• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.250-260
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• 2012

In the present study, the antioxidative and antibacterial activities of Artemisia princeps Pampanini (A. princeps Pamp.) extract were investigated. The ethyl acetate fraction of A. princeps Pamp. showed the most prominent free radical (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH) scavenging activity ($FSC_{50}=12.27{\mu}g/mL$). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities ($OSC_{50}$) of A. princeps Pamp. extract on $Fe^{3+}-EDTA/H_2O_2$ systems were investigated using a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay. The ethyl acetate fraction of the extract ($OSC_{50}=0.33{\mu}g/mL$) had a 5 times greater ROS scavenging activity than L-ascorbic acid ($1.50{\mu}g/mL$), known as a water soluble antioxidant. The cellular protective effects of fractions of A. princeps Pamp. on the rose-bengal sensitized photohemolysis of human erythrocytes were examined. The aglycone fraction of extracts suppressed photohemolysis in a concentration dependent manner. The inhibitory effects of A. princeps Pamp. extract on tyrosinase were investigated to assess their whitening efficiency. The ethyl acetate fraction demonstrated a 7 times higher tyrosinase inhibitory effect ($IC_{50}=29.20{\mu}g/mL$) than albutin, known as a whitening agent. The antibacterial activity of ethyl acetate fractions against various normal skin flora were measured. The results showed that the antibacterial activity of the fraction was the highest on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Propionibacterium acnes. Antioxidant substances were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate fractions. Eupatilin and jaceosidin were identified. These results indicate that the extract/fractions of A. princeps Pamp. can function as antioxidant and/or antibacterial agents for the skin.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.190-197
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• 2010

To develop the safe and natural antimicrobial agents, the 68 ethanol extracts from the 61 different kinds of oriental herbal medicine were prepared and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated. The herbal medicine used were from China (46 kinds), South Korea (14 kinds), North Korea (5 kinds) and Vietnam (3 kinds), respectively, and the root (27 species) was popular part in this study. The average water content and extraction ratio for ethanol were 7.10% and 6.75%, respectively. Determination of antimicrobial activity by disc-diffusion assay at 0.5 mg/disc concentration showed that the extract of Angelica tenuissima Nakai (china), Illicium verum, Junci medulla, Rhus javanica L., Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and Syzygium aromaticum has strong antimicrobial activities against different food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Determination of MIC and MBC/MFC further showed that the extract of Syzygium aromaticum has MIC of 1.25 mg/mL and MBC/MFC of 1.25~5.00 mg/mL against Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. And, the extract of Junci medulla, Rhus javanica L. and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge showed strong antibacterial activities with MIC of 0.08~0.63 mg/mL and MBC/MFC of 0.08~2.50 mg/mL against the tested bacteria except E. coli and P. aeruginosa. In a while, the results of hemolytic activity of 68 different herbal extracts against human red blood cells showed that the extract of Angelica tenuissima Nakai has hemolytic activity at 0.5 mg/mL concentration. Therefore, Illicium verum, Junci medulla, Rhus javanica L., Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and Syzygium aromaticum were finally selected for natural antimicrobial resources. Further research on active substances and the mode of action of the selected herbal medicine is necessary.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.481-489
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• 2005

Lonicerae Flos has antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, pneumococci, Bacillus dysenterii, Salmonella typhi, and paratyphoid. It is an antiviral agent. The herb has a cytoprotective effect against $CCl_{4}-induced$ hepatic injury. It has antilipemic action, interfering with lipid absorption from the gut. Nowadays this herb is used mainly in the treatment of upper respiratory infections, such as tonsillitis and acute laryngitis. It is also used in the treatment of skin suppurations, such as carbuncles, and to treat viral conjunctivitis, influenza, pneumonia, and mastitis. Lonicerae Flos is dried flower buds of Lonicera japonica, L. hypoglauca, L. confusa, or L. dasystyla. But, for the most part, we use whole plant of Lonicera japonica, as a flower bud of it. And, little is known of the original copy of effects of whole plant, except for the 'Bon-Cho-Gang-Mok', which is written the effects of flower of Lonicera japonica are equal to effects of leaves and branch of it. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica on the regulatory mechanism of cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) for the immunological activities in Raw 264.7 cells. In Raw 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic inflammation, flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extracts inhibited nitric oxide production in a dose-dependent manner and abrogated iNOS and COX-2. Flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extract did not affect on cell viability. To investigate the mechanism by which flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extract inhibits iNOS and COX-2 gene expression, we examined the on phosphorylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and assessed production of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $interleukin-1{\beta}$ $(IL-1{\beta})$ and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results provided evidence that flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica inhibited the production of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and activated the phosphorylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ in Raw 264.7 cells activated with LPS. These findings suggest that flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.155-159
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• 2010

