• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.21 no.6 s.90
• /
• pp.782-793
• /
• 2005

This study investigated the effect of $2\%$ addition of pectin and alginate on the Physicochemical and retrogradation Properties of Jeungpyun, a Korean traditional fermented rice cake. The volume of batters with alginate and Pectin was significantly larger than that of control. Jeungpyun samples with Pectin and alginate had a larger volume with uniform and smaller cell size. All samples showed largest foaming capability after second fermentation. Foaming capability of the control ($0\%$ addition of pectin and alginate) was significantly larger than that of the treated samples. The amount of reducing sugar tended to increase during fermentation but decreased after steaming, which was due to the increase in hydrolysis of starch. On the contrary, the content of free sugar was slightly decreased during fermentation but slightly increased after steaming. The control contained the largest amount of free sugar after steaming. The microstructure of starch particles after fermentation showed completely dispersed starch granules with air bubbles. After steaming, the structure was sponge-like in all samples. Samples with added alginate and pectin had significantly higher water binding capacity than those of the control. All samples showed noticeably increased solubility and swelling power at $70^{circ}C$ with the control being significantly lower than the treated samples. Retrogradation was measured with $\alpha$-amylase and the retrogradation process of the sample with added alginate and pectin proceeded slower than that of the control. The relative crystallinity was observed through X-ray diffraction method and samples with added alginate and pectin had smaller crystallinity and delayed retrogradation compared to the control. Thus, Jeungpyun with the addition of alginate and Pectin demonstrated improved functionality and dietary fiber addition effect. The storage period of was extended as the retrogradation rate was delayed by the addition of dietary fibers.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.558-564
• /
• 2011

The biocompatibility and biodegradability of poly(amino acid) make them ideal candidates for many bio-related applications. Poly(aspartic acid), PASP, is one of synthetic water-soluble polymers with proteinlike structure, and has been extensively explored for the potential industrial and biomedical applications due to its biodegradable, biocompatible and pH-responsive properties. In this work, amino acid-conjugated PASPs were prepared by aminolysis reaction onto polysuccinimide (PSI) using ${\gamma}$-aminobutylic acid(GABA) and ${\beta}$-alanine methyl ester and a subsequent hydrolysis process. Their chemical gels were prepared by crosslinking reaction with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE). The hydrogels were investigated for their basic swelling behavior, hydrolytic degradation and morphology. The crosslinked gels showed a responsive swelling behavior, which was dependent on pH and salt concentration in aqueous solution, and relatively fast hydrolytic degradation.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.68-77
• /
• 2021

Cannabis is one of the most abused drugs in Korea. The main psychoactive component in cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is metabolized to 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) and THCCOOH-glucuronide (THCCOOH-glu) in the human liver, whereby the amount of THCCOOH-glu found in urine is twice as high as that of THCCOOH. The analytical process adapted by the majority of urine drug-testing programs involves a two-step method consisting of an initial immunoassay-based screening test followed by a confirmatory test if the screening test result is positive. In this study, a qualitative gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for the detection of THCCOOH in human urine, where THCCOOH-glu was converted into THCCOOH by alkaline hydrolysis. For purification of the urine extract prior to instrumental analysis, high-speed centrifugation was used to minimize interference. In addition, an injection-port derivatization method using ethyl acetate and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide containing 1 % trimethylchlorosilane was employed to reduce the time required for derivatization, and an aliquot of the final solution was injected into the GC-MS. The method was validated by measuring the selectivity, limit of detection (LOD), and repeatability. The sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, Kappa, F-measure, false positive, and false negative rate were determined by comparing the GC-MS results with those obtained using the immunoassay. The LOD was determined to be 0.32 ng/mL, while the repeatability was within 9.1 % for THCCOOH. Furthermore, a comparison study was carried out, whereby the screening immunoassay exhibited a sensitivity of 86.4 % and a specificity of 100 % compared to GC-MS. The applicability of the developed method was examined by analyzing spiked urine and forensic urine samples obtained from suspected cannabis abusers (n = 221).

