Home Meal Replacement Products Research Articles

Heat penetration and quality attributes of superheated steam sterilization (SHS) home meal replacement (HMR) meat products stew

Retort sterilization (RTS) is essential for the production of shelf-stable home meal replacement (HMR)-type Korean foods. However, the thermal abuse caused by excessive retort processing can result in quality degradation. Short processing times can minimize quality degradation and nutritional loss during sterilization. The potential of superheated steam sterilization (SHS) for producing shelf-stable HMR was investigated. The effect of SHS at 140 °C on HMR meat products stew was compared with that of RTS. SHS allowed a rapid temperature increase in the sausages and spam. In the sterilization equivalence of sausage, SHS at 140 °C and 1 s showed the F0 value of 34.7 ± 5.9 which could sufficiently satisfy the microbial safety standard of F0 values at 7–10 min. Thermal doses of SHS treated sausage was 97 ± 9 k°C·s which has lesser values (119 ± 9 k°C·s) than that of RTS. The sausage hardness after SHS was 107.7 ± 13.3 N, which has lower thermal degradation than the 78.9 ± 7.1 N observed after RTS. This study demonstrates the potential of SHS treatment for maintaining the quality of sterilized HMR products.

An Empirical Investigation of Personalized Recommendation and Reward Effect on Customer Behavior: A Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) Model Perspective

With the continuous growth in the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) market, the significance of recommender systems has been raised for effectively recommending customized HMR products to each customer. The extant literature has mainly focused on enhancing the performance of recommender systems based on offline evaluations of customers’ past purchase records. However, since the existing offline evaluation methods evaluate the consistency of products on the recommendation list with ones purchased by customers from the test dataset, they are incapable of encompassing components such as serendipity and novelty that are also crucial in recommendation. Moreover, the existing offline evaluation methods cannot measure rewards such as discount coupons that may play a vital role in strengthening customers’ desire for purchase and thereby stimulating their purchase with a provision of a recommendation list. In this study, we used an SOR model to verify the effect of personalized recommendation stimulus on a customer’s response in an actual online environment. The results indicate that the customers’ response rate was higher with a provision of personalized recommendations than that of bestseller recommendations, and higher when being offered with cash discounts than earning redeemable points. Meanwhile, the response rate to the recommendation with higher volumes of rewards was not as high as expected, while the point pressure mechanism did not work either.

HMR의 구매행태와 구매 채널을 고려한 중국 소비자의 유형화

This work sets out to investigate purchase behavior of Chinese customers with respect to HMR(Home meal replacement) products and categorize them. In this study the main stress falls on multichannel selection according to their purchase behavior and demographic characteristics. And it mainly focuses on the question of what kind of factors influence on purchasing the HMR and how to classify the customer groups based on the consideration attributes. We surveyed 170 Chinese customers who had used HMR products for the past twelve months, ranging from 20 to 69 years old. In order to characterize the customers, 22 factors were selected by earlier studies and brainstorming. The result was organized by factor score from K-mean clustering method, Chinese consumers were clustered into four groups. They are listed here as follows; (1)group focusing on major supermarkets, (2)group focusing on online stores, (3)group focusing on many different types of offline stores, and (4)group for cross-channel shopper. Customers who had purchased HMR products and obtained the related information mainly from major supermarkets were classified as Group 1. Customers who had evaluated various factors for buying the products and mainly used online stores were classified as Group 2. And customers of Group 3 were purchased the products by many types of offline stores, contrary to the Group 1. Lastly, in Group 4, customers had trend of purchasing based on cross-channel shopping for various purposes. They were especially sensitive to price changes to select a purchase channel.