The antimicrobial activity of Sargassum fulvellum (SF) was investigated using the agar diffusion assay and MIC test. In addition, the stability of this activity under extreme heat and pH conditions was examined. The SF ethanol extract was shown to display strong antimicrobial activities against B. subtilis, C. perfringens, L. plantarum, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, S. cerevisae and C. tropicalis in the agar diffusion assay at the concentration of 4 mg/mL. The MIC value of the SF ethanol extract against the tested microbes ranged from 0.05 to 0.0063%. In the heat and pH stability test, the antimicrobial activity of the SF ethanol extract was not altered when the temperature was maintained at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min, and it was also not affected in the pH range of 2-10. These results suggest that the SF ethanol extract is highly stable against drastic changes in temperature and pH.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.104-110
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• 2013

This study assessed hazards at the harvest stage of strawberry farms which may cause risk to humans. A total of 216 samples were collected from 6 strawberry farms (soil culture farms: A, B, C; nutriculture farms: D, E, F) located in Western Gyeongnam. The collected samples were subjected for sanitary indicator bacteria (aerobic plate count, coliforms and Escherichia coli), major foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus), and fungi. The levels of APC and coliform in the soil culture farms were 1.0-6.9 and 0.4-4.6 log CFU/g (leaf, mL, hand or 100 $cm^2$), respectively. The samples obtained from the nutriculture farms were contaminated with the levels of 0.8-4.9, and 0.2-2.6 log CFU/g (leaf, mL, hand or 100 $cm^2$) of APC and coliform. However, E. coli was not detected in any samples. In major foodborne pathogens, S. aureus was detected at the level of ${\leq}$3.3 log CFU/hand in workers' hand samples and B. cereus was detected at the levels of 0.4-4.1 log CFU/g (hand or 100 $cm^2$) in soil, plants and workers' hygiene. L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. were not detected. Fungi were detected at the levels of 1.0-5.2 and 0.2-4.4 log CFU/g (leaf, mL, hand or 100 $cm^2$) in soil culture and nutriculture farms, respectively.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.435-444
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• 2009

In this study, Paeonia japonica powder was extracted with ethanol, and its antimicrobial activity was investigated. The ethanol extract of the P. japonica had antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The inhibition zones of the P. japonica ethanol extract (3 mg/disc) against B. subtilis, E. coli and S. aureus were 10, 11, 8.5 mm, respectively. To test the food preservation effect of P. japonica and determine the optimal ratio of the P. japonica extract in the formulation, Sulgidduk samples were prepared with substitutions of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1% P. japonica extract, and the quality characteristics of the samples were then investigated over 4 days of storage. In these experiments, total cell counts tended to decrease as the amount of added P. japonica extract increased. Moisture contents were not significantly different among the Sulgidduk samples. As the content of the P. japonica extract increased, the L-values of the samples decreased and the a- and b- values increased. In regards to the textural characteristics, the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of the Sulgidduk samples decreased as the amount of P. japonica extract increased; however, they increased with the progression of storage time. Adhesiveness, springiness and cohesiveness were not significantly different at the different P. japonica extract concentrations and decreased with storage time. In the sensory evaluation, the control group had significantly higher scores for color, flavor and after taste as compared to the P. japonica extract added groups. When the P. japonica extract content was increased, the flavor and overall acceptability decreased, while Bakjakyak flavor, bitterness and off-flavor increased. Softness was not significantly different among the samples. In conclusion, the results indicate that substituting $0.25{\sim}1%$ P. japonica extract in Sulgidduk is optimal for quality and provides a product with reasonably high overall acceptability.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.858-865
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• 2012

In this research, the soaking and steaming conditions of Korean wheat meju according to the degree of milling were investigated, and the quality characteristic was analyzed, for the manufacture of the standardized Korean wheat meju. As a result of the changes in weight, volume, moisture content, and moisture absorption amount, which indicate the physical properties of Korean wheat meju using 20% polished wheat, 50% polished wheat, whole wheat, and whole wheat flour, most of the wheat materials reached the equilibrium state after 4 hours of soaking. Also, the appropriate steaming time to complete the cooking of the wheat materials was found to be 10 min at $100^{\circ}C$, except for whole wheat. The 20 and 50% polished wheat materials were selected for Korean wheat meju based on the soaking and steaming results. The selected wheat materials were fermented using Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus subtilis M1, respectively, and the quality properties and enzyme activities showed that A. oryzae would be effective for the manufacture of Korean wheat meju. Also, the 50% polished wheat showed higher total sugar content, reducing sugar content, and ${\alpha}$-amylase activity than the 20% polished wheat. Therefore, it is supposed that the fermentation of 50% polished wheat by A. oryzae would be appropriate for manufacturing superior Korean wheat meju.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.586-594
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• 2010