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.27-37
• /
• 2019

Background: The structural conversions in ginsenosides induced by steaming or heating or acidic condition could improve red ginseng bioactivities significantly. In this paper, the chemical transformations of red American ginseng from fresh Panax quinquefolium L. under steaming were investigated, and the possible mechanisms were discussed. Methods: A method with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap mass spectrometry ($HPLC-MS^n$)-equipped electrospray ionization ion source was developed for structural analysis and quantitation of ginsenosides in dried and red American ginseng. Results: In total, 59 ginsenosides of protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol, oleanane, and ocotillol types were identified in American ginseng before and after steaming process by matching the molecular weight and/or comparing $MS^n$ fragmentation with that of standards and/or known published compounds, and some of them were determined to be disappeared or newly generated under different steaming time and temperature. The specific fragments of each aglycone-type ginsenosides were determined as well as aglycone hydrated and dehydrated ones. The mechanisms were deduced as hydrolysis, hydration, dehydration, and isomerization of neutral and acidic ginsenosides. Furthermore, the relative peak areas of detected compounds were calculated based on peak areas ratio. Conclusion: The multicomponent assessment of American ginseng was conducted by $HPLC-MS^n$. The result is expected to provide possibility for holistic evaluation of the processing procedures of red American ginseng and a scientific basis for the usage of American ginseng in prescription.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.437-443
• /
• 2020

Biological phosphorus removal is accomplished by exposing PAO(phosphorus accumulating organisms) to anaerobic-aerobic conversion conditions. In the anaerobic condition, PAO synthesize PHB(polyhydroxybutyrate) and simultaneously hydrolysis of poly-p resulting phosphorus(Pi) release. In aerobic condition, PAO uptake phosphorus(Pi) more than they have released. In this study, cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp., which is known to be able to synthesize PHB like PAO, was exposed to anaerobic-aerobic conversion. If Synechococcus sp. can remove excess phosphorus by the same mechanism as PAO, synergistic effects can occur through photosynthesis. Moreover, Synechococcus sp. is known to be capable of synthesizing PHB using inorganic carbon as well as organic carbon, so even if the available capacity of organic carbon decreases, it was expected to show stable phosphorus removal efficiency. In 6 hours of anaerobic condition, phosphorus release occurred in both inorganic and organic carbon conditions but SPRR(specific phosphorus release rate) of both conditions was 10 mg-P/g-MLSS/day, which was significantly lower than that of PAO. When converting to aerobic conditions, SPUR(specific phosphorus uptake rate) was about 9 mg-P/g-MLSS/day in both conditions, showing a higher uptake rate than the control condition showing SPUR of 6.4 mg-P/g-MLSS/day. But there was no difference in terms of the total amount of removal. According to this study, at least, it seems to be inappropriate to apply Synechococcus sp. to luxury uptake process for phosphorus removal.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.31 no.7
• /
• pp.609-616
• /
• 2022

In this study, the effect of different reaction times for thermal-alkaline pretreatment on the solubilization and biogasification of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) were evaluated. Thermal-alkaline pretreatment tests were performed at 73 ℃ and pH 13 at 0-120 h reaction times. The mesophilic anaerobic batch tests were performed with untreated and pretreated PHB samples. The increase in the pretreatment reaction time results in a 52.8-98.8% increase of the abiotic solubilization efficiency of the PHB samples. The reaction time required to achieve solubilization efficiencies of 50%, 90%, and 95% were 10.5, 52.0, and 89.6 h, respectively. The biogasification of the untreated PHB samples achieved a specific methane production rate of 3.6 mL CH₄/g VSS/d and require 101.3 d for complete biogasification. The thermal-alkaline pretreatment significantly improved specific methane production rate (10.2-16.0 time increase), lag time (shortened by 76-81%), and time for complete biogasification (shortened by 21-83%) for the biogasification of the PHB samples when compared to those of the untreated PHB samples. The improvement was higher as the reaction time of the thermal-alkaline pretreatment increased. The findings of this study could be used as a valuable reference for the optimization of the biogasification process in the treatment of PHB wastes.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.10-17
• /
• 2022

Inorganic acids such as HCl, HNO₃, and H₂SO₄ have been commonly applied to soil washing of heavy metals-contaminated soil due to their cost-effectiveness. However, implementing the 'Chemical Substance Control Act' requires off-site risk assessment of the chemicals used in the soil washing. Therefore, in this study, organic acids or Fe(III)-based washing agents were evaluated to replace commonly used inorganic acids. Ferric removed heavy metals via H⁺ generated by hydrolysis, which is similar to the HCl used in the control group. Oxalic acid and citric acid were effective to remove Cu, Zn, and Cd from soil. Organic acids could not remove Pb because they could form Pb-organic acid complexes with low solubility. Furthermore, Pb could be adsorbed onto the iron-organic acid complex on the soil surface. Ferric could remove exchangeable-carbonate, Fe-Mn hydroxide, and organic matter and sulfides bound heavy metals (F1, F2, and F3). Organic acids could remove the exchangeable-carbonate and Fe-Mn hydroxide bound metals (F1&F2). Therefore, this research shows that the fractionation of heavy metals in the soil and the properties of washing agents should be considered in the selection of agents in the process design.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.88.1-88.13
• /
• 2020

