• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.456-464
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial contamination levels in elevators in apartment buildings and to provide information on such microbial contamination. Methods: A total of 144 samples, including from the exterior buttons, interior buttons, elevator handrails, walls, ventilators and airborne bacteria were collected in the morning and afternoon from July to August 2013 for six different elevators. The samples were used to detect sanitary indicator bacteria (total bacteria, coliform, and Escherichia coli), pathogenic bacteria (E. coli O157, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., B. cereus, S. aureus) and fungi. Results: Contamination levels of total bacteria were 0.3-3.8 and 0.0-2.4 log CFU/100 $cm^2$ in the morning and afternoon, respectively. In the case of coliform bacteria, the levels were 0.0-3.7 log CFU/100 $cm^2$ in the morning and 0.0-0.3 log CFU/100 $cm^2$ in the afternoon. However, E. coli was not detected among all samples. Bacillus cereus, pathogenic bacteria, was only detected in 13 (11%) among 144 samples. E. coli O157, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and S. aureus were not detected among all samples. Comparing the samples collected in the morning and afternoon, we could confirm that the samples in the afternoon were cleaner. Conclusions: This study indicates that the samples in the afternoon were cleaner because these samples were collected following routine cleaning. Also, the levels of contamination in the elevators were low and the sanitary conditions were comparatively well-managed. Therefore it is deemed necessary for elevators be cleaned regularly to provide good conditions for people using elevators.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.414-419
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• 2016

The aims of this study were to investigate microbial contamination levels and to survey sanitation management between Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and non-GAP farms of lettuce and cucumber. The samples (lettuce, cucumber, soil, agricultural water, gloves, and packing plastic bag) were tested to analyze sanitary indicator bacteria (total aerobic bacteria, coliforms and Escherichia coli) and major pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus). In the lettuce farms, the contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria and coliforms in GAP farms were little lower than non-GAP farms or similar. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus in soil and agricultural water of GAP farms were detected at higher levels than non-GAP farms in soil and agricultural water. In the case of cucumber farms, levels of total bacteria and Bacillus cereus in soil and total bacteria and coliform in gloves of GAP farms were higher than those of non-GAP farms, and other bacteria contamination levels in collected samples were similar. These results indicate that agricultural products produced from GAP farm still exhibited potential microbial risks. According to the field survey, a sanitation management in GAP farms was insufficient. These results could be useful as basic data to suggestion of plan for preventing microbial contamination and to improvement of GAP certification.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2013

Lactic acid bacteria are microorganisms that are closely associated with human and/or animal environments, and are categorized as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) organisms due to their ubiquitous appearance in foods and their contribution to the healthy microflora of mucosal surfaces. This study was performed to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria with antagonistic effects against food-borne pathogens. A total of 3,000 acid-producing bacteria were isolated from infant feces, cattle feces, goat feces, dog feces, pig feces, vaginal tracts, vegetables, fruits, Kimchi, Jeotgal, fermented sausages, raw milk, cheese, yogurt, Cheonggukjang, Meju, and Makgeolli cultured on MRS agar with 0.05% bromocresol purple. For the isolation of bacteriocin-producing bacteria, the diameter of the clear zone was measured on MRS agar plates. Twenty-six isolates exhibited strong antibacterial activity against indicator strains such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. Lactic acid bacteria were identified as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus hirae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus amylovorus, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Pediococcus acidilactici by 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. The results of this study suggest that the isolates could be used as potential probiotic starters for functional food applications.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.5-14
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• 2021

It was investigated how the contents of four active ingredients, nodakenin, decursinol, decursin, and decursinol angerate, which are active ingredients of Angelica gigas Nakai, cause material changes depending on the type of bacteria. Fermentation experiments were conducted using 9 types of bacteria: 5 types of Bacillus EMD17, 9-3, HCD2, #8, 191 and 4 types of Lactobacillus KCTC 3320, WCP02, S65, P1201. 1. The contents of decursin and decursinol angerate, which are indicator substances, rapidly decreased after 2 days of fermentation by inoculating Bacillus bacteria in the extract of Angelica gigas Nakai. Even after 4 days of fermentation, the contents of decursin and decursinol angerate were the same as on the 2nd day. On the other hand, the content of nodakenin and decursinol increased after 4 days of fermentation. In addition, the content of decursin increased significantly after 6 days of fermentation. 2. Substance changes of nodakenin and decursinol after inoculation of Bacillus bacteria into the extract of Angelica gigas Nakai were almost non-existent regardless of the type of bacteria. The change in effective content of decursin and decursinol angerate was large in Bacillus EMD17 and 9-3. Changes in the contents of decursin and decursinol angerate were almost non-existent in Bacillus HCD2, #8, and 191 strains. 3. As a result of finding out the change in active ingredient after 8 days of fermentation using 4 types of Lactobacillus KCTC 3320, WCP02, S65, and P1201 extracts of Angelica gigas Nakai, there was almost no change in the contents of nodakenin and decursinol regardless of the type of bacteria. However, in the case of fermentation with Lactobacillus S65 and P1201, the contents of decursin and decursinol angerate were changed.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.623-625
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• 2000

Bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria was isolated from Kimchi using MRS as selective media and Lactobacillus delbruekii subsp. delbruekii as an indicator strain. Strain JC-3 was tentatively identified as Lactococcus latis subsp. lactis through the API test and the bacteriocin produced by JC-3 showed the inhibitory activity against Grampositive pathogens and other lactic acid bacteria. The antimicrobial substance was inactivated by Protamax, Aroase AP-10, Neutrase, R-AMANO and was confirmed to be heating at $100^{\circ}C$. However, it was lost at high pH values showed the highest bacteriocin activity at a culture temperature of $30^{\circ}C$. The bacteriocin was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, Sep-pak $C_{18}$ cartridge. The apparent molecular mass of the bacteriocin was about 8 Kda, which was determined through the direct detection of bactericidal activity using SDS -PAGE.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2019

