• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aims to explore the critical factors in the quality control activities of agricultural products in e-commerce companies and analyze how these factors affect customers' perceived value and repurchase intention. Finally, it further reveals the mediating role of perceived value between the factors of quality control activities of agricultural products and customer repurchase intention. Research design, data and methodology: This study identified six independent factors within agricultural product quality control activities: freshness, assurance, diversity, grading, packaging, and timeliness. Subsequently, the impact of these factors on customer repurchase intention was analyzed. Additionally, perceived value was considered as an intermediary variable between the independent and dependent variables. Data was gathered from 269 Chinese consumers who had experience purchasing on agricultural product e-commerce websites. Results: The study results indicate that the relevant factors within agricultural product quality control activities strongly influence customer repurchase intention, with perceived value mediating this relationship. Conclusions: The significance of this study lies in its exploration of the relevant factors within agricultural product e-commerce's product quality control activities. It identifies their impact on customer repurchase intention and confirms the mediating role of perceived value. The results of this research offer valuable insights and practical guidance for academics in related research fields and practitioners in the agricultural product e-commerce industry.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.667-678
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• 2022

A characteristic of a region's environmental resources is the competitiveness of local agricultural products. This study explores methods of making locally produced agricultural products appealing to consumers. We looked at ways to appeal to consumers by using the image of environment resource and environment-agriculture product image congruence. The relationships of two dimensions of environmental image, perceived quality and purchase intention, are examined. From the results of the study, both the image of environment resource and environment-agriculture product image congruence have a positive effect on purchasing local agricultural products through perceived quality. This study tried to ascertain which of the two dimensions of the environmental image factor is more effective in terms of consumer appeal for local agricultural products. As a result, both the image of environment resource and environment-agricultural product image congruence are found to have a positive effect on the purchase intention of consumers through perceived quality. By comparing the paths of the two dimensions it is found that the method of appealing to consumers by using the environment-agriculture product image congruence is more effective. The results of this study present an effective method of making locally produced agricultural products appealing to consumers and suggest an effective strategic direction for selling local agricultural products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.160-170
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• 2019

The lactic acid bacteria species Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) has been used extensively for vaccine delivery. Considering to the critical role of dendritic cells in stimulating host immune response, in this study, we constructed a novel CD11c-targeting L. plantarum strain with surface-displayed variable fragments of anti-CD11c, single-chain antibody (scFv-CD11c). The newly designed L. plantarum strain, named 409-aCD11c, could adhere and invade more efficiently to bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) in vitro due to the specific interaction between scFv-CD11c and CD11c located on the surface of BMDCs. After incubation with BMDCs, the 409-aCD11c strain harboring a eukaryotic vector pValac-GFP could lead to more efficient expression of GFP compared with wild-type strains shown by flow cytometry analysis, indicating the enhanced translocation of pValac-GFP from L. plantarum to BMDCs. Similar results were also observed in an in vivo study, which showed that oral administration resulted in efficient expression of GFP in both Peyer's patches (PP) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) within 7 days after the last administration. In addition, the CD11c-targeting strain significantly promoted the differentiation and maturation of DCs, the differentiation of $IL-4^+$ and $IL-17A^+$ T helper (Th) cells in MLNs, as well as production of $B220^+$ $IgA^+$ B cells in the PP. In conclusion, this study developed a novel DC-targeting L. plantarum strain which could increase the ability to deliver eukaryotic expression plasmid to host cells, indicating a promising approach for vaccine study.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.1276-1280
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• 2017

The mcr-1 gene is a new "superbug" gene discoverd in China in 2016 that makes bacteria highly resistant to the last-resort class of antibiotics. The mcr-1 gene raised serious concern about its possible global dissemination and spread. Here, we report a potential anti-resistant strategy using the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated approach that can efficiently induce mcr-1 gene knockout in Escherichia coli. Our findings suggested that using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to knock out the resistance gene mcr-1 might be a potential anti-resistant strategy. Bovine myeloid antimicrobial peptide-27 could help deliver plasmid pCas::mcr targeting specific DNA sequences of the mcr-1 gene into microbial populations.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.515-525
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• 2020

Interferon (IFN)-λ plays an essential role in mucosal cells which exhibit strong antiviral activity. Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) has substantial application potential in the food and medical industries because of its probiotic properties. Alphacoronaviruses, especially porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), cause high morbidity and mortality in piglets resulting in economic loss. Co-infection by these two viruses is becoming increasingly frequent. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a new drug to prevent diarrhea infected with mixed viruses in piglets. In this study, we first constructed an anchored expression vector with CWA (C-terminal cell wall anchor) on L. plantarum. Second, we constructed two recombinant L. plantarum strains that anchored IFN-λ3 via pgsA (N-terminal transmembrane anchor) and CWA. Third, we demonstrated that both recombinant strains possess strong antiviral effects against coronavirus infection in the intestinal porcine epithelial cell line J2 (IPEC-J2). However, recombinant L. plantarum with the CWA anchor exhibited a more powerful antiviral effect than recombinant L. plantarum with pgsA. Consistent with this finding, Lb.plantarum-pSIP-409-IFN-λ3-CWA enhanced the expression levels of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) (ISG15, OASL, and Mx1) in IPEC-J2 cells more than did recombinant Lb.plantarum-pSIP-409-pgsA'-IFN-λ3. Our study verifies that recombinant L. plantarum inhibits PEDV and TGEV infection in IPEC-J2 cells, which may offer great potential for use as a novel oral antiviral agent in therapeutic applications for combating porcine epidemic diarrhea and transmissible gastroenteritis. This study is the first to show that recombinant L. plantarum suppresses PEDV and TGEV infection of IPEC-J2 cells.

