary Reference Intakes for Korean (KDRI) remained unchanged in the 2020 KDRI for the management of vitamin D nutrition in Koreans.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

Purpose: Nutrition has a direct and substantial effect on the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recognizing the importance of adequate diet in strengthening school children's health, the relevant parties should take the initiative to introduce effective nutrition intervention programs. Malnutrition, in all conditions, hinders children's potential to survive and thrive. It has been challenging to demonstrate that enhancing nutrition and sustainability instruction in schools leads to healthier and more sustainable eating patterns. This scoping review is to discover the important drivers and emerging themes in nutritional health intervention distributions at schools toward the attainment of SDGs for school children's health. Data and methodology: A scoping review of the literature was conducted between 2007 and 2022 using the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. A total of 25 journal articles were identified for a full review. Results: Five themes were found from the literature relevant to the scenario surrounding pupils and food intake in schools. The data implied that nutrition intervention distributions, including food literacy, food consumption, good governance, and food entrepreneurship, might have a prominent impact on the behavioral and health outcomes of school children. Conclusions: Findings have emerged on the usefulness of nutrition intervention distributions at school in encouraging healthy diet intake among school children and consequently meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.