• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.295-301
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• 2015

Biological compounds such as crude saponin and total polyphenol were determined in Allium hookeri roots and leaves. In addition, activities of DPPH radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibition activity and nitrite scavenging were detected in concentrates of 70% ethanol extracts of Allium hookeri roots and leaves. The crude saponin content of the roots and leaves were 4.28 mg/g, and 4.17 mg/g, respectively. Total polyphenol and total flavonoid content was higher in leaves than roots. Furthermore the DPPH radical scavenging activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of leaves was higher than roots. For ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, 70% ethanol extracts of Allium hookeri roots and leaves showed 60% activity inhibition at a 10 mg/mL concentration. Nitrite scavenging abilities under acidic conditions were most effective for Allium hookeri leaves extracts. These results suggested that Allium hookeri leaves might be used as the components of health functional food.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.283-288
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• 2022

The study aimed to investigate the psychological effect of the emotional insect-assisted healing program on the stress experienced by 43 children in a community child center. Silkworm (Bombyx mori [Linnaeus]) was used in the healing programs, and the stress was measured using salivary alpha-amylase levels. Saliva samples and a survey on insect preference were collected before and after the healing programs, respectively. After the program, the satisfaction score for participation was evaluated. Results indicate that the emotional insect-assisted healing programs led to statistically significant lowering of salivary alpha-amylase levels and increased the preference for insects. The children's satisfaction in the healing program activities using silkworms was 4.23 points out of 5.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.570-583
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• 2021

Pyrococcus furiosus α-amylase can hydrolyze α-1,4 linkages in starch and related carbohydrates under hyperthermophilic condition (~ 100℃), showing great potential in a wide range of industrial applications, while its relatively low productivity from heterologous hosts has limited the industrial applications. Bacillus subtilis, a gram-positive bacterium, has been widely used in industrial production for its non-pathogenic and powerful secretory characteristics. This study was conducted to increase production of P. furiosus α-amylase in B. subtilis through three strategies. Initial experiments showed that co-expression of P. furiosus molecular chaperone peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase through genomic integration mode, using a CRISPR/Cas9 system, increased soluble amylase production. Therefore, considering that native P. furiosus α-amylase is produced within a hyperthermophilic environment and is highly thermostable, heat treatment of intact culture at 90℃ for 15 min was performed, thereby greatly increasing soluble amylase production. After optimization of the culture conditions (nitrogen source, carbon source, metal ion, temperature and pH), experiments in a 3-L fermenter yielded a soluble activity of 3,806.7 U/ml, which was 3.3- and 28.2-fold those of a control without heat treatment (1,155.1 U/ml) and an empty expression vector control (135.1 U/ml), respectively. This represents the highest P. furiosus α-amylase production reported to date and should promote innovation in the starch liquefaction process and related industrial productions. Meanwhile, heat treatment, which may promote folding of aggregated P. furiosus α-amylase into a soluble, active form through the transfer of kinetic energy, may be of general benefit when producing proteins from thermophilic archaea.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.463-467
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• 2005

To reduce salt content in Korean traditional kochujang, horseradish powder (1.2%, w/w) was added to kochujang with 4-10% salt, and its microbial characteristics, enzyme activities, and gas formation in kochujang were evaluated during fermentation far 120 days at $25^{\circ}C$. All treatments of kochujang had no effects on total viable bacterial numbers, which kept constant level, during fermentation (7.32-8.765 log CFU/g). Yeast numbers did not change under all treatments up to 90 days of fermentation, then decreased thereafter, ${\alpha}$-Amylase and ${\beta}$-amylase, and neutral- and acid-pretense activities of kochujang added with horseradish powder were higher than those of control group. ${\beta}$-Amylase activity of kochujang increased in proportion to salt concentration. Total accumulative volume of gas produced during fermentation of kochujang without horseradish powder was 5,892 mL/pack then decreased to 121-347mL/pack with low-salted kochujang (salt 4%, 6%) added with horseradish powder, Major gas produced was $CO_{2}(74-80%)$. Results indicate salt contents of kochujang could be lowered up to 6% by addition of horseradish powder without gas formation and quality alteration.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.696-701
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• 2003

Rice seeds of 4 cultivars including Whachung and Nampung, of the non-waxy rice cultivars, and Shinsunchalbyeo and Whachungchabyeo, of the waxy rice cultivars, were germinated at $27^{\circ}C$ for 3 days to compare the changes in some physico-chemical properties of the starch granules and the starch-hydrolysing enzyme activities during germination, respectively. With the starch granules, the amount of long glucose chains from amylose molecules were reduced in the non-waxy rices, while the chain length increased in the waxy rices. In the distribution profile of the glucose chain length from amylose molecules, we could observed that the chain length with DP (degree of polymerization) ranged 33 to 66 increased with the decreasing rate of the chain length with that above 130, regardless of the waxiness of rices. In addition, we observed that in contrast to a increase in chain length with DP ranged 14 to 33, the amount of short chains from A chain fraction decreased. Germination induced slight reduction in the polymerization rate of starch granules, and decrease in both initiation and termination temperatures for the gelatinization. ${\alpha}-Amylase$ activity of rices germinated for 3 days found to he higher than that of malt. Especially, the activity of Shinsunchalbyeo was revealed to be highest, about two fold higher than that of malt. In contrast, ${\beta}-amylase$ of the waxy rice found to be considerably less active than malt, although the waxy showed prevalent activity as compared to the non-waxy rices.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.369-373
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• 2009

