• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.261-267
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• 2016

The present study examined the effect of the dietary administration of a halophilic bacterium Bacillus sp. Mk22 on the growth improvement of black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, and reduced shrimp infection by Vibrio parahaemolyticus and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). The shrimp were fed 45 days using three experimental diets: no addition (control), commercial probiotic, and Bacillus sp. Mk22. The shrimp treated with the halophilic bacterium Mk22 showed a significant improvement of growth (7.1 ± 0.21 g), survival (94.3 ± 0.58%), weight gain (178 ± 4.93 g), and reduced feed conversion rate (0.8 ± 0.03 g) compared with the shrimp in the other groups. The shrimp treated with Bacillus sp. Mk22 also showed a lower Vibrio count (0.02 ± 0.01 × 10² CFU/ml) in the shrimp culture water compared with the other groups. The shrimp in the three groups were challenged with either Vibrio or WSSV. For the Vibrio infection, no mortality was observed from water infection or oral feeding infection in the commercial probiotic group and Mk 22 group. For the WSSV infection, a 68% survival rate from water infection and 20% survival rate from oral feeding infection was observed on day 45 in the Mk22 group, while 100% mortalities were recorded at a much earlier time in both the control and commercial probiotic groups. The antioxidant enzyme activities, indicators of oxidative stress, such as catalase and superoxide dismutase, significantly decreased in both the Vibrio and WSSV-infected Mk22 groups compared with the other groups, indicating that Bacillus sp. Mk22 was effective in reducing oxidative stress, possibly due to the reduced infection.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.820-825
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• 2007

Earthworm casting was the natural fertilizer that contained high concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium and of over $10^8$ CFU/ml of microorganisms. Greater than 80% of feed was excreted through the fermentation by the intestinal enzyme, after worm had eaten feeds such as fallen leaves and rotten roots under the ground. Also, the soil structure of casting was known to be very efficient in the aspects of the porosity, the water permeability, and deodorizing activities. In this research, the biofilter packed with a biomedia made of casting and waste polyurethane foam, a binder, which helped to improve the durability and perpetuity of casting, was investigated to degrade malodorous hydrogen sulfide gas. The biomedia had no need of extra supply of nutrients and of microbial inoculations. On the beginning of the operations, it showed 100% removal of hydrogen sulfide gas without lag phase. At SV of 50 $h^{-1}$, hydrogen sulfide gas from the outlet of the biofilter was not detected, when inlet concentration increased to 450 ppmv. After that, removal efficiency decreased as increasing inlet hydrogen sulfide concentration. Hydrogen sulfide removal was maintained at almost 93% until inlet concentration was increased up to 950 ppmv, at which the elimination capacity of $H_2S$ was 61.2 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$. Maximum elimination capacity guaranteing 90% removal was 61.2, 65.9, 84.7, 89.4 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ at SV ranging from 50 $h^{-1}$ to 300 $h^{-1}$, but was 59.3 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ at SV of 400 $h^{-1}$. The results calculated from Michaelis-Menten equation revealed that $V_m$ increased from 66.04, 88.96, 117.35, 224.15, to 227.54 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ with increasing space velocity in the range of 50 $h^{-1}$ to 400 $h^{-1}$. However, saturation constant$(K_s)$ decreased from 79.97 ppmv to 64.95 and 65.37 ppmv, and then increased to 127.72 and 157.43 ppmv.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.389-398
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• 2009

Development of expression vectors is important for the basic and applied researches on kimchi LAB (lactic acid bacteria). An expression vector, pSJE6c was constructed by inserting P6C promoter sequence from Lactococcus lactis into pSJE, a shuttle vector for E. coli and Leuconostoc species. To test the efficiency of pSJE6c, aga ($\alpha$-galactosidase) and lacZ ($\beta$-galactosidase) genes were expressed in Lactobacillus brevis 2.14. Compared to the pSJE, expression levels of both genes were increased, indicating P6C promoter was better than indigenous promoters. Enzyme activities of L. brevis cells harboring pSJE6caga (pSJE6c with aga) or pSJE6Z (pSJE6c with lacZ) were 1.5-2 fold higher than those with pSJEaga (pSJE with aga) or pSJEZ (pSJE with lacZ). More RNA transcripts were detected in cells harboring pSJE6c based recombinant plasmid. The results indicated that heterologous gene expressions in kimchi LAB could be improved significantly by use of efficient expression vectors.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.452-463
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• 2020

