• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.35-40
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• 2019

In this study, general bacterial counts and coliform counts, which are hygienic indicator microorganisms, were tested for candy, chocolate, and jelly which are easily available and enjoyed around. After dropping each sample on the desk, indoors, and outdoors, it is immediately collected, or washed and collected to confirm the myth of the 3-second rule. Immediately after removing the wrapping paper, each sample was dropped on the desk, indoors, and outdoors, and after 3 seconds from the moment of contact with the surface, and then collected in a sample bag using sterilized sanitary gloves. After the same operation, each sample was rinsed for 5 seconds using sterilized sanitary gloves and sterilized distilled water, and then collected in a sample bag. The number of bacteria detected in non-washing candies was 41 CFU/g at outdoor and the number of bacteria detected in non-washing chocolate was 76 CFU/g at outdoor. The number of bacteria detected in non-washing jellies was 79 CFU/g at outdoor. Coliform group was not detected in all samples. This showed good results at the level of m = 10,000 or less, which is an allowable value suggested in the Food Code. Also, effect of washing on contaminated food was confirmed. This result is remarkably low compared with the microorganism specimens shown in Food Code, and it is confirmed that contamination occurs but not high value. Therefore, the myth of the 3-second rule is true compared to the figures based on Food Code. However, it showed the characteristics of bacteria that could survive and cross-contaminate on dry food surfaces and emphasized the importance of hygiene through food contact to unsanitary surfaces to minimize the risk of food poisoning.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.125-131
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• 2009

Korea is representative of a country that consumes herbal medicines; most of the herbal medicines circulating in South Korea have been imported from developing countries in Southeast Asia, such as China and Indonesia. Recently, domestic hygiene and safety are issues that have come to the forefront, because herbal medicines currently in circulation could possibly contain contaminants or residues. Furthermore, the appearance or discovery of harmful new species due to environmental and industrial developments is becoming a social problem. Therefore, it may be necessary to consider and investigate these matters on a continual basis. Recently, mycotoxin contaminations in such foods as cereals, nuts, and powdered red pepper have been reported. They have become a problematic issue; the possibility of contamination in herbal medicines has also been considered. Nevertheless, recognition of and research into mycotoxin contamination in herbal medicines has been scarce because herbal medicine is used in only a few nations. In this research, we identified contamination by aflatoxin which is known to be the most potent mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic mycotoxin in Thujae Semen, a herbal medicine. We also found co-contaminations involving other mycotoxins, including ochratoxin A and zeraleanone.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.185-189
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• 2010

An electronic nose was used to identify Salmonella contamination on beef based on odors. To detect pathogen contamination of beef, $100{\mu}L$ of $10^5CFU/g$ Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium cell suspensions were spiked onto 5 g beef sirloin samples in individual vials. Odor changes over time were then measured and analyzed using an electronic nose system to identify pathogen contamination. In principle, the electronic nose system based on a surface acoustic wave (SAW) detector produced different frequency responses depending on the time and amount of each chemical. Multivariate analysis of the odor data was conducted to detect Salmonella contamination of beef. Salmonella odors were successfully distinguished from uncontaminated beef odors by principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA results showed that Salmonella contamination of beef could be detected after 4 h of incubation. The numbers of cells enumerated by standard plate count after 4 h of inoculation were $2{\times}10^6CFU/g$ for both Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.38 no.3 s.150
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• pp.205-216
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• 2007

South Korea is the representative consumption country of herbal medicines and most of herbal medicines circulating in Korea have been importing from the developing countries of Southeast Asia such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and so forth. Domestic hygiene and safety are continuously proposed because herbal medicines which are circulating have the possibility could remain contaminants or residues. Physicochemical contaminants such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, radionucleosides, microbial toxins, biological contaminants such as microorganisms and animals, agrochemical residues such as pesticides, substances used for fumigation, antiviral agents, and solvent residues are classified as major contaminants and residues in herbal medicines from 2005 September WHO.$^{1)}$ Currently our administration have established a permission standard and the inspection criteria against the heavy metal, the residual pesticides and a residual sulfur dioxide. Furthermore our administration is continuously monitoring and conducting researches for the policies and their scientific ground against herbal medicines. But the appearances or discoveries of the harmful new species due to environmental and industrial developments are becoming social problems. Therefore it may be necessary to continuously consider and investigate regarding hereupon. Recently, the contamination of the mycotoxins against foods such as cereals, nuts and the powdered red pepper have developed and started became problematic issue, and possibility of contamination against the herbal medicine is proposed. And since populations who are using the herbal medicines very limited to several nations, recognition and researches about contamination of mycotoxins in herbal medicines are very insufficient. Therefore it will be need to more focus on the international regulation of quality control and safety for herbal medicines. Now on, we are going to introduce the importance, occurrence, characteristic properties, World-wide research trends and detoxification of aflatoxins, which is known as the most potent mutagen, carcinogen and teratogen mycotoxins.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.948-953
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• 2007

