• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.17-26
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• 2010

Recently concerns have been raised due to the unbalanced supply of crops: the price of crops has been unstable and at one point the price went up so high that the word Agflation(agriculture+ inflation) was coined. Korea, in particular, is a small-sized country and needs to secure the stable supply of crops by investing in the produce importation at a national level. Investment in foreign produce importation is becoming more important as a measure for sufficient supply of crops, limited supply of domestic crops, weakened farming conditions worldwide, as well as recent changes in the use of crops due to the development of bio-fuels, influence of carbon emission on crops, the price increase in crops, and influx of foreign hot money. However, there are many problems with investing in foreign produce importation: lack of support from the government; lack of farming information and technology; difficulty in securing the capital; no immediate pay-off from the investment and insufficient management. Although foreign produce is originally more price-competitive than domestic produce, it loses its competiveness in the process of importation (due to high tariffs) and poor distribution system, which makes it difficult to sell in Korea. Therefore, investment in foreign produce importation is being questioned for feasibility; to make it possible, foreign produce must maintain the price-competitiveness. Especially, harvest of agricultural products depends on natural and geographical conditions of each country and those products have indigenous properties, so distribution system according to import and export of agricultural products should be treated more carefully than that of other industries. Distribution costs are differentiated into each item and include cost of sorting and wrapping, cost of wrapping materials, cost of domestic transport, cost of international transport and cost of clearing customs for import and export. So transporting and storing agricultural products generates considerable costs compared with other products. Also, due to upgrade of dietary life, needs for stability, taste and visible quality toward food including agricultural products are being raised and wrong way of storage causes decomposition of food and loss of freshness, making the storage more difficult than that in room temperature, so storage and transport in distribution of agricultural products needs specialty. In addition, because lack of specialty in distribution and circulation such as storage and wrapping does not solve limit factors in distance, the distribution and circulation has been limited to a form of import and export within short-distant region. Therefore, need for distribution out-sourcing which can satisfy specialty in managing distribution and circulation and it is needed to establish more effective distribution system. However, existing distribution system of agricultural products is exposed to various problems including problems in distribution channel, making distribution and strategy for distribution and those problems are as follows. First, in case of investment in overseas agricultural industry, stable supply of the products is difficult because areas of production are dispersed widely and influenced by outer factors due to including overseas distribution channels. Also, at the aspect of quality, standardization of products is difficult, distribution system is quite complicated and unreasonable due to long distribution channels according to international trade and financial and institutional support is not enough. Especially, there are quite a lot of ineffective factors including multi level distribution process, dramatic gap between production cost and customer's cost, lack of physical distribution facilities and difficulties in storage and transport due to lack of wrapping containers. Besides, because import and export of agricultural products has been manages under the company's own distribution according to transaction contract between manufacturers and exporting company, efficiency is low due to excessive investment in fixed costs and lack of specialty in dealing with agricultural products causes fall of value of products, showing the limit to lose price-competitiveness. Especially, because lack of specialty in distribution and circulation such as storage and wrapping does not solve limit factors in distance, the distribution and circulation has been limited to a form of import and export within short-distant region. Therefore, need for distribution out-sourcing which can satisfy specialty in managing distribution and circulation and it is needed to establish more effective distribution system. Second, among tangible and intangible services which promote the efficiency of the whole distribution, a function building distribution environment which includes distribution information, system for standard and inspection, distribution finance, system for diversification of risks, education and training, distribution administration and tax system is wanted. In general, such a function building distribution environment is difficult to be changed and supplement innovatively because its effect compared with investment does not appear immediately despite of its necessity. Especially, in case of distribution of agricultural products, as a function of collecting and distributing is performed individually through various channels, the importance of distribution information and standardization is getting more focus due to the problem of repetition of work and lack of specialty. Also, efficient management of distribution is quite difficult due to lack of professionals in distribution, so support to professional education is needed. Third, though effort to keep self-sufficiency ratio of staple food, rice is regarded as important at the government level, level of dependency on overseas of others crops is high. Therefore, plan for stable securing food resources aside from staple food is also necessary. Especially, governmental organizations of agricultural products distribution in Korea are production-centered and have unreasonable structure whose function at the aspect of distribution and consumption is quite insufficient. And development of new distribution channels which can deal with changes in distribution environment and they do not achieve actual results of strategy for distribution due to non-positive strategy for price distribution. That is, it implies the possibility that base for supply will become vulnerable because it does not mediate appropriate interests on total distribution channels such as manufacturers, wholesale dealers and vendors by emphasizing consumer protection excessively in the distribution of agricultural products. Therefore, this study examined fundamental concept and actual situation for our investment to overseas agriculture, drew necessities, considerations, problems, etc. of overseas agricultural investment and suggested improvements at the level of distribution for price competitiveness of agricultural products cultivated in overseas under five aspects; government's indirect support, distribution's modernization and distribution information function's strengthening, government's political support for distribution facility, transportation route, load and unloading works' improvement, price competitiveness' securing, professional manpower's cultivation by education and training, etc. Here are some suggestions for foreign produce importation. First, the government should conduct a survey on the current distribution channels and analyze the situation to establish a measure for long-term development plans. By providing each agricultural area with a guideline for planning appropriate production of crops, the government can help farmers be ready for importation, and prevent them from producing same crops all at the same time. Government can sign an MOU with the foreign government and promote the importation so that the development of agricultural resources can be stable and steady. Second, the government can establish a strategy for an effective distribution system by providing farmers and agriculture-related workers with the distribution information such as price, production, demand, market structure and location, feature of each crop, and etc. In order for such distribution system to become feasible, the government needs to reconstruct the current distribution system, designate a public organization for providing distribution information and set the criteria for level of produce quality, trade units, and package units. Third, the government should provide financial support and a policy to seek an efficient distribution channel for foreign produce to be delivered fresh: the government should expand distribution facilities (for selecting, packaging, storing, and processing) and transportation vehicles while modernizing old facilities. There should be another policy to improve the efficiency of unloading, and to lower the cost of distribution. Fourth, it is necessary to enact a new law covering exceptional cases for importing produce in order to maintain the price competitiveness; currently the high tariffs is keeping the imported produce from being distributed domestically. However, the new adjustment should be made carefully within the WTO regulations since it can create a problem from giving preferential tariffs. The government can also simplify the distribution channels in order to reduce the cost in the distribution process. Fifth, the government should educate distributors to raise the efficiency and to modernize the distribution system. It is necessary to develop human resources by educating people regarding the foreign agricultural environment, the produce quality, management skills, and by introducing some successful cases in advanced countries.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.132-141
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• 2012