다양한 쌀 기반 가정간편식 제품들의 전자레인지 조리 전후의 품질 특성 평가

The physicochemical characteristics of five types of rice-based home meal replacement (HMR) products (instant rice, doshirak, kimbab, frozen fried rice, and freeze-dried rice) were measured before and after microwave cooking, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. HMR products contained grains from 8.42 to 8.72 mm before and after the microwave cooking. The amylose content and water absorption index (WAI) ranged from 20.10-23.15% and 0.50-2.87%, respectively. Frozen fried rice showed high amylose content but low WAI, and dry rice showed low amylose content but high WAI. There was a change in the moisture content of freeze-dried rice: moisture increased from 1.3 to 60.3% after cooking. The rehydration rate of freeze-dried rice was about twice higher than that of other HMR products, while instant rice showed a low rehydration rate. The texture profile's hardness and cohesiveness respectively were 306.1 g/cm2 and 47.9% before cooking, but 209.6 g/cm2 and 66.0% after cooking. The lightness value decreased from 72.5 to 68.9 after the microwave cooking, while there was little change in the lightness value of instant rice, and that of the frozen fried rice decreased. PCA revealed that, microwave cooking apparently affected WAI and rehydration rate in the freeze-dried rice yellowness in the frozen fried rice, and stickiness and lightness in the instant rice, respectively.

채식 가정간편식 선택속성, 만족도 및 재구매의도 간의 영향관계에 관한 연구

Although the growing interest in vegetarian home meal replacement (HMR), there is little research regarding the relationship among selection attributes of vegetarian HMR, customer satisfaction, and repurchase intention. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of vegetarian HMR attributes on customer satisfaction and repurchase intention. In terms of data, a survey was conducted for vegetarians who have recently used vegetarian HMR products. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed and collected, which was deemed to provide an effective sample for our study. In order to examine the hypotheses, we employed frequency analysis, factor analysis, and regression analysis by using SPSS 22.0. Based on the results, we found that vegetarian HMR selection attributes significantly affected customer satisfaction, which in turn significantly affected repurchase intention. Those significant findings can greatly contribute to the development, promotion, and marketing of vegetarian HMR products in the future.

가정간편식 고령친화성 평가 프레임워크 개발 및 적용

Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products have received increasing attention in the food industry of Korea due to their convenience and cost-effectiveness to support nutrition for an aging population. However, a decision-making framework that can identify an elderly-friendly HMR has not been sufficiently discussed in the literature. As a response, this study proposes an evaluation framework that can properly measure the elderly-friendliness of HMR products. First, elderly food attributes were examined to define main evaluation criteria and sub-criteria for elderly-friendly HMRs. Then, a scoring scheme based on a Likert scale was defined for the evaluation score of each criterion. Finally, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was employed to derive the total elder-friendliness score of each HMR alternative. The proposed framework was applied to evaluate the elderly-friendliness of commercial HMR products in Korea.

Risk Assessment and Determination of Heavy Metals in Home Meal Replacement Products by Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Direct Mercury Analyzer.

This study quantified six heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As, Sn, Hg, and Me-Hg) in home meal replacement products. Satisfactory linearity (R2 > 0.99), recovery (80.65–118.02%), limits of detection (0.02–2.81 μg/kg), limits of quantification (0.05–8.51 μg/kg), accuracy (80.49–119.87%), precision (0.26–14.93%), standard uncertainty (0.082–0.321%) and relative standard uncertainty (0.084–0.320%) of the six heavy metals were obtained. The average concentration of the six heavy metals was 8.87 μg/kg. Heavy metal concentrations were converted to food intake data of 0.009 μg/kg to recalculate the 95th percentile food intake data (g/day) of individual heavy metals. These were then divided by age group to evaluate the average exposure to heavy metals and determine the 95th percentile of exposure from daily intake and for the whole population, of home meal replacement products. The chronic daily intake amount of six heavy metals was 1.60 × 10−2 μg/kg/day. Based on total chronic daily intake values, the risk and margin of exposure of each of the heavy metals was 9.13 × 107, demonstrating that intake associated with home meal replacement products is negligible.

Packaging technology for home meal replacement: Innovations and future prospective

The global demand for home meal replacement (HMR) products has been increasing because of changing consumer behavior toward convenience foods. Although the quality of food products is the most important factor in the decision to purchase, packaging also has a decisive influence on customer choice. Therefore, the importance of packaging technology in the HMR industry has increased significantly. Depending on the packed food requirements, appropriate packaging technology can provide significant benefits to both producers and consumers. Active packaging technology, such as modified atmosphere and antimicrobial packaging, has received considerable attention because of its potential to prolong the product shelf-life, while intelligent packaging technology such as colorimetric indicators and radio-frequency identification labels can monitor the real-time condition of the packed food and communicate with consumers. Packaging technology keeps evolving in response to the growing challenges from industry and society. This review aims to provide information about innovative and commercialized packaging technologies applied to HMR products. Recognized packaging technologies have been discussed, including easy-peel adhesive, microwave susceptor, and intelligent packaging. In addition, the influence of external factors, such as modern consumer behavior, recent global issues such as circular economy and pandemics, and emerging technology on packaging trends, are evaluated and discussed for future development. • Shifts in consumer preferences for convenience foods have increased global demand for HMR products. •Packaging is critical for quality control of HMR products. •Consumers benefit from advanced materials and functional packaging. •Intelligent packaging is becoming more prevalent in chilled and frozen foods. •Greener and safer food packaging is being considered due to global issues.

