• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.262-271
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• 2023

The objective of this study is to compare and assess the effectiveness of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and the selective agar plate method for the detection of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. In RTE foods, the detection performance of the three methods (RT-PCR [SureTect^TM kit and PowerChek^TM kit], LAMP [3M MDS], selective agar) were similar at 0-10, 10-50, 50-100, and 100- CFU/mL of Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes. We found that with RT-PCR, the Ct value of salad was significantly higher (p<0.05) than other RTE foods, indicating that fiber plays a critical role as an obstacle to the rapid detection of Salmonella spp. However, the Ct value displayed a mixed pattern according to the inoculation level of L. monocytogenes. The use of rapid detection kits and machines mostly depends on the user's choice, with accuracy, ease of use, and economy being the primary considerations. As an RT-PCR kit, SureTect^TM and PowerChek^TM showed high accuracy in detecting Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes in RTE foods, showing that they can replace the existing RT-PCR kits available. Additionally, LAMP also showed excellent detection performance, suggesting that it has the potential to be used as a food safety management tool.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2011

This study was carried out to examine microbiological contamination of ready-to-eat products and to propose a draft-standard and specifications according to food types. RTE foods were classified into 6 groups including fish products, meat products, breads, rices, salads, and fresh cut foods. The prevalence rates of pathogens detected from all samples were compared among food categories. The pH ranges for all RTE samples were between 3.8 and 7.3. Total aerobic cell counts ranged from 2 to 6 log CFU/g. Bread, rice and fresh-cut foods showed significantly higher counts, which ranged above 4.0 log CFU/g among the samples. Two kinds of rice were above the level of the KFDA Food Code standard for Eschrichia coli. The prevalence rate of E. coli in the rice was 6.7%. For Staphylococcus aureus, one fish product and one bread-product had levels above 2 log CFU/g. Bacillus cereus counts for all samples were below the level of 3 log CFU/g. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in the samples. Therefore, these data suggest that the primary microbial hazard factors for ready-to-eat foods and risk assessments should focus on E. coli, S. aureus, and B. cereus.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.60-65
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• 2004

120 samples of ready-to-eat salad product were purchased at department stores, marts and family restaurants in metro area. Coliform bacteria and food borne pathogenic bacteria were isolated from these samples. In 73 samples among the 120 salad product samples, coliform bacteria and food borne pathogenic bacteria were detected by 60.8％ of isolated rate. Salad were classified into organic and non-organic salad. According to a salad type, salad were classified into vegetable salad and mixed vegetable salad with fried chicken and extra food. According to a packing type, packed salad product and salad-bar product were classified. After the classification, the results of each cases were compared. There is no statistical relation between cultivation or packing methods and contaminated bacteria. But the incidence number of microbial strains was significantly different between vegetable salad and mixed vegetable salad(p＜0.005). In vegetable salad, more various strains were detected. E. coli was isolated in 10 cases among the 90 cases in non-organic vegetable and in 7 cases among the 30 cases in organic salad. Food borne pathogenic bacteria were isolated in non-organic vegetable salad product. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 4 cases of vegetable salad product and Salmonella spp. isolated in 1 case. After 5 times examination of each 4 market products, the total number of aerobic bacteria was average 4.8$\pm$0.19 log cfu/g. One sample from this product, saline and a detergent for vegetable were used for 3 minutes to notice the effect. As a result, when saline was used 5 times and detergent for vegetable was used 1 time, bacterial contamination was decreased up to 95.5％.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.258-268
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• 2015

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) consumption with nutrition and health status. Examination of health status for this project included obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, low-HDL-cholesterolemia, diabetes, anemia, and metabolic syndrome. Methods: Two groups, RTEC consumers and those who did not consume RTEC, were identified using 24-hour dietary recall data from the 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Nutritional intakes and risk factors of the two groups were compared using covariates-adjusted statistical procedures. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS survey procedures, and strata, cluster, and weight were considered. Subjects of analysis of nutritional intake were between the ages of 1 and 75, and those considered in the risk factor analysis were between the ages of 19 and 75. Results: Results showed that 3.8% of the Korean population was RTEC consumers. Compared to the subjects who did not intake RTEC, RTEC consumers exhibited significantly higher intakes of calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin C. It was also discovered that the percentage of people whose intakes were less than EAR decreased with RTEC consumption. RTEC consumption showed significant association with decreased systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride, and serum total cholesterol. Consequently, prevalence of hypertension among RTEC consumers was significantly lower than that among non-consumers, and the odds ratio for hypertension was 0.19 after adjusting the models for covariates. Conclusion: Results of this study clearly suggest an association of RTEC consumption with improved nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk profile in Korean adults. Conduct of additional studies will be necessary in order to determine the nature of these relationships.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the deformation of packaging materials used for ready-to-eat (RTE) foods after the retort process and microwave heating. From the multilayer films consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), and cast polypropylene (CPP) in a stand-up pouch form used for RTE foods, some deformation of the CPP layer, which was in direct contact with the food, was observed after the retort process and microwave heating. The damage was more severely caused by microwave heating than by the retort process. This may be attributed to diverse factors including the non-uniform heating in a microwave oven, the sorption of oil into the packaging film, and the different characteristics of food components such as viscosity, salt and water content. The development of heat-resistant packaging materials and systems suitable for microwave heating of RTE foods is required for the safety of consumers.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2014