• Agribusiness and Information Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2011

This study describes the development of a web-based system that collects all data generated in the research conducted to set pre-harvest residue limits (PHRLs) for agricultural product safety control. These data, including concentrations of pesticide residues, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, recoveries, weather charts, and growth rates, are incorporated into a database, a regression analysis of the data is performed using statistical techniques, and the PHRL for an agricultural product is automatically computed. The development and establishment of this system increased the efficiency and improved the reliability of the research in this area by standardizing the data and maintaining its accuracy without temporal or spatial limitations. The system permits automatic computation of the PHRL and a quick review of the goodness of fit of the regression model. By building and analyzing a database, it also allows data accumulated over the last 10 years to be utilized.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.911-926
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• 2021

We devised a grape variety model to estimate the impact of lowering the Shine Muscat quality level on the grape market. Shine Muscat has become a popular grape variety in Korea. Accordingly, the area devoted to the harvesting of Shine Muscat has increased dramatically since 2016. Our study examines how a reduction in the quality of Shine Muscat affects other grapes such as Campbell Early, giant peak, and Muscat Bailey A (MBA). The Armington model was used to impose consumer preferences and product differentiation assumptions. We found that a decrease in the consumer preference for Shine Muscat realized by lowering the quality of Shine Muscat largely reduces the price of this variety. Also, the prices of other grape varieties fell via a substitute effect. Moreover, if grape varieties were more differentiated, the reduction in the price of Shine Muscat would be greater, while the decreases in the prices of other grape varieties would be smaller. These results imply that farmers of Shine Muscat must continue with quality management efforts to avoid the negative effect of changing consumer behavior with regard to Shine Muscat against a reduction in its quality. Our model introduces a product differentiation model for the fruit market and helps policymakers and farmers understand the impact of changing market conditions in the fruit market.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1717-1725
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• 2013

Traditional soybean paste from Shandong Liangshan and Tianyuan Jiangyuan commercial soybean paste were chosen for analysis and comparison of their bacterial and fungal dynamics using denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. The bacterial diversity results showed that more than 20 types of bacteria were present in traditional Shandong soybean paste during its fermentation process, whereas only six types of bacteria were present in the commercial soybean paste. The predominant bacteria in the Shandong soybean paste were most closely related to Leuconostoc spp., an uncultured bacterium, Lactococcus lactis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus spp., and Citrobacter freundii. The predominant bacteria in the Tianyuan Jiangyuan soybean paste were most closely related to an uncultured bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis, and an uncultured Leuconostoc spp. The fungal diversity results showed that 10 types of fungi were present in the Shandong soybean paste during the fermentation process, with the predominant fungi being most closely related to Geotrichum spp., an uncultured fungal clone, Aspergillus oryzae, and yeast species. The predominant fungus in the commercial soybean paste was Aspergillus oryzae.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.283-295
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• 2017

This study analyzed the effect of the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of gochujang, Korean red chili paste, on purchasing intention and recommendation intention for consumption. Survey participants were female, married, aged 30 - 39 years, and highly educated with graduation from a university. Most participants purchased gochujang 1 - 2 times per year, most commonly at a shopping mall, and acquired information on the gochujang product from an advertisement or sponsored TV shows. For the factor analysis, five variables for intrinsic quality were considered: namely, healthiness, economics, convenience, diversity, and sense, whereas three variables were considered for extrinsic quality: trust, external appearance, and image. The factor analysis also confirmed the correlation between the validity and the reliability of the purchasing and recommendation intentions. The effect of intrinsic quality of gochujang on purchasing and recommendation intentions was tested through a multiple regression analysis. The purchase intention was most significantly affected by healthiness, cost, and convenience. On the other hand, the recommendation intention was most significantly affected by the diversity and, to a lesser degree, by the healthiness of the product. Among the extrinsic qualities, trust of consumers and the product appearance had a significant effect on purchasing intention. Recommendation intention was significantly affected by the appearance. And trust significantly influenced the recommendation. Therefore, a concrete and systematic marketing approach considering these factors.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2017

Soybean agglutinin (SBA) is an anti-nutritional factor of soybean, affecting cell proliferation and inducing cytotoxicity. Integrins are transmembrane receptors, mediating a variety of cell biological processes. This research aims to study the effects of SBA on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression of the intestinal epithelial cell line from piglets (IPEC-J2), to identify the integrin subunits especially expressed in IPEC-J2s, and to analyze the functions of these integrins on IPEC-J2 cell cycle progression and SBA-induced IPEC-J2 cell cycle alteration. The results showed that SBA lowered cell proliferation rate as the cell cycle progression from G0/G1 to S phase (P < 0.05) was inhibited. Moreover, SBA lowered mRNA expression of cell cycle-related gene CDK4, Cyclin E and Cyclin D1 (P < 0.05). We successfully identified integrins ${\alpha}2$, ${\alpha}3$, ${\alpha}6$, ${\beta}1$, and ${\beta}4$ in IPEC-J2s. These five subunits were crucial to maintain normal cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in IPEC-J2s. Restrain of either these five subunits by their inhibitors, lowered cell proliferation rate, and arrested the cells at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle (P < 0.05). Further analysis indicated that integrin ${\alpha}2$, ${\alpha}6$, and ${\beta}1$ were involved in the blocking of G0/G1 phase induced by SBA. In conclusion, these results suggested that SBA lowered the IPEC-J2 cell proliferation rate through the perturbation of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, integrins were important for IPEC-J2 cell cycle progression, and they were involved in the process of SBA-induced cell cycle progression alteration, which provide a basis for further revealing SBA anti-proliferation and anti-nutritional mechanism.