This current survey was conducted to examine consumer attitudes toward factors determining beef purchasing and improving distribution systems. The frequency of beef purchasing was shown to reflect social and economic status, where inhabitants in large cities, such as Seoul, with higher salaries showed a higher frequency. In addition, consumers that were in their forties bought beef more frequently than consumers that were in their twenties. Consumers in Seoul and the megalopolis with a monthly income of higher than 200 million won preferred to purchase meat from department stores and discount markets. In contrast, people in small cities with lower incomes tended to buy meat from butcher shops and brand shops. In a question regarding unsatisfaction factors of retail beef, individuals that were in their thirties with a high income had concerns associated with packaging problems. For people under thirty with low income, the consistency of quality and price were the prime concerns. In regards to the beef grading system, consumer response varied between inhabitants, monthly income and age group, where consumers from small cities that were in their twenties and forties with a low income had a negative viewpoint. For the differential beef distribution system, housewives between the ages of 30 and 40 from a small city with an income higher than 200 million won had a positive response; however, a large number of consumers were not familiar with this system. The most demanding beef cuts were in the following order: loin, flank and rib. In addition, the most important factors determining purchasing beef were as follows: price, breed and portion.

• Proceedings of the Korean Reliability Society Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.277-278
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• 2001

The successful operation of a product In service depends upon the effective provision of logistic support in order to achieve and maintain the required levels of performance and customer satisfaction. Logistic support encompasses the activities and facilities required to maintain a product (hardware and software) in service. Logistic support covers maintenance, manpower and personnel, training, spares, technical documentation and packaging handling, storage and transportation and support facilities.The cost of logistic support is often a major contributor to the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of a product and increasingly customers are making purchase decisions based on lifecycle cost rather than initial purchase price alone. Logistic support considerations can therefore have a major impact on product sales by ensuring that the product can be easily maintained at a reasonable cost and that all the necessary facilities have been provided to fully support the product in the field so that it meets the required availability. Quantification of support costs allows the manufacturer to estimate the support cost elements and evaluate possible warranty costs. This reduces risk and allows support costs to be set at competitive rates.Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) is a management method by which all the logistic support services required by a customer can be brought together in a structured way and In harmony with a product. In essence the application of ILS:- causes logistic support considerations to be integrated into product design;- develops logistic support arrangements that are consistently related to the design and to each other;- provides the necessary logistic support at the beginning and during customer use at optimum cost.The method by which ILS achieves much of the above is through the application of Logistic Support Analysis (LSA). This is a series of support analysis tasks that are performed throughout the design process in order to ensure that the product can be supported efficiently In accordance with the requirements of the customer.The successful application of ILS will result in a number of customer and supplier benefits. These should include some or all of the following:- greater product uptime;- fewer product modifications due to supportability deficiencies and hence less supplier rework;- better adherence to production schedules in process plants through reduced maintenance, better support;- lower supplier product costs;- Bower customer support costs;- better visibility of support costs;- reduced product LCC;- a better and more saleable product;- Improved safety;- increased overall customer satisfaction;- increased product purchases;- potential for purchase or upgrade of the product sooner through customer savings on support of current product.ILS should be an integral part of the total management process with an on-going improvement activity using monitoring of achieved performance to tailor existing support and influence future design activities. For many years, ILS was predominantly applied to military procurement, primarily using standards generated by the US Government Department of Defense (DoD). The military standards refer to specialized government infrastructures and are too complex for commercial application. The methods and benefits of ILS, however, have potential for much wider application in commercial and civilian use. The concept of ILS is simple and depends on a structured procedure that assures that logistic aspects are fully considered throughout the design and development phases of a product, in close cooperation with the designers. The ability to effectively support the product is given equal weight to performance and is fully considered in relation to its cost.The application of ILS provides improvements in availability, maintenance support and longterm 3ogistic cost savings. Logistic costs are significant through the life of a system and can often amount to many times the initial purchase cost of the system.This study provides guidance on the minimum activities necessary to Implement effective ILS for a wide range of commercial suppliers. The guide supplements IEC60106-4, Guide on maintainability of equipment Part 4: Section Eight maintenance and maintenance support planning, which emphasizes the maintenance aspects of the support requirements and refers to other existing standards where appropriate. The use of Reliability and Maintainability studies is also mentioned in this study, as R&M is an important interface area to ILS.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2006

Total 150 packs of UHT milk and UHT-ESL milk, produced by different domestic milk companies, were compared at refrigerated and room temperature for 35 days in terms of microbiological qualities such as incidence date, number of incidence packs, and numbers of bacteria, and post-pasteurization contamination. Overall qualities of UHT-ESL milk were slightly better than that of UHT milk in relations to total bacteria in milk. No coliforms were detected in two groups of UHT milk samples after 35 days. Aerobic spores were more common in two brands of UHT milks stored in 20$^{\circ}$C than those in 7$^{\circ}$C, in which spores were broken out at 7 and 14 day. No incidences of thermoduric bacteria were founded until 14 days in two groups of UHT milks, but high level of counts (<300${\sim}$<3,000 CFU/ml) after 21 days at 20$^{\circ}$C and 40${\sim}$3,600 CFU/ml at 7$^{\circ}$C were detected, respectively. Psychrotrophic bacteria were higher in UHT milk than in UHT-ESL milk, in which began to detect at 28 days. No post-pasteurization contamination by salmonella spp. and staphylococcus aureus were found throughout the experimental periods. One may conclude that the shelf life of UHT milk under cold-chains system can be extended up to 21days, as long as UHT treated milk are filled in sterilized containers by aseptic packaging system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.135-140
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• 2014

