• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.321-327
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Fruit and vegetable consumption of children in the United States falls below recommendations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a national free-fruit and vegetable school distribution program designed to address this problem. This permanent, legislated program provides funding to qualified elementary schools for provision of additional fruit and vegetables outside of school meals. The objective of this study was to understand children's perceptions of FFVP after the intervention and formulate recommendations that may improve success of the intervention. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Secondary data were obtained from 5,265 $4^{th}-6^{th}$ graders at 51 randomly-selected FFVP intervention schools in Indiana. Anonymous questionnaires were completed late in the 2011-2012 academic year. Multilevel logistic regressions were used to determine associations between students' perceptions of program effects (4 close-ended items) and their preference toward the program. Content analysis was applied to a single open-ended item for program comments. RESULTS: Over 47% of students reported greater intake of fruit and vegetables due to FFVP, and over 66% reported liking the program. Student-reported program effects were positively associated with preference for the program (P < 0.01). Themes that emerged during analysis of 3,811 comments, included, students liked: the opportunity to try different kinds of fruit and vegetables, types and flavors of fruits served, and benefits of eating fruit. Fewer students liked the types of vegetables and their benefits. A small group disliked the program citing poor flavor of vegetables and quality of fruits. Important suggestions for the program include serving more dipping sauces for vegetables, cooking vegetables, and providing a greater variety of produce. CONCLUSIONS: The degree that students liked FFVP may predict the program's effects on fruit and vegetable intake. FFVP may become more acceptable to students by incorporating their suggestions. Program planners should consider these options for achieving program goals.

• Food Industry And Nutrition
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2003

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2009

This study investigated vegetable buying behavior with the subjects of 250 housewives living in Gyeongju. According to the results, they usually buy the following vegetables by order of frequency: cucumbers (152 times), hot peppers (142 times), lettuce (140 times), and spinach (134 times). The intake frequency of fresh vegetables was 2 to 3 times per week as 50.0% responded so. All respondents considered freshness most importantly when buying vegetables regardless of age. They usually buy vegetables at traditional markets, and they think the markets are suitable for buying fresh vegetables regardless of age. And the result of analyzing relation among vegetable's vitamin C and the colors or kinds of vegetables selected by age was not statistically significant. About the improvements to use vegetables, respondents in the 20's chose useful information, ones in the 30's to 40's said diverse recipes, ones in the 50's went for the quality improvement, and ones in the 60's or more emphasized stable prices. They answered that they received nutrition information of vegetables mainly from TV or magazines, newspapers, and mass media whereas subjects in the 60's or more said they got it from neighbors or friends. For housewives to get and practice nutritional knowledge, it is necessary to develop recipes in consideration of nutritional balance and convenience and provide them with constant education of nutrition through lifelong education facilities.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.326-330
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• 1998

Freeze storage technique is widely used for food processing to keep freshness and quality of the product. This technique was applied to fresh, unshelled groundnut to develop a new type of product which could maintain fresh taste and nutritive values even after several months of storage. The groundnut varieties, Daepungtangkong, Daekwangtangkong and Sindaekwangtangkong were grown at the experimental field of NCES in 1996. Immatured pods or groundnut were harvested around 20 to 3o days before full maturity, washed, and steamed at 100$^{\circ}C$ for 5 min. to stop enzyme activity. After vacuum packing (at -760mmHg for 10 min.) with 0.08mm polyvinyldichloride film, the pods were immediately frozen at -70$^{\circ}C$ for 24h and transfered at -20$^{\circ}C$ for long-term storage. Physico-chemical properties of frozen vegetable groundnut were investigated at 2 months after storage and compared to those of conventionally dried groundnut. After 2 months storage, the thawed kernels were very palatable with softness and fresh taste. Acid value and hardness (measured as the compression force on the probe of a texture analyzer) were much lower in frozen vegetable groundnut than those in the air-dried ones. Presence of free sugars is one of the important factors affecting groundnut taste, and the free sugar contents were considerably decreased in the frozen vegetable groundnut compared to freshly harvested groundnut. But in dried groundnut no free sugar was detected.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 1964

The effects of briquette ashes on the growth of vegetable (cabbage, lettuce, spinach and radish) and their fresh weight under the culture of the soil mixed with the briquette ashes, and on the chemical properties of the soil were investigated. The growth rate of these palnts and chemical properteis of the soil has shown some influence due to different concentration of briquette ashes added to the soil. The increase of growth in cabbage and lettuce was remarkably found by the plot treated with 1/50 concentration of briquette ashes. The fresh weight of vegetable plants was increased with high concentration of briquette ashes, but if the concentration of briquette ashes was too high, it was rather depressed. Chemical properties in the soil after cultivation of the plants were more depressed than before cultivation. In contrast the available nitrogen content in the soil after cultivation was more increased than before cultivation of the plants. The reduction of available nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen was associated with the increasing intensity of briquette ashes, but available phosphorus content was increased with high concentration of briquette ashes, though its content was not so high as the results obtained by Han(8). The values of total exchangeable base and pH in the soils treated with briquette ashes were increased with a high degree of the concentration of ashes. The value of pH was not significant, and pH value of lime plots was higher than that of briquette ashes. The average value of the water content did not show any difference, and the difference of the content of organic matter in the soil in which different vegetable grew into the plots reached to the significance of a 5% level.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2012