${\alpha}$-Waxy corn starch was used as a feed for twin-screw extrusion in order to enhance starch liquefaction with added thermostable ${\alpha}$-amylase (derived from Bacillus licheniformis). The residence time distribution and starch liquefaction were investigated. The starch liquefaction was analyzed in terms of reducing sugar contents, molecular size from gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and microstructure from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The use of ${\alpha}$-starch contributed to the production of more reducing sugar than the use of raw starch use alone. From GPC, the effect of ${\alpha}$- starch on the molecular size reduction was shown to be small. From SEM, irregular and damaged surface were observed on the extrudate from ${\alpha}$-starch, as compared to those from raw starch. The spread of residence time distribution curves was greater with feed of ${\alpha}$-starch than raw starch, indicating that ${\alpha}$-starch was hard to flow forward during extrusion. This could be improved by increasing the feed moisture content and barrel temperature of extruder.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.421-428
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• 2018

Postprandial hyperglycemia plays an important role in the development of Type 2 Diabetes and diabetic complications. Controlling postprandial hyperglycemia is the most important factor for reducing the risks of diabetic complications in Type 2 diabetic patients. This study was designed to determine whether Portulaca oleracea L. extract suppresses the activation of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, and lowers postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic mice through streptozotocin. P. oleracea was extracted with either 80% ethanol (PEE) or water (PWE), and the extract solutions were concentrated. The ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibition assays were performed using the chromogenic method. Normal mice and STZ-induced diabetic mice were orally treated with PEE, PWE (300 mg/kg of body weight) or acarbose (100 mg/kg of body weight), with soluble starch (2 g/kg of body weight). The ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibitory effectiveness by PEE were markedly more effective than PWE, and both extracts indicated a higher effectiveness than the acarbose (positive control). The rise in postprandial blood glucose due to starch loading was markedly inhibited in the PEE group when compared to the control group in diabetic and normal mice. Furthermore, the area under the concentration-time curve values were markedly declined by the PEE injection in the diabetic group when compared to that exerted for the control group. These results demonstrate that P. oleracea extracts lower postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, and that the ethanol extract is more efficacious than the water extract.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2010

The potential biological activities of methanol extract and 5 fractions (hexane, $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, BuOH and water) from roots of Astragalus membranaceus were examined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical (${\cdot}OH$) scavenging activity, reducing power assays, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, $\alpha$-amylase and $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibition assays. The EtOAc fraction showed high DPPH free radical scavenging activity ($EC_{50}=170.34\;{\mu}g/mL$), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity ($EC_{50}=32.14\;{\mu}g/mL$), lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity ($EC_{50}=52.46\;{\mu}g/mL$) and a concentration dependence, with OD value ranging from 0.234 to 0.345 (0.1 to 0.5 mg/mL), for reducing power. The EtOAc fraction has the highest total phenolic content ($142.13\;Gal\;{\mu}g/mg$) and the $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction has the highest flavonoid content ($71.63\;Que\;{\mu}g/mg$). Meanwhile, hexane and EtOAc showed certain $\alpha$-amylase and $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibition activities. These results suggest that the methanol extract and fractions from Astragalus membranaceus root have significant antioxidant and anti-diabetes activities, which could be used as a potential source of pharmaceutical materials.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2011

The potential biological activities of water and ethanol extracts from two varieties of Rubus coreanus Miquel fruits produced in the Gochang-gun (GR) and Hoengseong-gun (HR) regions of Korea were examined. The hydroxyl radical ($\cdot$OH) scavenging activity, reducing power, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, and antiproliferative activity on cancer cells by these extracts were examined, and $\alpha$-amylase and $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibition assays were also performed. The EtOH extract from GR showed high hydroxyl radical scavenging activity ($EC_{50}=119.47{\pm}5.13\;{\mu}g/mL$), lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity ($EC_{50}=213.45{\pm}3.14\;{\mu}g/mL$) and a concentration dependence, with OD values ranging from 0.15 to 0.56 (50 to 200 ${\mu}g/mL$), for reducing power. The EtOH extract from GR has the highest antiproliferative activities on MDA-MB-231 and HepG2 cancer cells among four extracts. Meanwhile, all extracts showed certain $\alpha$-amylase and $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibition activities. These results indicate that extracts from two varieties of R. coreanus fruits have significant antioxidant, anti-diabetic and anti-tumorigenic activities, which suggest these extracts could be a potential source for pharmaceutical.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2011

In this study, we evaluated the bioactivities of methanol extract and its solvent fractions of Sonchus asper (L.) Hill. The EtOAc fraction of S. asper exhibited more strong antioxidant activity than other extracts as evidenced by the strongest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity with a $EC_{50}$ value at $33.55\;{\mu}g/mL$ and reducing power, the total polyphenol (180.71 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid contents (145.86 mg QE/g) of S. asper extract were higher than other extracts. The EtOAc fraction of the S. asper also showed 47.38% mushroom tyrosinase inhibition activity, 56.22% ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition and 46.58% ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibition ratio at 1 mg/mL. Both methylene chloride and EtOAc fractions of methanol extract of S. asper effectively reduced of the 86.34% and 62.03% angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) activity at 2 mg/mL, respectively. These findings suggest that the EtOAc fraction of the S. asper could be a potential antioxidant in food additive, medicinal, and industry product.