We evaluated changes in the microbiological quality and safety of food items (vegetables, seaweed, and processed food) supplied to elementary school food services to evaluate the distribution/delivery system. Pretreated vegetables, seaweed, and processed food were delivered to schools in refrigerated (${\leq}10^{\circ}C$) vans that made several delivery stops before arriving at the schools. During the distribution stage, total plate and coliforms counts were: bellflower roots $7.6{\times}10^5-6.7{\times}10^6$ and $5.8{\times}10^4-5.2{\times}10^5$ CFU/g; blanched bracken $4.5{\times}10^3-2.1{\times}10^5$, $5.0{\times}10^3-1{\times}10^4$ CFU/g; onion $1.2{\times}10^4-1.4{\times}10^4$, $5.0{\times}10$ CFU/g; soybean sprouts $9.6{\times}10^4-6.3{\times}10^7$ and $1.1{\times}10^3-1.2{\times}10^7$ CFU/g; soybean curd < $10-9.7{\times}10^5$ and < $10-2.3{\times}10^5$ CFU/g; and starch jelly < $10-3.8{\times}10^3$ and <10 CFU/g. Bacillus cereus < $10-4.1{\times}10^2$ CFU/g, Escherichia coli $1.0{\times}10-2.0{\times}10$ CFU/g, and Staphylococcus aureus $1.3{\times}10^2-4.1{\times}10^2$ CFU/g were detected on peeled bellflower, whereas B. cereus < $10-4.1{\times}10^2$ CFU/g, Listeria monocytogenes $1.0{\times}10-4.5{\times}10^2$ CFU/g, and S. aureus $1.8{\times}10^2-4.5{\times}10^2$ CFU/g, were detected on soybean sprouts. Most food items were double-wrapped in vinyl and placed in corrugated cardboard boxes prior to delivery, but the boxes, when placed in vans, were not segregated from other food items being delivered to schools and other destinations.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.808-813
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• 2011

This study was conducted to reduce the dependability of farmers on chemical fertilizers for rice cultivation. Soil chemical and biological properties were monitored before experiment and at the time of harvesting. The results showed that EC, available $SiO_2$, and exchangeable $Ca^{2+}$ were decreased at the time of harvesting while pH, OM, and exchangeable $K^+$ and $Mg^{2+}$ were remain unchanged, compared with soil before experiment. Population of aerobic bacteria, Bacillus sp., and fungi were also increased at the time of harvesting in the paddy field, compared with before fertilization, in the treatment of 50% soil-testing fertilizer+ 50% compost. Concentrations of N, P, and K in rice leaves increased with the fertilizers application, maximum increase was recorded in 50% soil-testing fertilizer+ 50% compost. Non-significant difference was observed in the morphological parameters of rice among the treatments. The chlorophyll contents of rice leaf increased in a similar fashion up to 60 days, thereafter, sharp decrease was observed in all the treatments. Maximum yield (per 10a) was recorded in the field treated with 50% soil-testing fertilizer+ 50% compost followed by standard applied fertilizer, 70% soil-testing fertilizer+ 30% compost, soil-testing fertilizer and unfertilized plot. Amylose content showed non-significant difference within the treatments. Protein content increased with the use of fertilizers and best protein content was recorded in the treatment of 50% soil-testing fertilizer+ 50% compost. It was concluded that the amount of the chemical fertilizer used was directly proportional to the protein content of rice grain. However, the palatability of rice grown in unfertilized field was better than the treatments but minimum yield was obtained. Hence, the treatment of 50% soil-testing fertilizer+ 50% compost, was the best among the fertilizer combinations for rice cultivation as supported by the yield, protein and palatability index.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.824-829
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• 2011

In recent years, there has been an increasing public concern about fecal contamination of water, air and agricultural produce by pathogens residing in organic fertilizers such as manure, compost and agricultural by-products. Efforts are now being made to control or eliminate the pathogen populations at on-farm level. Development of efficient on-farm strategies to mitigate the potential risk posed by the pathogens requires data about how the pathogens prevail in livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers. Microbiological analysis of livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers obtained from 32 and 28 companies, respectively, were conducted to determine the total aerobic bacteria count, coliforms, Escherichia coli count and the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Cronobacter sakazakii. The total aerobic bacteria counts in the livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers were in the range of 7 to $9log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and 4 to $6log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$, respectively. In the livestock manure composts, coliforms and E. coli were detected in samples obtained from 4 and 2 companies, respectively, in the range of 2 to $5log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and $2log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$. In the organic fertilizers, coliforms and E. coli were detected in samples obtained from 4 and 1 companies, respectively, in the range of 1 to $3log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and $2log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$. In 3 out 32 compost samples, B. cereus was detected, while other pathogens were not detected. In 28 organic fertilizers, no pathogens were detected. The complete composting process can result in the elimination of pathogens in livestock manure compost and organic fertilizer. The results of this study could help to formulate microbiological guidelines for the use of compost in environmental-friendly agriculture. This research provides information regarding microbiological quality of livestock manure compost and organic fertilizer.