The use of suitable sanitizers can increase the quality of fresh-cut produce and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. The objective of this study was to compare the washing effects of 100 mg/L sodium hypochlorite (SH) and 500 mg/L acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) on the prevention of enzymatic browning and the growth of microbial populations, including aerobic plate counts, E. coli, and coliforms, throughout storage at $4^{\circ}C$ and $10^{\circ}C$. Fresh-cut zucchini, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and root vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and radishes were used. Compared to SH washing, ASC washing significantly (p<0.05) reduced microbial contamination on the fresh-cut produce and prevented browning of fresh-cut potatoes and sweet potatoes during storage. More effective inhibition of aerobic plate counts and coliforms growth was observed on fresh-cut produce treated with ASC during storage at $10^{\circ}C$. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of fresh-cut potatoes and sweet potatoes was more effectively inhibited after washing with ASC. The use of 500 mg/L ASC can provide effective antimicrobial and anti-browning treatments of fresh-cut produce, including processed root vegetables.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2008

The market sales of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables have grown rapidly in recent decades as a result of changes in consumer trend. Choosing the proper pretreatment of fruit and vegetables before minimally processing is very important because appearance is the most fundamental factors affecting the quality of fresh-cut products. This review describes the biochemical bases for color changes of fruit and vegetables including browning, discoloration, and color changes of carrots and alliums. Understanding pathway of pigments in minimally processed fruit and vegetable and preventing the way of color change should be emphasized for successive packaging system. This review also describes pretreatment of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables to improve the prolonging the shelf-life and maintenance of its qualities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 1998

The objective of this study is to provide a fundamental data to improve meals of the college foodservice operations serving more than 300 meals per day through evaluating changes in; total vitamin C contests, water contents, and pH, in the process of handling such foods as soybean sprout cooked and of fresh vegetable salads. This study, also, tried to identify nutrition reduction, step by step, to minimize nutrition loss. 1. In handing COOKED SOYBEAN SPROUTS, total vitamin C contents were higher after wash(1.54%mg%) than other cooking methods adopted in university meals(1.08mg%), however, total vitamin C contents was significantly lost during boiling step. 2. Significant loss of total vitamin C and water content in the FRESH VEGITABLE SALADS was detected in the process of washing and cutting vegitables. Especially,'cabbage' lost 20% of total vitamin C in the process of 'soaking in water', which was one of preparation process 3. Significant loss of vitamin C was observed after 6 hours of HOLDINC AFTER COOKING but it can be reduced through holding under lower temparature, in case of soybean sprouts and fresh vegitable salads. pH became acidic as holding time expanded. WATER CONTENT of cooked soybean sprouts decreased up to 4 hours holding time, however, it increased when we checked at after 6 hours' of holding time. Water content continuously decreased up to 6 hours of holding time in case of FRESH VESITABLE SALADS with the statistically significance level.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.521-526
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although a lot of effort has been put into increasing fruit and vegetable intakes in preschool children, vegetable intake in this group is still low. This study investigated whether nutrition education focusing on fruit and vegetable intakes can affect preschoolers' fruit and vegetable intakes as well as their behavioral outcomes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Thirty-five preschoolers (54.3% boys, n = 19) aged 4-6 years residing in Seoul underwent weekly nutrition education intervention (8 sessions) between May and July 2016. Intakes of fruits and vegetables were measured during pre and post-intervention. At snack time, fresh fruit (150 g) and vegetable (120 g) snacks were distributed to each child by teachers. The remaining portions of the snacks were weighed and recorded for each child. Behavioral outcomes were measured by applying Child behavior checklist 1.5-5 and the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. RESULTS: During post intervention, vegetable intake increased from $36.15{\pm}30.64g$ to $48.01{\pm}31.23g$ (P = 0.010). Among the emotional and behavioral problems measured by parents, levels of total problems (P = 0.001), internalizing (P = 0.004), externalizing (P = 0.003), anxiety and depression (P = 0.001), and aggressive behavior (P = 0.005) decreased. Anxiety (P = 0.026) score, as measured by teachers, also decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition education of preschoolers regarding the intakes of fruits and vegetables had a positive effect on preschoolers' vegetable intake as well as on their emotional and behavioral outcomes. A long-term, large-scale study with a broader study design is warranted to further investigate the role of fruit and vegetable intake in cognitive development and behavior of preschoolers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.7
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• pp.964-969
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• 2009

To improve hygienic quality of vegetable fresh juice containing non-thermal process materials, an irradiation technology ($0{\sim}5\;kGy$) was applied and microbiological and physicochemical changes were evaluated during storage. The initial number of total aerobic bacteria of vegetable fresh juice containing non-thermal process materials was $4.8{\times}10^3\;CFU/mL$ and the number was increased during storage. At day 7, the number reached $3.0{\times}10^5\;CFU/mL$. However, the samples gamma-irradiated at $1{\sim}5\;kGy$ were $1.2{\times}10^2{\sim}1.0{\times}10^3\;CFU/mL$, which was lower than that of control and higher than 3 kGy irradiation, showing more than a decimal reduction. The lightness and yellowness of irradiated sample was higher than control but no difference was found among storage days; whereas, redness was decreased by gamma irradiation with no difference found among storage days. Ascorbic acid and carotenoid contents were decreased by irradiation treatment and increase of storage days. There were no changes in flavonoid contents; however, the content of polyphenols was increased by irradiation of sample.