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive bacterium that causes listeriosis mainly in immunocompromised hosts. It can also cause foodborne outbreaks and has the ability to adapt to various environments. Peptide uptake in gram-positive bacteria is enabled by oligopeptide permeases (Opp) in a process that depends on ATP hydrolysis by OppD and F. Previously a putative protein Lmo2193 was predicted to be OppD, but little is known about the role of OppD in major processes of L. monocytogenes, such as growth, virulence, and biofilm formation. Objectives: To determine whether the virulence traits of L. monocytogenes are related to OppD. Methods: In this study, Lmo2193 gene deletion and complementation strains of L. monocytogenes were generated and compared with a wild-type strain for the following: adhesiveness, invasion ability, intracellular survival, proliferation, 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) to mice, and the amount bacteria in the mouse liver, spleen, and brain. Results: The results showed that virulence of the deletion strain was 1.34 and 0.5 orders of magnitude higher than that of the wild-type and complementation strains, respectively. The function of Lmo2193 was predicted and verified as OppD from the ATPase superfamily. Deletion of lmo2193 affected the normal growth of L. monocytogenes, reduced its virulence in cells and mice, and affected its ability to form biofilms. Conclusions: Deletion of the oligopeptide transporter Lmo2193 decreases the virulence of L. monocytogenes. These effects may be related to OppD's function, which provides a new perspective on the regulation of oligopeptide transporters in L. monocytogenes.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.9-24
• /
• 2022

Low-molecular weight peptides derived from fish collagen exhibit several bioactivities, including antioxidant, antiwrinkle, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and antihypertension effects. These peptides are also involved in triglyceride suppression and memory improvement. This study aimed to investigate the optimal processing condition for preparing low-molecular weight peptides from flounder skin, and the properties of the hydrolysate. The optimal processing conditions for peptic hydrolysis were as follows: a ratio of pepsin to dried skin powder of 2% (w/w), pH of 2.0, and a temperature of 50℃. Peptic hydrolysate contains several low-molecular weight peptides below 300 Da. Gly-Pro-Hyp(GPHyp) peptide, a process control index, was detected only in peptic hydrolysate on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight(MALDI-TOF) spectrum. 2,2'-azinobis-(3-3-ethylbenzothiazolline-6- sulfonic acid(ABTS) radical scavenging activity of the peptic hydrolysate was comparable to that of 1 mM ascorbic acid, which was used as a positive control at pH 5.5, whereas collagenase inhibition was five times higher with the peptic hydrolysate than with 1 mM ascorbic acid at pH 7.5. However, the tyrosinase inhibition ability of the peptic hydrolysate was lower than that of arbutin, which was used as a positive control. The antibacterial effect of the peptic hydrolysate against Propionibacterium acne was not observed. These results suggest that the peptic hydrolysate derived from a flounder skin is a promising antiwrinkle agent that can be used in various food and cosmetic products to prevent wrinkles caused by ultraviolet radiations.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.206-217
• /
• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The immunomodulatory effect of Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) has been reported, but studies on its mechanism are still lacking. This study was undertaken to confirm whether the hydrolyzed and fermented PG extract (HFPGE) obtained by adding hydrolysis and fermentation to the extraction process has an immune-enhancing effect in the in vivo system. MATERIALS/METHODS: Five-week-old BALB/c mice were divided into 4 groups: normal control group (NOR), control group (CON), 150 mg/kg body weight (BW)/day HFPGE-treated group (T150), and 300 mg/kg BW/day HFPGE-treated group (T300). The mice were administered HFPGE for 4 weeks and intraperitoneally injected with cyclophosphamide (CPA, 80 mg/kg BW/day) on day 6, 7, and 8, respectively, to induce immunosuppression. The levels of immunoglobulins (Igs) and cytokines were measured in the serum. In splenocytes, proliferation and cytokine levels were measured. RESULTS: Serum IgA, IgG, and IgM levels were observed to decrease after CPA treatment, which was recovered by HFPGE administration. The levels of serum interleukin (IL)-12, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-8, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β were also decreased after exposure to CPA but increased after HFPGE administration. Decreased splenocyte proliferation was seen in CPA-treated mice, but was observed to increase in the T150 and T300 groups as compared to the NOR group. Compared to the CON group, splenocyte proliferation stimulated with concanavalin A (ConA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the HFPGE-treated groups was significantly increased. The cytokines secreted by ConA-stimulated splenocytes (IL-2, IL-12, interferon-γ, TNF-α) were increased in the T150 and T300 groups, and cytokines secreted by LPS-stimulated splenocytes (IL-4, IL-8, TGF-β) were also increased by HFPGE administration. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that HFPGE stimulates the immunity in immunosuppressed conditions, thereby enhancing the immune response. Therefore, it is expected that HFPGE has the potential to be used as functional food and medicine for immune recovery in various immunocompromised situations.