Pre-storage ultra-violet (UV) light treatment on fresh produce is known to inactivate the contaminated microorganisms, activate the defense system, and delay ripening extending the shelf life. As UV light emitting diode (LED) becomes available at a relatively low price, continuous or intermittent UV treatment during chilled storage is possible in a container or package. This study attempted an in situ UV LED treatment on fresh produce stored under a refrigerated container in order to see its potential in the fresh produce storage and further optimize its application conditions. The effect of in-container UV LED irradiation on the quality preservation of shredded carrots was investigated in the air and modified atmosphere (MA) conditions. Two sets of experiment with Escherichia coli inoculation and with natural microbial flora in the air (two 30 minute on-off cycles of 1 $diode/dm^2$ per day at a location above 2 cm) showed a clear and significant effect of the UV LED irradiation on the suppression of microbial growth: 280 nm was the most effective by maintaining a lower microbial count by at least 0.5 log (CFU/g) throughout the 6 day storage period. The carotenoids content of shredded carrots subjected to UV LED treatment at 365 and 405 nm in the air was higher than that of the control shredded carrots. In MA condition of $O_2$ of 1.2~4.3% and $CO_2$ of 8.4~10.6% being indifferent with LED wavelengths, 280 nm UV LED irradiation was also effective in inhibiting the microbial growth. While there was no observed difference in the carotenoids content between untreated and UV LED-treated shredded carrots in MA, UV LED irradiation at 365 and 405 nm was slightly better in DPPH radical scavenging activity. The use of UV LED in storage container or package seems to give the benefits of preserving the microbial and nutritional qualities of minimally processed fruits and vegetables.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-188
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to analyze the microbiological hazards of Astragalus membranaceus Bunge on the post-harvest processing. Samples from processing equipments (cleaner, water, cart, table, tray and packaging machine), personal hygiene (hand) and harvested crops (before washing, after washing, after sorting, and after drying) were collected from four farms (A, B, C, and D) located in Chungchengbuk-do, Korea. The samples were analyzed for sanitary indication bacteria and pathogenic bacteria. First, total aerobic bacteria and coliform in processing facilities were detected at the levels of 0.93~4.86 and 0.33~2.28 log CFU/$100cm^2$ and/mL respectively. In particular, microbial contamination in hand (5.43~6.11 and 2.52~4.12 log CFU/Hand) showed higher than processing equipments. Among the pathogenic bacteria, Bacillus cereus was detected at the levels of 0.33~2.41 log CFU/$100cm^2$, 1.48~3.27 log CFU/Hand and 0.67~3.65 log CFU/g in equipments, hands, and plants and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in cleaner, table, hand and harvested crops (before washing and after sorting) by qualitative test. Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. were not detected. These results indicated that personal hygiene and processing equipments should be managed to reduce the microbial contamination of A. membranaceus Bunge. Therefore, management system such as good agricultural practices (GAP) criteria is needed for hygienic agricultural products.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.333-345
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• 2003

We conducted a survey on Japanese women's consciousness of food culture and their traditional food consumption by self filling-out questionnaire during January, 2000 for the period of a month, For the survey we selected 250 women residing in Kyoto, Japan. For the statistic work we used SAS package system, and t-test, $\cal{X}^2-test$ and Duncan's multiple range test were also used to verify the results significance. The purpose of this survey lies in gathering a basic data on the comparative direction of Korean and Japanese women's food culture in the future 1. Comparing the preferred food purchase place, In case of Korean women, traditional market was comparatively more preferred while Japanese women relatively preferred convenience store (p<0.001). 