The powdered cereal sunsik is a partially thermal-processed product that required safety evaluations for food-borne pathogens. Thirty-six sunsik products from Korean markets were collected and analyzed for contamination by total viable cell counts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and the spore-forming Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus. Enterobacter sakazakii, as a newly emerging pathogen, was also analyzed. Approximately 28% of sunsik were contaminated at 5 log CFU/g for total viable counts. Coliforms and E. coli were detected in 33 and 4% of the samples, respectively. The spore-forming B. cereus was found in 42% of the samples at a maximal level of 3 log CFU/g on average. About 6% the samples were contaminated with Cl. perfringens at an average level of 15 CFU/g. Forty-five % of sunsik contained E. sakazakii, at levels from 0.007 to over 1.1 cell/g by MPN method. In addition, one sunsik product for infants and children showed over 3 log CFU/g for both B. cereus and E. sakazaki. Therefore, concern should be placed on controlling for microbial hazards such as B. cereus and E. sakazakii in sunsik, particularly for the products fed to infants under 6 months of age.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2002

For the consideration of the influence on radioactive contamination of foods due to rain during the release period of radionuclides in a nuclear accident, the previous dynamic food chain model was improved. Wet interception coefficients for the agricultural plants were derived as a function of radionuclide and rainfall amount, and mathematical formula of the model was also re-established. In the results for the same time-integrated radioactive concentrations on the ground, radioactive contamination of foods decreased greatly by rainfall, and it decreased dramatically according to increasing rainfall amount. It means that predictive contamination in foods using the previous dynamic food chain model, in which dry interception to the agricultural plants is only considered, can be overestimated. Among radionuclides considering in this study ($^{137}Cs,\;^{90}Sr,\;^{131}I$), influence of rainfall for food contamination was the most sensitive to $^{131}I$, and the least sensitive to $^{90}Sr$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.229-237
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• 2010

Recently, many cases related to viral gastroenteritis outbreaks have been reported all over the world. Noroviruses are found to be leading as the major cause of outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis. Patients with acute gastroenteritis are normally found to be positive with norovirus when the stools and vomit are analyzed. This paper reviews various activities and previous reports that describe norovirus contamination in various food matrixes and the relationship between food handlers. Lately, a numbers of norovirus outbreaks have been reported that are involved with fresh produce (such as vegetables, fruits), shellfish, and prepared food. Food produce processed by infected food handlers may therefore become easily contaminated. In addition, foods that required much handling and had been eaten without heat treatment gave the high risk for getting foodborne illnesses. The standard method for detection of norovirus has already been available for stool samples. However, only a few methods for detection of norovirus in food samples have been developed until now.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.204-208
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• 2000

The contamination levels of food poisoning bacteria was investigated from 350 samples of beef, 338 samples of pork, and 360 samples of chicken during the period from March 1996 to October 1998. The contamination levels of pathogenic organisms were higher in refrigerated meat than packed frozen meat and were relatively higher in chicken and packed meat than in beef The highest level detected for each of the various pathogens was . less than 10,000 cfu/g for Staphylococcus aureus : less than 0.9 MPN/g for Salmonella and Literia monocytogenes: 7MPN/g for Campylobacter jejuni /coli. In the comparisions of cross- contamination ratio of tested meat for low species food poisoning bacteria 14.3% of beef, 23.5% of pork and 55.0% of chicken were contained only one species of pathogen, whereas 2.7 of beef, 5.6% of pork and 14.7% of chicken contained two species and 2.3% of pork contained a total of three species. Generally, pathogens was encounted higher isolation freguency in packed frozen chicken meat than in chilled chickens.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.325-333
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• 1993

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2016

This study was aimed to assess microbiological contamination level of Liriope platyphylla farms (A, B, and C) located in Cheongyang, Chungnam province. Specimens sampled from those farms and L. platyphylla tuberous roots were assessed for sanitary indication bacteria such as total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli and pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, quantitatively and qualitatively. As a result, those farms are not contaminated by E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., at all. And S. aureus was only found qualitatively from workers' gloves at a farm. As a whole, those farms (soil, harvest container, harvester, cleanser, washing water and tray) were maintained in a low level of microbiological contamination. However a cleanser was contaminated by coliforms ($4.35log\;CFU/100cm^2$), and it is required to improve farm hygiene. Microbiological contamination level of L. platyphylla tuberous root was decreased in the postharvest process including washing and drying.