Purpose: Aster tataricus (AT) is one of the Asteraceae perennial herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The herb contains various bioactive substances, such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic compounds in the roots, and exhibits a range of effects including anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of ethanol and water extracts of whole AT, except the roots, and analyzed the molecular mechanisms for the regulatory effects on cytokine secretion from THP-1 cells. Methods: The effects of AT extract on the cell viability and proliferation of THP-1 cells were analyzed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. The concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cell culture supernatant of the AT-treated THP-1 cells were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (IκBα), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation in the cell lysates were determined by western blotting. Results: The water extract and the ethanol extract of AT did not affect the cell viability, and increased the proliferation of THP-1 cells significantly compared to the vehicle. The water extract increased the secretion of IL-1β from THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but the ethanol extract had no effect. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS protein and the phosphorylation of MAPK and Akt were induced in AT-treated cells. In addition, IκBα was degraded by AT in a concentration-dependent manner. IL-1β secretion by AT was reduced by extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors, while TNF-α secretion was decreased by inhibitors of ERK, p38 MAPK, and JNK. Interestingly, the p38 MAPK inhibitor increased the production of IL-1β by AT further. Conclusion: The water extract of the above-ground parts of AT contains immunomodulatory bioactive substances that stimulate immune cells through the MAPK signaling pathway.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.25 no.4 s.83
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• pp.257-267
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• 1997

Fruit bodies similar to the Phellinus sp. residing on the mulberry were collected at Yang-yang in Kang-won-do province and one strain of Phellinus sp. was isolated from the fruit bodies. For mass production of the isolated mycelia in a submerged culture, the culture conditions, medium composition, and the effect of various culture systems on the mycelial growth, were investigated. The morphological characteristics of the fruit body were as follows: covered with blackish to black and rough, lower surface with yellowish-brown to dull-brown and smooth, 5-7 cm thick and hard woody. Also, the pure cultured mycelia showed yellowish-brown color, capability of purplish-brown pigment production on the PDA plate media, no-formation of clamp-connection, much binding branch, and enzyme activities such as laccase, tyrosinase and peroxidase. Therefore, pure cultured strain was identified to be Phellinus sp. In the flask culture, the optimum culture conditions for the mycelial production were obtained after cultivation of 8 days at inoculum level of 5%(v/v), media volume of 70 mL, 150 rpm, initial pH 6, and temperature of $30^{\circ}C$. Optimum medium composition from the response surface analysis were determined to be glucose 12.12 g/L, sucrose 12.12 g/L, yeast extract 11.15 g/L, malt extract 11.15 g/L, $KH_2PO_4$ 0.855 g/L and $CaCl_2$ 0.855 g/L. The production of the mycelia after 4 and 8 days of cultivation was 1.95 and 9.89 g/L, respectively. The maximum specific growth rate and productivity were $0.020\;hr^{-1}$ and 1.25 g/L/day, respectively. Among the three different culture systems for the growth of mycelia, the maximum mycelial dry weight of 7.5 g/L was obtained after cultivation of 4 days in the air-lift fermentor under aeration rate of 2.5 vvm. The maximum specific growth rate and productivity were $0.033\;hr^{-1}$ and 1.9 g/L/day, respectively, which were about 1.7 and 4.2 times higher than those of flask culture.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 1977

For this study 3 samples of the home-made meju and 3 samples of the improved meju were selected according to their characteristics. A total of 25 strains of true fungi were isolated from the samples of the home-made meju and identified by the Key of Alexopoulos and Raper, using a strain Aspergillus oryzae A-113 as a control. Amylolytic and proteolytic enzyme activities of the isolated strains were investigated ana the results obtained were as follows. 1. The 25 strains from the home-made meju were identified into 2 Aspergillus oryzae, 14 Asp. flavus, 6 Penicillum spp. 1 Candida sp 1 Spicaria sp and 1 Rhizopus sp. 2. The 3 strains from the improved meju were all identified as Aspergillus oryzae. 3. Aspergillus flavus, A-B, from the home-made meju was found to he the strongest strain in ${\alpha}-amylase$ activity and also to be similar to the strains of Aspergillus orzae from improved meju. 4. Aspergillus flavus, A-7, from the home-made meju was found to be the strogest strain in ${\beta}-amylase$ activity and stronger than that from the improved meju. 5. Aspergillus flavus B-3, was found to be the strongest strain in protease activity and stronger than that from the improved meju. 6. Some of the strains from the home-made meju turned out to be harmful strains, such as Penicillium spp. which secrete antibiotics, Asp. flavus which secretes mycotoxin, Candida sp which causes skin diseases, Spicaria sp. which is a insect pathogen. 7. Rhizopus sp was also found but it has not been proved to be harmful.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.512-519
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• 2015