2. In case of Japanese women, they answered there is no difference from ordinary days on New Year's Day (71%) and Christmas (40%) while 38% answered they prepare food at home. 40% said they prepare food on parents-in-law's birthday, and 41% said no difference from ordinary days. 52% said they prepare food at home on husband's birthday. For their own birthday, 32% said yes to preparing food at home while 45% said no difference and 22.3% said eating out. For children's birthday 65% said preparing at home, 16.3% said no difference and 14.9% said eating out. 3. Comparing the conception on traditional food, Korean women answered 'complicated' (77%) most while 'simple' (5%) least, which indicates their demands for simplified recipes. In case of Japanese women, 'complicated' (44%) was most while 'scientific' (6%) was least which indicates their demands for scientific way of recipes. There were differences shown by age (p<0.001) and the older the more said 'simple' or 'logical' (p<0.01). 4. As the reason for the complicity of traditional food recipes, Koreans said 'too many hand skill' (60%) most while 'too many spices' (8%) least. For Japanese, 'various kind of the recipe' (55%) was most while 'too many hand skill' (7%) was least. There were significant differences shown by academic background (p<0.01) and income(p<0.01), and the lower the academic background, the more said 'too many spices' as the reason for the complicity in making traditional food. Generally, the lesser the income, the more tendency to say 'various kinds of the recipe'. 5. In case of Koreans, 'the recipe is difficult' (56%) was high while 'uninterested' (9%) was low in answer which showed differences by academic background (p<0.05), and in case of Japanese, 'no time to cook' (44%) was high while 'uninterested' (7%) was low. 6. The following is the reasons for choosing traditional food as a snack for children. In case of Koreans, they answered as 'traditional food' (34%), 'made from nutrious and quality materials' (27%), 'for education' (22%) and 'suites their taste' (17%) revealing 'traditional food' is highest. In case of Japanese, it was revealed in the order of 'made from nutrious and quality materials' (36.3%), 'traditional food' (25.2%), 'suites their taste' (22.6%), 'for education' (12.8%) and 7. Comparing the most important thing for the popularization of traditional food in the world, Koreans answered 'taste and nutrition' (45%) most while 'shape and color' (6%) least. In case of Japanese, 'taste and nutrition' (75%) was answered most while 'hygienic packaging' (4%) was least. Both considered 'taste and nutrition' as most important thing for the popularization of traditional food in the world. 8. In case of Koreans, they answered they learn how to make traditional food 'from mother' (47%), 'media' (18%), 'school' (15%), 'from mother-in-law' (14%), 'private cooking school' (4%) and 'close acquaintances' (2%). In case of Japanese, they said mostly learn 'from mother', but it was also shown that the lower the academic background the lesser the tendency of learning 'from mother' but 'from school' (p<0.001). 9. About the consumption of traditional fermented food, Koreans said they make kimchi (90%), pickled vegetables (39%), soy sauce (33%), bean paste (38%), salted fishery (12%) and traditional liquors (14%) at home while 67% for salted fishery and 48% for traditional liquors answered they buy rather than making at home. On the other hand, Japanese answered they mostly buy kimchi (60%), soy sauce (96%), bean paste(91%), natto(92%), salt fermented fish foods (77%) and traditional alcoholic beverage (88%) to eat. This difference was shown very distinct between Korean and Japanese women (p<0.001). 10. About the most important thing in food, Koreans answered in the order of 'liking and satisfaction' (33%), 'for health' (32%), 'for relieve hunger' (18%) and 'convenience' (17%). In case of Japanese, it was revealed in the order of 'for health' (61%), 'liking and satisfaction' (20%), 'to relieve hunger' (16%) and 'convenience' (3%). This shows that Japanese women take comparably more importance to health than Korean women. The conception of food was shown different between Korean and Japanese women (p<0.001), and Koreans showed level 4-5 of food culture while Japanese showed level 5.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.46-54
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• 2022

