Packaging technology for home meal replacement: Innovations and future prospective

A study on the relationship between purchases of meal kits and home meal replacements

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Meal kits and home meal replacements (HMRs) are rapidly growing segments in the convenience food industry. Consequently, numerous studies have examined consumer perceptions of HMR and meal kits, respectively. HMR is an established segment, while meal kits are a recent category. Both segments offer convenience compared to home-cooked meals. However, meal kits offer a wider variety of recipes with fresh ingredients, requiring simple cooking steps to prepare the meal rather than merely heating the food. Despite the commonalities and differences, previous studies have only examined the purchasing behavior and influencing factors of either the meal kits or HMR. However, changes in the purchasing patterns of both segments may be correlated. This study investigates the relationship between consumer purchasing trends of meal kits and HMR and presents practical recommendations regarding the need of consumers for convenience foods.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We conducted a panel regression analysis of consumer purchase data obtained from shopping receipts, spanning the 2019, 2020, and 2021 waves of the Korean Rural Development Administration.

RESULTS

The results show that the purchases of meal kits and HMR increased during the period, suggesting a complementary relationship between the 2. We also found significant increases in purchases within 2 sub-categories of HMR, namely, ready-to-prepare and ready-to-cook, alongside meal kits. These findings were further supported by the results of the sub-regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

The simultaneous growth of meal kits and HMR indicates that convenience foods continue to play a crucial role in meeting consumer needs in the food industry. In addition, considering the significant growth of the HMR sub-categories with fresh ingredients and cooking, we suggest that companies should aim to satisfy the desire of consumers for both convenience as well as freshness and culinary aspects.

Green and facile fabrication of multifunctional cellulose nanocrystal and carvacrol together reinforced chitosan bio-nanocomposite coatings for fruit preservation

The continuous development of sustainable food-active packaging materials and practices with high performance is a response to the increasing challenges posed by microbial food safety and environmental contamination. In this study, a multifunctional bio-nanocomposite composed primarily of chitosan, cellulose nanomaterials and carvacrol was proposed as a conformal coating for fruit preservation. The coating exhibits excellent antioxidant and antibacterial activities owing to the incorporation of the carvacrol. The inhibition rate of the coating on E. coli and S. aureus is enhanced by 57.13 % and 62.18 %, respectively. And its antioxidant activities is also improved by 77.45 %. In addition, the oxygen permeability (OP) and water vapor permeability (WVP) of this CS/CNC coating are significantly lowered by 67 % and 46 %, respectively, comparing with the CS coating. The coating exhibited excellent biosafety and cytocompatibility because of over 90 % of the HepG2 cells remained alive in each concentration of the coating after 24 h incubation. Additionally, the efficacy of the coating in prolonging the freshness and visual appeal of perishable fruits is substantiated by the experiment involving two fruit specimens. Furthermore, the coating's ease of production, ingestibility, washability, and utilization of cost-effective and easily accessible biomaterials, including renewable waste materials, indicate its potential as a viable economic substitute for commercially accessible fruit coatings.

Efficacy of convenience meal-type foods designed for diabetes in the management of metabolic syndrome based on a 3-week trial

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the effect of meal-type food for diabetes on improving metabolic syndrome risk factors in adults.

METHODS

The participants were adult men and women aged 40-55 y with 1 or more risk factors for metabolic syndrome. They were provided with a diabetic diet (a meal-type food) and general diet in the form of home meal replacement for 3 wk. The current research used a crossover design. All participants had iso-caloric meal replacement per day, and there was a 2-wk washout period between each diet. The nutritional standards of a diabetic diet were based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which are: <50% carbohydrates, <10% sugars, <7% saturated fat, and >10 g dietary fiber. The average caloric content was 489.1 ± 45.0 kcal. The composition of the general diet was similar to that of the diabetic diet; however, there were differences in sugar content. In total, 15 participants were included in the research, and there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of nutrient intake during the intervention period.

RESULTS

Body weight (P = 0.001), body mass index (P = 0.004), waist circumference (P = 0.030), triacylglycerol (P = 0.002), total cholesterol (P = 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.008) levels were significantly lower in the diabetic diet intervention period than before and after 3 wk of the intervention. In addition, reduction in body weight (P = 0.001), body mass index (P = 0.006), waist circumference (P = 0.032), and triacylglycerol (P = 0.036) and total cholesterol (P = 0.007) levels in the diabetic diet intervention period significantly differed compared with those in the general diet intervention period.

