• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.445-457
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• 2020

Prebiotics are defined as "Nondigestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and activity of bacteria in the intestine" and as defined improve host health. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of bifidobacteria (Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 and Bifidobacterium longum BB536) growth enhancer (BE0623) supplement as a prebiotic. The addition of BE0623, a growth promoting material for bifidobacteria, significantly increased bifidobacteria viable cells counts in fermented milk by about 45 to 75 times compared to the non-added control group. In addition, microscopic observation showed a significant effect on proliferation of bifidobacteria in fermented milk with added BE0623. The viable cell counts in bifidobacteria also increased roughly 102-fold compared to the control group (non-added BE0623) and was higher than that of commercial growth promoters. Each fraction obtained though the purification of BE0623 influenced the increase of bifidobacteria growth. Culturing bifidobacteria with a combination of fractions of BE0623 had a synergistic effect compared to culturing bifidobacteria with each fraction individually. When any of the fractions were not added, the effect of the growth enhancer on bifidobacteria was reduced. These results indicate that all fractions contain substances that promote the growth of bifidobacteria. Therefore, BE0623 is considered to be available as a growth promoting material for bifidobacterium.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.575-587
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• 2021

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of supplementation with a Bifidobacteria enhanced yogurt (BE0623 yogurt), which includes Bifidobacterium lactis BB12, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bifidobacterium lactis, in the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using animal models and clinical trials. In a rat study, a loperamide-treated group (LOP) showed reduced water content in fecal pellets but showed an increased number of fecal pellets in the distal colon. In addition, the BE0623 yogurt (L-BE0623Y) group had the fewest fecal pellets in the distal colon. Regarding the serum lipid parameters, the LOP group had a high-density lipoprotein (HDL)/total cholesterol ratio that was 43% lower than that of a normal water group (NOR), but the outcome for the L-BE0623Y group was 27% lower than the NOR group. In a human study, 116 adults with IBS were sampled as subjects and fed 300 mL of yogurt per day for an eight week period. There was an IBS improvement in the L-BE0623Y and commercial yogurt (L-CY) groups, though flatulence, stool consistency and frequency of defecation outcomes were also noted. Specifically, the L-BE0623Y treatment group showed significant effects with regard to defecation duration and urgency after the consumption of the yogurt used in this study. These results suggest that the Bifidobacteria-enhanced yogurt has superior effects with regard to relieving loperamide-induced constipation in rats and that regular consumption of L-BE0623Y is effective to improve IBS in humans.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.209-218
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• 2021

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Bifidobacteria growth promoter BE0623 and a dietary fiber supplement, which included Bifidobacterium lactis BB12, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bifidobacterium lactis. In fermented milk containing BE0623, the viable cell count of Bifidobacteria significantly increased by about 45 to 75 times compared to the control, and the titratable acidity increased, whereas the pH decreased. All fractions obtained by isolating BE0623 had Bifidobacteria growth effect. Acacia dietary fiber is a pale yellow powder. It has a viscosity of 60 to 100 cPs and a pH between 4.1 and 5.0. Its general components are less than 10% moisture, more than 90% dietary fiber, and less than 4% ash. The optimal addition ratio of Bifidobacteria growth promoting material was determined to be 0.05%. The general components of the manufactured fermented milk were carbohydrate 17.85%, protein 3.63%, fat 3.00%, and dietary fiber 2.95%. During storage of the fermented milk for 24 days, its titratable acidity, viscosity, and sugar content all met the criteria. In addition, the viable cell counts of Bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria in the fermented milk were 1.7 × 10⁸ CFU·mL^-1 and 1.5 × 10⁷ CFU·mL^-1, respectively, and Escherichia coli was negative. There was no significant difference between the control group and the treatment group in the sensory evaluation of sweet, sour, weight, and flavor, and the preference for the treatment group was excellent. The acceptability of the fermented milk of the treated group according to the storage period was excellent in terms of color, flavor, and appearance.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.623-630
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• 2019

As the Asian region becomes strategically important in the international construction market, competition among construction firms has been more intense. While existing literature on the Asian construction market have mainly focused on qualitative approaches to market entry strategies and risk assessment, quantitative research to explain the dynamic competitive structure of the market has been rarely conducted. To address this issue, this study analyzes the structure of contract performance in the Asian region based on the data from 3,996 projects awarded to Korean construction firms from 2009 to 2017. In addition, this study applies a mathematical model using both static (market concentration) and dynamic (market mobility and instability) analyses. Consequently, the static analysis indicates that market concentration led by top-four firms tends to be increased, and on the dynamic aspect, the market position of Korean construction firms is recently weakened and fluctuated in most of the Asian regions and the construction sectors. The methodology and result of this paper would be meaningful not only to understand the underlying structure of industry-level performance but also to provide a useful reference for establishing competitive strategies towards the Asian market.