Home Meal Replacement (Convenience Food) Consumption Behavior of Single-Member Households in Vietnam by Food Consumption Value

The home meal replacement (HMR) market in Vietnam is expected to grow due to economic growth and the associated reduction in household size resulting from this. This study sets the development direction of HMR products and establishes product marketing strategies in the Vietnamese market through market segmentation of single-member households. Our survey targeted single-member households with regular HMR experience. Food-consumption value is used to identify market segmentation and differences in purchase behavior, such as preferences for a specific HMR type, the importance and performance of HMR selection attributes, and the demand for product development. The single-member households in Vietnam are segmented by purchasing simplicity and convenience, considering multiple options, and purchasing family safety. The family-oriented culture of Vietnam influences the evaluation of family safety, while the situational value reflects climate features. Meanwhile, taste, expiration date, sanitation, and nutrients are found to be key attributes. This study targets the impact of these effects on single-member households, given that household size is rapidly decreasing in Vietnam and there is a lack of research on the Vietnamese HMR market. Additionally, it highlights the influence of Vietnam’s culture and climate characteristics by utilizing segmented markets, which can also be utilized to develop market-tailored HMR products and to derive appropriate marketing strategies.

Development of a Convenient Home Meal Replacement Product Containing Roasted Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) with Honey Butter Sauce

Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) has high nutritional value and market demand. However, it is generally sold as a raw product, which suffers from lengthy preparation, low commercial value, and a short shelf life. To address these problems, we processed abalone as a home meal replacement (HMR) product using superheated steam and quick freezing technology. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the roasting process. A test HMR product was produced by mixing roasted abalone with honey butter sauce at a ratio of 70:30 (w/w), then evaluated for its physicochemical, biological, and nutritional characteristics and shelf life. Roasting abalone at 220 °C for 2 min resulted in high scores for hardness and overall acceptance. The roasting process successfully maintained the chemical characteristics of abalone, including pH, volatile basic nitrogen, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. The sensory characteristics of the test HMR product were maintained using quick freezing methods. Moreover, nutritional analysis revealed that the test HMR product contained macro- and micronutrients, amino acids, and fatty acids, which could contribute to meeting daily nutritional needs. The estimated shelf life of the product was 30 months. Therefore, this study successfully developed a high-quality HMR product containing abalone.

Effect of Steam and Smoke Cooking Processes on Web-Foot Octopus (Amphioctopus sp.) Home Meal Replacement Product.

In Korea, the web-foot octopus (Amphioctopus sp.) is commonly consumed as jjukkumi bokkeum, a spicy stir-fried octopus dish. Using steaming and smoking methods, we made jjukkumi bokkeum home meal replacement (HMR) products. The response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the steam and smoke processes. Quick freezing was applied to freeze the test product at −35 °C. Then, the physicochemical, biological, nutritional characteristics, and shelf-life of the test HMR products were evaluated. The optimal conditions for steaming and smoking were 95 °C for 2 min and 70 °C for 11 min, respectively. The pH, volatile basic nitrogen content, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances content decreased after steaming and smoking, indicating that these processes maintained these parameters well. Sensory evaluation revealed that there were no changes in these characteristics after freezing and reheating. Further, the test HMR products contained the daily nutritional requirements of macro and micronutrients, as well as amino acids and fatty acids. The shelf-life of the HMR products was estimated to be 15 months. The findings of this study indicate that the application of steam and smoke processes to produce a jjukkumi bokkeum HMR product results in a high-quality product with a long shelf-life.

