The coronavirus disease pandemic has contributed to increasing convenience in food preferences. Home meal replacement (HMR) products are ready-to-eat, -cook, or -heat foods, providing convenience for consumers. We developed a HMR product containing mackerel as a protein- and lipid-rich source using various food-processing technologies to maintain its nutritional content and prolong shelf life. The HMR product contained mackerel, radish, and sauce in a ratio of 5:1:4. Raw frozen mackerels were thawed by using a high-frequency defroster before being braised using a superheated steam roaster. Response surface methodology was employed to obtain the optimal heating conditions of 181 °C for 9 min. The final test HMR product was packed in a polypropylene plastic bowl prior to freezing at -35 °C for 1 h using a quick freezing system. The HMR product developed using these technologies exhibited stable microbiological and chemical properties for 90 days of storage. Sensory scores gradually decreased with increasing storage temperature and time. Protein content in the HMR product was 13%, 40% of which comprised essential amino acids; lipid content was 13.4%, 18% of which was composed of docosahexaenoic acid. The HMR product can preserve its quality and is considered safe for consumption for up to 40 months of storage at -18 °C.
Keywords: HMR; high-frequency defroster; mackerel; quick freezing; superheated steam roaster.