• 한국포장학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.181-193
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• 2023

In this study, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of two different products, considering reusable and single-use packaging for fresh food distribution. For reusable packaging, we utilized expanded polyethylene (EPE), while for comparison, a disposable box made of widely used expanded polystyrene (EPS) was selected. We comprehensively analyzed the environmental impacts of production, transportation, reprocessing (for reused boxes), and disposal across 18 impact categories. Upon analyzing the actual reuse of 300 rounds of fresh food, the cumulative global warming potential (GWP) values for the EPE box were found to be 280.21 kg carbon dioxide (CO₂) eq, demonstrating a significant 75% reduction compared to those of the EPS box. Furthermore, it was observed that the GWP values for the EPE boxes became equivalent to those of the EPS boxes after 12 rounds of reuse. In conclusion, reusable packaging shows substantial potential to contribute to the reduction of environmental burdens, aligning well with global environmental requirements for sustainable food distribution and related industries.

• 한국포장학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.67-73
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• 2022

The food cold chain refers to a technology and distribution supply chain applied to maintain a constant temperature suitable for the product from production (harvest) to delivery to consumers. In particular, in Korea, the insulation material used in the food cold chain is mostly EPS (Expanded Polystyrene), which is used as a transport container for various food cold chains. However, according to the government's eco-friendly policy, companies charge environmental contributions to the use of EPS, but due to its low price and convenience of handling, it is still used as a container for delivering food. In this study, in order to measure the domestic delivery environment of general refrigerated foods, changes in impact, temperature, and humidity during transport of the EPS packaging system containing foods and ice pack refrigerants were measured. As a result, there were 2?3 sections in which a high impact force of 40 G or more was generated during transport. This can cause damage to the product and EPS container. The difference in temperature and humidity changes by parcel transport routes is more than 30%, so it is necessary to present accurate standards for the domestic cold chain distribution environment. As a result of microbial experiments. the transportation period had a dominant effect on the increase in total viable count and E. coli count.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.157-166
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• 2023

Three lactic acid bacteria (LAB) producing exopolysaccharides (EPSs) were isolated from Pa (green onion)-kimchi, and identified as Weissella confusa (SKP 173), Weissella cibaria (SKP 182), and Leuconostoc citreum (SKP 281), respectively by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The yields of EPS were 21.27, 18.53, and 15.4 g/l for EPS from SKP 173, 182, and 281, respectively when grown in MRS broth containing sucrose (5%, w/v). Total sugar contents were 64.39, 62.84, and 65.16% (w/w) for EPS from SKP 173, 182, and 281, respectively while the protein contents were 0.33, 0.31, and 0.25% (w/w), respectively. EPSs from W. confusa SKP 173 and W. cibaria SKP 182 contained glucose only but EPS from L. citreum SKP 281 contained glucose and glucitol. Viscosities of the 2% (w/w) freeze-dried EPS solution were 9.60, 8.00, and 8.20 centipoise (cP) for EPS from SKP 173, 182, and 281, respectively. Viscosities of culture grown in MRS broth with 5% sucrose (no glucose) were 92.98, 57.19, and 18.8 cP, respectively. The average molecular weights of EPSs were larger than 2 × 10⁷ Da. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses of EPSs showed typical carbohydrate peaks, suggesting that the EPSs consisted of pyranose saccharides with α-(1,6) and α-(1,3) glycosidic linkages. L. citreim SKP 281 was used as the starter for yogurt fermentation, and EPS production was confirmed.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.117-123
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• 2016

