LAUSR

Objectives Home meal replacements (HMRs) are convenient foods that are cooked or semi-cooked to eat directly or after simple cooking in substitution for traditional home meals. The purpose of this study was to assess nutritional value focusing on minerals of HMRs currently sold in Korea. Methods This study examined nutritional content in 118 popular HMRs through nutrition labeling, analyzed the mineral content of 30 typical HMRs, and assessed the nutritional value focusing on minerals in the 8 types of HMRs (cup-rice with soup, cup-rice, instant rice, porridge, soup, stew, sauce, and side dish). Results The weight per HMR package of single serving was the highest for the porridge HMR. The energy and carbohydrate content per HMR package were the highest in cup-rice and instant rice, while the sugar, protein, and fat contents were the highest in side dish. The Na content per HMR package was the highest in cup-rice with soup. There was no significant difference in Ca content per package among HMR types. However, the contents of Mg, Fe, Cu, and Zn were the highest in cup-rice. Regarding the mineral's Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ), Ca did not reach 1 except for 1.4 of stew, while Fe was high over 2 except for soup and sauce without significant difference according to HMR type. And, Mg and Zn were the highest in stew, and Cu was in porridge. When instant rice was mixed with stew, sauce, and side dish, respectively, the protein INQ was significantly increased in the combination of instant rice with side dish, but the mineral INQ was not significantly changed except for a decrease in Cu. Conclusions When HMR is consumed as a meal, protein meets the Recommended Intake (RI) if the energy requirement is met, but minerals such as Ca, Mg, and Zn cannot meet the RI. Therefore, the findings suggest that consumers select HMRs with food sources of these minerals and that producers of HMRs develop products containing higher amounts of these minerals. Funding Sources None.