Known for its effectiveness in weight loss and diabetes prevention, Gymnema sylvestre products can be found in the US, Japanese, and Indian markets. However, the recommended dosage or safety of these products has not yet been proven. Therefore, development of an analytical method for detecting the content of Gymnema sylvestre in food products is required. Accordingly, this study proposes an analysis method that can examine Gymnema sylvestre in food using LC-ESI-MS/MS and KASP (Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR) markers. In LC-ESI-MS/MS, a simultaneous analysis method for gymnemic acid and deacylgymnemic acid was optimized using negative ionization mode, and its validation test was completed for solid and liquid samples. In addition, KASP markers were prepared by finding the specific SNP of G. sylvestre in ITS2 and matK through DNA barcodes. The two KASP markers returned positive FAM fluorescence result when combined with G. sylvestre, and this aspect was confirmed in raw G. sylvestre as well. The applicability of the method was tested on 21 different food and healthy functional products containing G. sylvestre purchased on the internet. As a result, although there was a difference in the ratios of gymnemic acid and deacylgymnemic acid in LC-ESI-MS/MS, the index component was detected in all 21 products samples. In the KASP analysis, 9 products returned positive FAM result, and the rest of the products were found to be containing G. sylvestre extract. This study is the first study to use the dual system of LC-ESI-MS/MS and KASP for the analysis of G. sylvestre. The study has confirmed that these two methods are applicable to the examine G. sylvestre content in food products.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.528-536
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• 2023

In Korea, from January 2023, the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Food was revised to reflect the use-by-date rather than the sell-by-date. Hence, the purpose of this study was to establish a system for calculating the safety factor and determining the recommended use-by-date for each food type, thereby providing a scientific basis for the recommended use-by-date labels. A safety factor calculation technique based on scientific principles was designed through literature review and simulation, and opinions were collected by conducting surveys and discussions including industry and academia, among others. The main considerations in this study were pH, Aw, sterilization, preservatives, packaging for storage improvement, storage temperature, and other external factors. A safety factor of 0.97 was exceptionally applied for frozen products and 1.0 for sterilized products. In addition, a between-sample error value of 0.08 was applied to factors related to product and experimental design. This study suggests that clearly providing a safe use-by-date will help reduce food waste and contribute to carbon neutrality.