Bioconversion of aglycone-formed isoflavones from glycoside-formed isoflavones by commercial lactic acid bacteria in fermented soybean paste was evaluated. Enterococcus faecium KCTC 13410 showed the most resistant capacity and Lactobacillus acidophilus KCTC 3925 had a sensitive susceptibility at a high NaCl concentration (13.2%) in fermented soybean paste. Among the 5 strains tested, Lac. acidophilus KCTC 3925 showed the highest relative ratio of aglycone-formed isoflavones to total isoflavones in fermented soybean paste. Production of exopolysaccarides (EPS) by lactic acid bacteria was compared using de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe medium containing 1% sucrose at $37^{\circ}C$ for 48 h. Among the 5 lactic acid bacteria, Lac. acidophilus KCTC 3925 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus KCTC 3929 were investigated to produce EPS. Based on the results concerning growing susceptibility and conversion of aglycone-formed isoflavones/EPS production, it is anticipated that Lac. acidophilus KCTC 3925 may be used for preparation of Cheonggukjang, which contains relative low NaCl content.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권11호
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• pp.1545-1551
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• 2021

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) such as capsular polysaccharide (CPS) are important bioactive carbohydrate compounds and are often used as bioenrichment agents and bioabsorbers to remove environmental pollutants like di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP). Among the EPS-producing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have gained the most attention. As generally recognized as safe (GRAS) microorganisms, LAB can produce EPSs having many different structures and no health risks. However, EPS production by LAB does not meet the needs of large-scale application on an industrial scale. Here, the capA gene (encoding CPS biosynthesis protein) was overexpressed in Lactobacillus plantarum P1 to improve the production of EPSs and further enhance the DBP adsorption capability. Compared with P1, the CPS production in capA overexpressed strain was increased by 11.3 mg/l, and the EPS thickness was increased from 0.0786 ± 0.0224 ㎛ in P1 to 0.1160 ± 0.0480 ㎛ in P1-capA. These increases caused the DBP adsorption ratio of P1-capA to be doubled. Overall, the findings in this study provide a safe method for the adsorption and removal of DBP.

• 한국포장학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.53-62
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• 2024

Molded pulp products has become more attractive than traditional materials such as expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) owing to low-priced recycled paper, environmental benefits such as biodegradability, and low production cost. In this study, various design factors regarding compression and cushioning characteristics of the molded pulp cushion with truncated pyramid-shaped structural units were analyzed using a test specimen with multiple structural units. The adopted structural factors were the geometric shape, wall thickness, and depth of the structural unit. The relative humidity was set at two levels. We derived the cushion curve model of the target molded pulp cushion using the stress-energy methodology. The coefficient of determination was approximately 0.8, which was lower than that for EPS (0.98). The cushioning performance of the molded pulp cushion was affected more by the structural factors of the structural unit than by the material characteristics. Repeated impacts, higher static stress, and drop height decreased the cushioning performance. Its compression behavior was investigated in four stages: elastic, first buckling, sub-buckling, and densification. It had greater rigidity during initial deformation stages; then, during plastic deformation, the rigidity was greatly reduced. The compression behavior was influenced by structural factors such as the geometric shape and depth of the structural unit and environmental conditions, rather than material properties. The biggest difference in the compression and cushioning characteristics of molded pulp cushion compared to EPS is that it is greatly affected by structural factors, and in addition, strength and resilience are expected to decrease due to humidity and repetitive loads, so future research is needed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.21-28
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• 2001

Enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for a rapid detection of fungi, Aspergillus and Penicillium genera in food, were developed and their efficiencies were approved by detecting artificially contaminated agricultural commodities. Mice were immunized with partially purified Aspergillus flavus extracellualr polysaccharide (EPS) and lymph node cells of the mice were fused with the myeloma cells for production of monoclonal antibodies. Mab 1G11, one of the antibodies, was selected and purified. A sandwich ELISA was established and its detection limit toward A. flavus EPS was 1mg/ml. Among the 59 strains tested (including 18 species of Aspergillus, 16 of Penicillium, 11 of Fusarium, 1 of Absidia, 2 of Alternaria, 2 of Candida, 2 of Cladosporium, 2 of Geotrichum, 2 of Mucor, 2 of Rhizopus, 1 of Trichoderma), species of Aspergillus and penicillium had a high reactivity with Mab 1G11 even up to 10,000 times dilution of culture broths. The other genera except Cladosporium resinae showed no reactivity, thus Mab 1G11 was specific to the genera of Aspergillus and Penicillium. The epitope of A. flavus EPS against monoclonal Mab 1G11 was on the carbohydrate moiety when 1 to 100$\mu g/g$ A. flavus EPS were put into rice, potato, and mandarin orange, the average recoveries detected by sandwich ELIA were 123, 59, and 76%, respectively. Correlation was found to be linear between the EPS, and mycelium of A. flavus and Penicillium citrinum grown in a liquid medium (r=0.87 and 0.96), and also between the EPS and colony forming unit in solid media of rice of potato (r=0.91-0.99).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권7호
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2008