The Influence of Home Meal Replacement(HMR) Product Selection Attribute in the COVID-19 Era upon Customer Satisfaction and Word-of-Mouth Intention

본 연구는 가정간편식(HMR) 제품을 이용하고 있거나, 이용해본 경험자를 대상으로 코로나-19시대 가정간편식 제품선택속성이 고객만족과 구전의도에 어떠한 영향을 미치는 지를 규명하는데 있다. 2021년 3월 02일부터 04월 01일까지 설문조사를 실시하였고, 통계분석은 SPSS WIN 23.0 통계패키지 프로그램을 활용하여, 빈도분석, 탐색적요인분석, 상관관계분석, 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 분석 결과 코로나-19시대 가정간편식 제품선택속성 요인 중 가격성, 편의성, 이벤트성, 건강성, 메뉴성 요인이 가정간편식 제품 편리성 만족에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 가정간편식 제품 제품성 만족 요인에서는 편의성과 건강성 요인이 영향을 미치고, 구전의도 요인에서는 이벤트성 요인만 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.The purpose of this study is to closely examine which influence the home meal replacement(HMR) product selection attribute in the COVID-19 era has upon the customer satisfaction and the word-of-mouth intention targeting the subjects who are using home meal replacement product or have ever used it. A questionnaire survey was conducted from March 2, 2021 to April 1. The statistical analysis was used SPSS WIN 23.0 statistical package program and was carried out frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. As a result of the analysis, the factors of price type, convenience, event type, health, and menu quality among home meal replacement product selection attribute factors in the COVID-19 era appeared to have an impact on the satisfaction with the convenience of home meal replacement product. In the factors of the home meal replacement product satisfaction, the factors of convenience and health were indicated to have an effect. In the factors of word-of-mouth intention, only the event-type factor was shown to have influence.

Evaluation of analytical method for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons content in home meal replacement products by GC/MS.

This study analyzed four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from frequently consumed home meal replacement (HMR) products in Korea and evaluated their chemical analysis methods. The PAHs investigated were benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene. Chrysene-d12 and benzo[a]pyrene-d12 served as internal standards. The sample was dissolved in dichloromethane before extraction. Liquid-liquid extraction, microwave extraction, alkali digestion and GC-MS were used for analysis. Method validation was conducted on four matrices: fatty solid, fatty liquid, non-fatty liquid, non-fatty solid. Linear correlation coefficients (R2) were all above 0.99 and accuracy ranged from 80.03 to 119.65%. The LOD and LOQ were in the range of 0.03-0.15 and 0.09-0.44μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries varied from 81.09 to 116.42% and precision ranged from 0.07 to 10.73% in both intraday and interday analysis. All concentrations of total PAHs from HMR products were detected at relatively low concentration. This study could provide the PAHs content from HMR products in Korea.

Development of a Home Meal Replacement Product Containing Braised Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) with Radish (Raphanus sativus).

The coronavirus disease pandemic has contributed to increasing convenience in food preferences. Home meal replacement (HMR) products are ready-to-eat, -cook, or -heat foods, providing convenience for consumers. We developed a HMR product containing mackerel as a protein- and lipid-rich source using various food-processing technologies to maintain its nutritional content and prolong shelf life. The HMR product contained mackerel, radish, and sauce in a ratio of 5:1:4. Raw frozen mackerels were thawed by using a high-frequency defroster before being braised using a superheated steam roaster. Response surface methodology was employed to obtain the optimal heating conditions of 181 °C for 9 min. The final test HMR product was packed in a polypropylene plastic bowl prior to freezing at −35 °C for 1 h using a quick freezing system. The HMR product developed using these technologies exhibited stable microbiological and chemical properties for 90 days of storage. Sensory scores gradually decreased with increasing storage temperature and time. Protein content in the HMR product was 13%, 40% of which comprised essential amino acids; lipid content was 13.4%, 18% of which was composed of docosahexaenoic acid. The HMR product can preserve its quality and is considered safe for consumption for up to 40 months of storage at −18 °C.

외식프랜차이즈 기업의 브랜드 인지도와 브랜드 이미지가 HMR 제품 구매 의도에 미치는 영향

This study aims to examine the impact of brand awareness and image of food service franchise companies on the intention to purchase home meal replacement (HMR) products. Hence, consumers were surveyed using HMR products purchased from domestic food service franchise companies. The statistical program SPSS 25.0 for Windows was used to conduct empirical analysis of the 306 consumer responses. The key findings were as follows. First, brand awareness of food service franchise companies affected their brand image. Second, brand awareness affected the intention to purchase HMR products as well. Third, brand image of these companies affected the intention to purchase HMR products. These findings imply that food service franchise companies with distinctly established brands can gain an advantage in the HMR product market, and that they must recognize the significance of communicating with consumers to create brand awareness and image.

