Analysis of Water-Soluble Vitamin B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₃ , B ₇ , and B ₁₂ in Commonly Consumed Home Meal Replacement in Korea

This study analyzed the contents of water-soluble B vitamins, including vitamin B 1 , vitamin B 2 , vitamin B 3 , vitamin B 7 , and vitamin B 12 in 62 commonly consumed home meal replacement (HMR) products in South Korea.The vitamin contents were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.The vitamin B 1 content showed substantial variations among products, with higher levels observed in fish cake soup, soondae stir-fried products, and malatang.Vitamin B 2 was detected in all samples, with the highest content observed in tteokbokki B (0.487 mg/100 g) and the lowest in chewy udon and Nagasaki champon soup (0.023 mg/100 g each).Vitamin B 3 was detected in all products.The highest content was found in Cobb salad with Caesar dressing.The biotin content ranged from 0.193 to 2.668 μg/100 g, with higher values observed in seafood pancake, risotto B, and Cobb salad with Caesar dressing.The vitamin B 12 content ranged from 0.071 to 10.285 μg/100 g, with clam-based products exhibiting the highest values.Overall, the B vitamin content of home meal replacement products varied widely, even within similar food categories.These findings suggest that optimizing ingredient selection and cooking methods can substantially improve the nutritional quality of HMR products.This study provides valuable insights for developing nutritionally balanced and functional meal products, contributing to consumer health promotion and innovation in the food industry.