In this study, the effects of gamma-radiation treatment on cell wall composition and physiological characteristics of astringent persimmon fruit were investigated. The soluble tannin contents of gamma-radiated samples were reduced by the radiation treatment. The hardness of the radiated fruit was decreased when compared to non-radiated fruit. Alcohol-insoluble component of the cell wall in the radiated fruit was decreased from 39.3 mg/g to 37.2 mg/g. The water-soluble content of the radiated fruit was increased from 11.4 mg/g to 13.9 mg/g. The cell wall content of the non-radiated fruit was 26.6 mg/g whereas the cell wall content of radiated fruit was decreased to 23.1 mg/g. Due to the maturation of astringent persimmon fruit by gamma-radiation, water-soluble compounds were increased whereas decreasing in cell wall compounds. The contents of lignin, pectin, and cell wall were decreased from 0.82 mg/g and 3.56 mg/g to 0.77 mg/g and 3.14 mg/g, respectively. Acid-soluble hemicellulose content was decreased by gamma-radiation, while alkali-soluble hemicellulose and cellulose contents were increased. Activities of sotening enzyme as polygalacturonase, pectinesterase and $\beta$-galactosidase existed in persimmon fruit were increased by gamma-radiation. In the sensory evaluation, gamma-radition treated persimmon showed very low astringent taste when compared to the non-radiated fruit. In hardness test, the non-radiated persimmon maintained the hardness while gamma-treated persimmon showed softened outer layer due to the condensation of tannin during radiation treatment. Therefore, gamma-radiation treatment will be used for the removal of its astringency of persimmon fruit and for enhancement of its maturation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.259-265
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• 2009

To develop an effective anti-hangover product, hot-water extracts of 25 medicinal herbs were screened for inhibition or activation of alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase(ALDH), and 12 herbs were selected for further study. Chosen medicinal herb extracts(CMHEs) were fermented by Lactobacillus delbruechii subspecies lactis for 10 days at $35^{\circ}C$ after saccharification with nuruk(malt inoculated by 5 types of microbs) for 72 hours at $35^{\circ}C$ and both CMHEs and fermented CMHEs(FCMHEs) were explored for anti-hangover effects in vitro. We found significant ADH inhibition by hot-water extracts of Pueraria thunbergiana, Hovenia dulcis Thunb, Lycium chinense, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Acanthopanax sessiliflorus, Liriope platyphylla, and Ixeris dentata, and significant ALDH activation by extracts of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus, Lycium chinense, Ixeris dentata, and Polypori umbellati of the Polyporaceae. The ADH effects on CMHE and FCMHE were -20.22% and -62.63% of control values, and the ALDH effects 173.20% and 280.17%, respectively. In rats given 20%(v/v) alcohol(15 mL/kg), FCMHEs significantly decreased blood acetaldehyde concentrations on 3 hours after ethanol administration, in a dose-dependent manner(p<0.05). Notably, blood acetaldehyde concentrations were markedly reduced in animals given FCMHEs(400 mg/kg) compared to levels seen in rats receiving CADB(commercial alcohol detoxification beverage). Thus, anti-hangover effects were promoted by fermentation of certain medicinal herb extracts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.366-372
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• 2009

In the course of screening of useful enzyme-producing microorganisms from marine sedimentary layers, we isolated 2 amylase producing strains and tested their amylase producing activities. Analyses of 16S rDNA sequences and biochemical methods (BIOLOG) of two isolates showed that they were confirmed to be a gram positive Bacillus sp. and gram negative Pseudoalteromonas sp., respectively. Excellent amylase producing strains were termed Bacillus sp. ST-63 and Pseudoalteromonas sp. ST-140, and further studies were conducted on their amylase producing characteristics. Optimum conditions for cell growth in amylase activity were obtained when the isolate (Bacillus sp. ST-63 and Pseudoalteromonas sp. ST-140) was cultured at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH $7{\sim}8$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2017

Myelophycus simplex Papenfuss, a type of brown algae, is known to be majorly distributed in along the southern coast of Korea and Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of M. simplex Papenfuss methanol extract (MSPME) on melanogenesis in ${\alpha}$-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-stimulated B16F10 melanoma cells. Melanin contents of B16F10 melanoma cells were decreased by 27, 41, and 59% in a dose-dependent manner, upon MSPME treatment at 100, 300, and $500{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Tyrosinase activities in B16F10 melanoma cells were decreased by 18, 49, and 61% in a dose-dependent manner, upon MSPME treatment at 100, 300, and $500{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. MSPME suppressed expression of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1, tyrosinase-related protein-2, and melanocyte-inducing transcription factor in B16F10 melanoma cells. Concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$ of MSPME especially induced greater decreases in tyrosinase activity, melanin contents, and melanogenic enzyme protein expressions. This results indicate that MSPME inhibits melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity, and M. simplex Papenfuss extract may be an ideal candidate as a skin whitening agent.