Application of High-Frequency Defrosting, Superheated Steam, and Quick-Freezing Treatments to Improve the Quality of Seafood Home Meal Replacement Products Consisting of the Adductor Muscle of Pen Shells and Common Squid Meat

We developed a new seafood home meal replacement (HMR) product containing the adductor muscle of the pen shell (AMPS) and common squid meat (CSM) via high-frequency defrosting (HFD), superheated steam, and quick freezing. Test HMR products were produced by mixing defrosted and roasted AMPS, CSM, and sauce in ratios of 27.5, 27.5, and 45.0% (w/w), respectively, followed by quick freezing at −35 °C in a polypropylene plastic bowl covered with a plastic film. The chemical characteristics, nutritional quality, microbial and sensory properties, and shelf life of the product were examined. The response surface methodology identified the optimal temperature and heating time of the superheated steam for AMPS (220 °C, 1 min) and CSM (300 °C, 1.5 min). Chemical characteristics showed low levels of volatile basic nitrogen (9.45 mg%) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (1.13 mg Malondialdehyde [MDA]/kg). No significant changes (p < 0.05) were observed in microbial, color, flavor, taste, texture, and overall acceptance at −23 °C for 90 days. After reheating, the sensory scores varied from “like moderately” to “like very much.” The shelf life of the HMR product was estimated to be 24 months. In conclusion, HFD, superheated steam, and quick freezing successfully improved product quality, with little loss of nutrition and texture.

Assessment of sodium content of home meal replacement products sold in Korea

Assessment of sodium content of home meal replacement products sold in Korea

Monitoring of Raw Materials for Commercial Home Meal Replacement Products Using DNA Barcode Information

Monitoring of Raw Materials for Commercial Home Meal Replacement Products Using DNA Barcode Information

Assessment of the Sugars Contents in Home Meal Replacement Products Sold in Korea

Assessment of the Sugars Contents in Home Meal Replacement Products Sold in Korea

Consumption Patterns and Importance-Performance Analysis of Home Meal Replacements by Level of Taurine-Related Nutritional Knowledge in Korean Adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate consumption patterns and perform Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) of selective attributes of Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products according to taurine-related nutritional knowledge levels in Koreans aged 40-64years as a basis for developing additional HMR products. The study included 793 adults (297 males and 496 females) who had experience in consuming HMR products and who lived in Seoul and its metropolitan areas, Korea. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed by using the SPSS 18.0 program. The subjects were classified into a high-level group (HG, 467 adults) and low-level group (LG, 326 adults) based on their taurine-related nutritional knowledge scores. Analysis of HMR consumption patterns showed that the frequency of HMR consumption in the HG was one to two times a month in 41.1% of the subjects and once every 3-4months in 22.7% of the subjects, whereas, in the LG, it was one to two times a month in 39.3% of the subjects and four to six times a month in 24.5% of the subjects. With regarding to the reasons for purchasing HMR products, there was no significant difference between HG and LG (p=0.089). The IPA analysis of HMR selective attributes included factor analysis of 14 selective attributes that were divided into three factors: 'convenience and taste', 'reliability and health', and 'brand and awareness'. The average importance scores of the first (p<0.01), second (p<0.001), and third (p<0.01) factors in the HG were significantly higher than those in the LG. In addition, the average satisfaction with the first factor (p<0.01) in the HG was significantly higher than that in the LG. Based on the IPA results, the selective attributes with low satisfaction and high importance were price, origin, food additives, and nutrient content in both the HG and LG. In the second IPA quadrant was safety, but only in the LG. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the importance of the reliability and health factor and the satisfaction with the convenience and taste factor were positively influenced by the subject's taurine-related nutritional knowledge score. These results suggest that reliability and safety of HMR products need to be improved to meet the expectations of Korean consumers aged 40years and older with a high level of taurine-related nutritional knowledge. Therefore, there is a need to produce HMR products that use safe and reliable food ingredients.