The objective of this study is to investigate consumer preferences, perception and consumption patterns for fish products. To investigate the difference in consumer responses according to the characteristics of the population parameters, data were collected from the survey of 404 Koreans and analyzed. The results are as follows: First, the differences of age; for the question of the reason why do you eat fish products, the younger generation (20~30s)'s most answer was 'The Taste' while the older age groups(40~50s and over 60s)' most respond was 'For Health'. Second, the differences of sex; women relatively considered 'The Quality' of fish products more important than men when selecting the products. Whereas, men thought 'The Taste' of fish products more important than women when they choose fish products. In addition, when the bad news or hygiene accidents about fish products are reported on media, women reacted more negatively for fish products purchase than men. Third, the differences of family members; the respondents who lived with 3 or more family members showed higher preference rates about purchasing trimmed fresh fish at the store than respondents who lived with 2 or less family members. On the other hand, single households relatively bought processed fish products and RTE(Ready To Eat) fish products more than other family member groups. In addition, single households preference rates about eating fish products as a main dish were very high compared to other groups.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.1867-1872
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• 2010

Microbe and quality changes of vacuum-packaged ready-to-eat lettuce were analyzed. While the vacuumpackaged lettuce after chlorine sanitizer were stored at $5^{\circ}C$, $15^{\circ}C$, and $25^{\circ}C$ for 7 days, viable numbers of total aerobic bacteria (TAB), coliform, E. coli, food-borne pathogens and lactic acids bacteria (LAB) were counted with gas production and sensory evaluation. Before the storage, only TAB of 2 log CFU/g and coliform of 1 log CFU/g were detected and LAB was not detected. TAB, coliform and LAB increased by 1 log CFU/g at $5^{\circ}C$ for 7 days without any detection of the pathogens. Sensory evaluations for off-flavour and crispness dropped to half the best value at 5 day storage. TAB and coliform increased by 3 log CFU/g and 2 log CFU/g, respectively, but LAB grew very actively by 4 log CFU/g under anaerobic environment and only B. cereus were detected after enrichment of the lettuce at $15^{\circ}C$ for 3 days. The evaluations for off-flavour and crispness were half the best value for 3 days. However, TAB and coliform increased by 3 log CFU/g, 1 log CFU/g, and 4 log CFU/g, respectively only at 1 day storage under $25^{\circ}C$. Also B. cereus were detected after enrichment and the sensory evaluation were half the best value within 1 day storage. Therefore, preservation at the lowest temperature possible is required for growth inhibition of the bacteria contaminated in the lettuce. Interestingly, LAB among them grew most actively under the anaerobic condition and the adulteration of lettuce might be closely related with the growth of LAB.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.392-401
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate the dietary changes among adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Korea. An online survey was conducted to examine dietary changes before (in 2019) and during (in 2021) the pandemic. The data from 337 adults living alone who responded to the survey were used for analysis. The proportion of the respondents reporting frequent food consumption at convenience stores (≥3 times/week) increased during the pandemic (p=0.024), and the proportion of those frequently eating ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food (≥3 times/week) was more than doubled (p<0.001). Additionally, the proportion of those frequently consuming delivered food (≥3 times/week) increased by 2.5 times (p<0.001). In conclusion, the dietary habits of adults living alone changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have a negative impact on their health. Therefore, the development of customized nutrition management programs to improve the dietary habits of adults living alone during emergencies like a pandemic is deemed necessary. This study can serve as a foundation for understanding the dietary changes of adults living alone in prolonged crisis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2002

Listeria monocytogenes poses an increasing health risk, which in part is due to increasing health risk, consumption of ready-to-eat food products and the introduction of increasing numbers of food products from regions with different dietary habits. L. monocytogenes can be present in meat, shellfish, vegetables, unpasteurised milk and soft cheese and poses a risk if food containing these products is stored at refrigeration temperature and is not properly heated before consumption, as L. monocytogenes is psychrophilic. Amplified-fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis is the method of genotypic techinique in which adaptor oligonucleotides are ligated to restriction enzyme fragments and then used as target sites for primers in a PCR amplification. The amplified fragments are electrophoretically separated to give strain-specific band profiles. Single-enzyme approach that did not require costly equipment or reagents for the fingerprinting of strains of Listeria monocytogenes was developed. Single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) analysis was used to perform species and strain identification of Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia and E. coli. By careful selection of AFLP primers, it was possible to obtain reproducible and sensitive identification to strain level. The AFLP patterns of L. monocytogenes are divided by the kinds of specimens in which were isolated. SE-AFLP fragments can be analyzed using standard gel electrophoresis, and can be easily scored by visual inspection, due to the low complexity of the fingerprint obtained by this method. These features make SE-AFLP suitable for use in either field or laboratory applications.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 1999

Nutrition fortification of processed foods with microelements is a popular practice in many countries to improve nutritional status of target population. In this study the current food fortification in Korea was evaluated and the regulations and guidelines for food fortification in other countries were presented. Most commonly added nutrients were calcium, vit.C, fiber, vit.Bs and iron. The level of fortified nutrients and the vehicle foods were variable. vit.C and fiber appeared to be overfortified in some foods and the necessity of fortification of these nutrients needs to be examined since the intakes of these elements appears to meet the RDA. Most of other nutrients such as vit.A, vit. $B_1$, vit. $B_2$, and iron were added at the level of 10~25% RDA per serving size. The vehicle foods for fortification were snacks, milk, ramyun, breakfast cereal, juices, candies and ready-to-eat retort pouch foods but not rice which is a staple food in Korea. The guideline and regulation for food fortification is required to ensure safe and proper supplementation of needed nutrients in processed foods.