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that produces and secretes exopolysaccharides (EPS), in which cells are embedded to form a highly organized community structure called biofilm. Here, we characterized the role of cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) and EPS (PEL) overproduction in the wspF mutant phenotypes of P. aeruginosa PA14 (wrinkly appearance, hyperadherence, impaired motilities, and reduced virulence in acute infections). We confirmed that the elevated c-di-GMP level plays a key role in all the wspF mutant phenotypes listed above, as assessed by ectopic expression of a c-di-GMP-degrading phophodiesterase (PvrR) in the wspF mutant. In contrast, PEL EPS, which is overproduced in the wspF mutant, was necessary for wrinkly appearance and hyperadherence, but not for the impaired flagellar motilities and the attenuated virulence of the wspF mutant. These results suggest that c-di-GMP affects flagellar motility and virulence, independently of EPS production and surface adherence of this bacterium.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제28권8호
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• pp.677-687
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• 2019

This study evaluated the biosorption properties of calcium ion using Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS). A sequencing batch reactor was used to induce the production of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) through salinity injection, and the calcium ion adsorption efficiency was analyzed by a batch test. The EPS contents showed significant changes (104-136 mg/g MLVSS) at different salinity concentrations. The calcium ion adsorption efficiency was highest for AGS collected at 5.0% salinity, and it was confirmed that the biosorption efficiency of AGS was increased owing to the increase in EPS content. The results of the Freundlich isotherms showed that the ion binding strength (1/n) was 0.3941-0.7242 and the adsorption capacity ($K_f$) was 2.4082-3.3312. The specific surface area and the pore size of the AGS were $586.1m^2/g$ and 0.7547 nm, respectively, which were not significantly different from each other. It was confirmed that the influence of biological properties, such as EPS content, was relatively large among the factors affecting calcium ion adsorption.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.709-714
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• 2015

본 연구에서는 다양한 식품원으로부터 7종류의 프로바이오틱스를 분리하여 16S rDNA 염기서열 분석을 통해 동정하였으며, 그 결과 Bacillus sp.와 Lactobacillus sp.로 확인되었다. 먼저 LPS로 활성화 된 RAW 264.7 세포주에 7종의 균주 배양액을 처리한 후, nitric oxide (NO) 생성을 측정하였다. 처리한 균주의 배양액 중 Bacillus sp. FG-1과 Lactobacillus sp. FG-6 균주의 배양액 처리군에서 현저하게 NO 생성이 저해되었다. 또한, 이들의 처리에 의해 COX-2, iNOS 그리고 TNF-α와 같은 pro-inflammatory 유전자의 발현이 감소되었다. 균주가 생산하는 여러 물질중 exopolysaccharide (EPS)가 항염증 활성과 관련이 있는지를 검증하기 위하여 두 균주로부터 EPS를 분리하여, 이들이 NO 생성에 미치는 영향을 연구하였다. 그 결과, 두 균주가 생산하는 EPS가 NO 생성을 농도의존적으로 저해하였고, pro-inflammatory 유전자의 발현도 현저하게 감소시켰다. 이러한 연구결과는 EPS가 프로바이오틱스가 생산하는 여러 물질 중 항염증 활성의 핵심물질 중의 하나가 될 수 있음을 시사한다.