CONCLUSIONS

Replacing 1 meal per day with meal-type food for diabetes improved body composition and blood lipid levels in adults with metabolic syndrome risk factors.

Intelligent packaging based on chitosan/fucoidan incorporated with coleus grass (Plectranthus scutellarioides) leaves anthocyanins and its application in monitoring the spoilage of salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The innovation of this study was to develop a novel biodegradable intelligent packaging based on chitosan/fucoidan combined with different amounts (1, 3 and 5 wt% on chitosan basis) of coleus grass (Plectranthus scutellarioides) leaves anthocyanins (CGL) to monitor the spoilage of salmon (Salmo salar L.). The addition of fucoidan improved the barrier and mechanical properties of the chitosan films (CS) due to hydrogen bonds and intermolecular electrostatic interactions. Moreover, the addition of CGL not only improved the physical properties but also improved the biological activity of chitosan/fucoidan film (CF). The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity of CF contained 5 wt% CGL was 1.83 and 1.75 times than CF, respectively. The inhibition zone size of CF films containing 5 wt% CGL (CF-5%CGL) was approximately 2.04 (Escherichia coli) and 2.16 (Staphylococcus aureus) times higher than that of CF. Moreover, CF-CGL displayed obvious color changes in different pH environments and is highly sensitive to ammonia gas. The CF-CGL has visible color changes during the monitoring of salmon spoilage and extended the shelf life of salmon. According to our findings, CF-CGL film might be employed as a possible intelligent packaging material for monitoring and preserving salmon in the future.

The Analysis of Residents' Intention to Consume Pre-Made Dishes in China: A Grounded Theory

The demand for pre-made dishes has increased in China. However, a detailed understanding of residents' intention to consume pre-made dishes is lacking in the existing studies. This research aims to investigate the consumer motives and intention to consume pre-made dishes. Through in-depth interviews and analysis, this research explores the factors influencing the residents' intention along the research steps of grounded theory. Fifty-one residents participated in semi-structured interviews via face-to-face or online interviews. Three motives for purchasing pre-made dishes were attitude, subjective norm, and perceived control. These were influenced by external factors, including environmental features and product features. Subjective characteristics are pre-existing characteristics of individuals themselves, including cooking skills, food skills, housework allocation, and eating attitudes, which play a moderating role in the relationship between external factors and consumer motives. Based on the six major categories, this study built a model of the formation mechanism of the consumer intention to consume pre-made dishes. It revealed the psychological attribution of residents' consumption of pre-made dishes. The finding of this study contributes to the understanding of the internal logic of PMDs' consumer intention formation. It would be a guide for researchers to map out appropriate business development strategies, and provide evidence for the government in formulating management policies.

Study of the Structural Changes and Internal Activator Transport Behavior after Activation of Aluminum-Based Flameless Ration Heaters: Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Aluminum-based flameless ration heaters (AFRHs) are heating elements in food packaging. Water is used to activate AFRHs. The material properties of each region of AFRHs were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and hydrogen and heat generation. The results show that the internal cross-section shows stratification with hydrogen and heat production capacities of 105.2 ± 9.7 mL/g and 1435.0 ± 30.3 J/g for the outer layer, 27.1 ± 4.4 mL/g and 80.4 ± 3.1 J/g for the inner layer, and 1.1 ± 0.01 mL/g and 1.2 ± 0.05 J/g for the middle layer, respectively. According to the correspondence between aluminum and hydrogen in the aluminum-water reaction relationship, the reaction efficiency of the outer layer and the inner layer is as low as 64 and 80%, which is an indication of low reaction efficiency. To analyze the reasons for low reaction efficiency, a pore channel model of 3.5 nm tricalcium aluminate (C3A) was developed using molecular dynamics (MD) to reveal the adsorption behavior of the activator in the pore channel. The results show that the activator is subject to solid surface adsorption in the pore channel with a low diffusion coefficient. Oxygen atoms on the surface adsorb hydrogen atoms to form hydrogen bonds and sodium ions to form ionic bonds with calcium ions. This increases the retention time of the activator on the surface. The MD results explain the low reaction efficiency of AFRHs at the microscopic scale. Moreover, it provides ideas and a basis for the optimization of AFRHs.

