Characteristics of pork belly consumption in South Korea and their health implication

Abstract

Fresh pork belly is a highly popular meat in South Korea, accounting for 59 % of the approximately 100 g of meat per capita that is consumed daily. Fresh pork belly offers not only high-quality protein from the lean cuts but also substantial micronutrients including fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. However, fresh pork belly generally consists of about 30 % fat, with saturated fatty acids representing half of this value. Excessive consumption of saturated fatty acids increases total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides while decreasing high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, raising concerns about an increased risk of hyperlipidemia, followed by cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we discuss the consumption and production trends in South Korea, the general characteristics, and health issues related to fresh pork belly to delineate the features of pork production and consumer welfare.

Meat Quality and Physicochemical Trait Assessments of Berkshire and Commercial 3-way Crossbred Pigs

“…Pork remains the most highly consumed meat in the world and contains high quantities of complete proteins, essential nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and fats. South Korea is one of the highest pork-consuming countries in the world (Choe et al , 2015), and the pig industry is under corresponding pressure to satisfy consumer demands for high-quality pork products (Oh and See, 2012). Meat quality has become increasingly important economically and is affected by factors such as breed, sex, species, genetic background, nutrition, age, finishing weight, slaughter management, muscle type, and storage time (Gjerlaug-Enger, 2010; Muhlisin et al , 2014).…”

Erratum to: Nondestructive Estimation of Lean Meat Yield of South Korean Pig Carcasses Using Machine Vision Technique

“…The level of pork consumption in Korea ranked seventh in the world and third in Asia (Choe et al, 2015). Due to increasing consumption of pork in Korea, it has become necessary for the governing bodies and regulatory organizations to obtain objective data ARTICLE for pork production to maintain a stable national supply of pork.…”

Variability of Fresh Pork Belly Quality Evaluation Results Depends on Measurement Locations

“…This is partially due to the fact that meat content (muscle share) in belly has doubled over the last 40 years (Trusell et al 2011). Pork bellies are increasingly considered by current consumers as rich in taste and flavor (Choe et al 2015). This is a consequence of the reduced fat content in Blean^commercial cuts, but fat is after all the main carrier of taste.…”

“…Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world (OECD-FAO 2017); however, the demand for individual primal cuts varies across countries and regions (Uttaro and Zawadski 2010;Font-i-Furnols and Guerrero 2014;Choe et al 2015). The increase in pork consumption on especially not only Asian but also European markets has led to a high increase in demand for precisely quality-defined fresh pork bellies.…”