Wildlife is a bio-indicator of environmental pollution by antimicrobial resistant bacteria or genes, however, there is no information on antimicrobial resistance in wildlife-origin bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the normal microbiota of staphylococci and their antimicrobial resistance in wildlife that did not take any antimicrobials. After sampling and bacterial isolation/identification, antimicrobial resistance profiles were examined by broth microdilution test, Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test and mecA genetargeted PCR. Of 90 isolates from wildlife, 83 were coagulase-negative staphylococci while only 7 were coagulase-positive staphylococci. Methicillin-resistance was found in 63 (70%) isolates and 35 of 90 (38.9%) isolates were multidrug-resistant staphylococci. When considering that all of the animals did not take any medication or contacted any medical device before the sampling, the results indicate significantly high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in wild environments. Further study would be necessary to investigate the transmission route of antimicrobial resistance.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2022

The discarding of wastes into the environment is a significant problem for many communities. Still, food waste can be used for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) growth. Here, we evaluated three growth media equivalent to de Mann Rogosa Sharpe (MRS), using apple bagasse, yeast waste, fish flour, forage oats, and cheese whey. Cell-free supernatants of eight LAB strains were tested for antimicrobial activity against nine indicator microorganisms. The supernatants were also evaluated for protein content, reducing sugars, pH, and lactic acid concentration. Cell-free supernatants from fish flour broth (FFB) LAB growth were the most effective. The strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides PIM5 presented the best activity in all media. L. mesenteroides CAL14 completely inhibited L. monocytogenes and strongly inhibited Bacillus cereus (91.1%). The strain L. mesenteroides PIM5 consumed more proteins (77.42%) and reducing sugars (56.08%) in FFB than in MRS broth (51.78% and 30.58%, respectively). Culture media formulated with agroindustrial wastes positively improved the antimicrobial activity of selected LAB, probably due to the production of antimicrobial peptides or bacteriocins.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.515-522
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• 2021

Jeotgal is a salty and fermented traditional Korean fish sauce. Unlike most other previous studies that investigated samples purchased from retail markets, this study focused on samples of jeotgal with traceable history to Yeonggwang, a timehonored fishing village in Korea. Three jeotgal samples, which were made from small yellow croakers, largehead hairtail, and miscellaneous fish, were selected based on information obtained from interviews with local craftsmen and literature reviews. Bacterial community profiles of the three jeotgal samples were investigated to identify indicator (and potentially core) bacteria for jeotgal ripening. The 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis revealed that the dominant phyla and classes, (Gammaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Clostridia) of the three different jeotgal were identical, albeit with different composition ratios. Diversification was evident beginning at the order level. Interestingly, each dominant order was mainly comprised of single members even at the genus level. The dominant genera included Halomonas, Tetragenococcus, Halanaerobium, Pseudomonas, Massilia, and Lentibacillus. This observed genus-level heterogeneity suggests that there are diverse bacterial signatures in jeotgal and that these can be used as indicators for jeotgal ripening and/or as starters to increase its sensory quality and functionality.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.9-19
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• 2023

Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides are crucial functional starters and predominant isolates in a wide range of fermented foods, particularly kimchi, whose constituents exhibit bioactive properties. We previously developed a methodology using anion exchange resins to purify peptidyl compounds from Lb. plantarum LBP-K10. Antibacterial cultures of Lb. plantarum LBP-K10 were obtained from the respective cultures' supernatants and filtrates. However, conclusive evidence of the efficacy of kimchi filtrates in eradicating pathogenic bacteria is lacking. We aimed to simulate the potential effects of antibacterial filtrates that contained antibacterial compounds which were derived from cultures of Lb. plantarum LBP-K10. We acquired the kimchi filtrates using a combination of centrifugation and filtration methodologies, without the requirement for inoculation. The filtered liquid from Chinese cabbage kimchi, inoculated with Lb. plantarum LBP-K10 as a starter culture, and the non-inoculated liquid from Chinese cabbage kimchi (referred to as CCK and CCKRef, respectively) were were examined. CCK demonstrated greater inhibitory activity and a more significant bactericidal effect against the bacterial indicator strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration demonstrated comparable outcomes in tests against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This research offers a groundbreaking examination that displays the effectiveness of profiling peptidyl compounds within kimchi filtrates for curing bacterial infections.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.614-621
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• 2014

This study was conducted to isolate and characterize bacteriocin-producing bacteria against Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) from domestic animals to determine their usefulness as probiotics. Bacteriocin-producing bacteria were isolated from pig feces by the spot-on-lawn method. A total of 1,370 bacterial stains were isolated, and six were tentatively selected after identifying the inhibitory activity against the pathogenic indicator C. perfringens KCTC 3269 and KCTC 5100. The selected strains were identified as Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) by 16s rRNA sequencing. Most of the isolated bacterial strains were resistant to 0.5% bile salts for 48 h and remained viable after 2 h at pH 3.0. Some E. faecalis also showed strong inhibitory activity against Listeria monocytogenes KCTC 3569, KCTC 3586 and KCTC 3710. In the present study, we finally selected E. faecalis AP 216 and AP 45 strain based on probiotic selection criteria such as antimicrobial activity against C. perfringens and tolerance to acid and bile salts. The bacteriocins of E. faecalis AP 216 and AP 45 strains were highly thermostable, showing anticlostridial activities even after incubation at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min. These bacteriocin-producing bacteria and/or bacteriocins could be used in feed manufacturing as probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics in the livestock industry.