Frozen Ready-to-(h)eat Meals: Evolution of Their Quality during a Real-Time Short Shelf Life

The purpose of this experimentation was to study the evolution of the quality of two types of blast-frozen ready-to-(h)eat meals, tortellini and a vegetable soup, during a short shelf life of 70 days. The analyses, performed in order to identify any variations resulting either from the freezing process or from the subsequent storage, carried out at the temperatures of -30 °C and -18 °C, respectively, examined the consistency of the tortellini and the soup, the acidity and the peroxide value of the oil extracted from them, the phenols and carotenoids present in the soup, the volatile compounds in the tortellini and the soup, and a sensory analysis of both products. The results showed that, during the 70 days of shelf life, there was no variation in the texture of the tortellini, but there were changes in the consistency of the soup, which decreased as the days of storage went on. Furthermore, statistically significant increases (p < 0.05) in the acidity and in the peroxide value of the oil of the soup were observed during the storage period; however, no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in the peroxide value of the oil of the tortellini was found. Moreover, no quantitative changes were observed in the phenolic compounds and carotenoids in the soup or in the volatile substances of either product. Finally, the sensory analysis confirmed, together with the chemical data, that the blast-freezing process adopted was suitable to maintain the good quality of these fresh meals, even if some technical modifications (in particular, lower freezing temperatures) should be adopted to improve the final quality of the products.

Food Quality, Drug Safety, and Increasing Public Health Measures in Supply Chain Management

Over the last decade, there has been an increased interest in public health measures concerning food quality and drug safety in supply chains and logistics operations. Against this backdrop, this study systematically reviewed the extant literature to identify gaps in studying food quality and drug safety, the proposed solutions to these issues, and potential future research directions. This study utilized content analysis. The objectives of the review were to (1) identify the factors affecting food quality and possible solutions to improve results, (2) analyze the factors that affect drug safety and identify ways to mitigate them through proper management; and (3) establish integrated supply chains for food and drugs by implementing modern technologies, followed by one another to ensure a multi-layered cross-verification cascade and resource management at the different phases to ensure quality, safety, and sustainability for the benefit of public health. This review investigated and identified the most recent trends and technologies used for successfully integrated supply chains that can guarantee food quality and drug safety. Using appropriate keywords, 298 articles were identified, and 205 were shortlisted for the analysis. All analysis and conclusions are based on the available literature. The outcomes of this paper identify new research directions in public health and supply chain management.

Utilization of By-Products from Livestock: Study on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Biodegradable Containers Made with Pork Skin Gelatin Polymer

This study aimed to develop a biodegradable container made of pork gelatin. Gelatin was extracted from pork skin by hot water at 80 °C, and containers were prepared by adding eggshell powder (20%) as a pore agent, and walnut powder (0.08 wt%; PEW1, 0.14 wt%; PEW2) to improve hardness. The blends were molded for each experiment and dried at 30 °C for 24 h, at 40 °C for 16 h, and at 121 °C for 16 h. The containers were analyzed with respect to morphological (SEM; scanning electron microscope), mechanical (tensile strain and stress), and thermal (DSA; differential scanning calorimetry and TGA; thermogravimetric analysis) properties, as well as biodegradability. SEM investigation showed a smoother surface for PEW1 than for PEW2. The tensile stress of PEW2 (37.86 MPa) was significantly higher than that of PEW1 (28.40 MPa), and the melting enthalpies were 137.60 J/g (PEW1) and 309.60 J/g (PEW2). TGA showed similar properties, but PEW2 contained more lignin; therefore, its decomposition temperature was higher. The PEW1 and PEW2 containers were completely biodegraded after approximately 7 and 11 weeks, respectively. Walnut shell powder increased the hardness, but slowed the biodegradation process. The applications of this biodegradable container are short-lived products such as food packaging.

Sustainable Home Meal Replacement (HMR) Consumption in Korea: Exploring Service Strategies Using a Modified Importance-Performance Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed traditional consumer consumption behavior and requires a new service strategy to cope with sustainable consumption. Moreover, it is necessary to focus academic attention on consumer behavior to cook and eat more easily amid Korea’s socioeconomic changes such as the increase in single-person households, aging, rising prices, and continuing economic recession. In this study, we used a revised importance–performance analysis (IPA) to identify specific measures to improve consumer satisfaction with home meal replacements (HMRs). An online survey of Korean adults who had purchased HMRs was conducted based on a convenience sampling method. According to the results, items that could be intensively improved were the ‘introduction of new dishes’, ‘creation of various flavors’, ‘cost-effectiveness, and ‘reasonable price’, whereas ‘easy to prepare’, ‘easily available’, and ‘identified country of origin’ received favorable assessments. With the growth of the non-face-to-face economy due to COVID-19, our findings suggest marketing strategies for sustainable HMR consumption.