• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.555-561
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• 2008

Ninety-nine samples of powdered infant formula in a market were collected from the local market and their contaminations for total aerobic bacteria, coliform, FAO/WHO Category A, B, and C pathogens were analyzed. Total aerobic bacteria were detected in 92 of 99 samples (93%) at levels of $1.83{\pm}0.68\;Log\;MPN/g$. These levels were below legal levels specified for infant formulas except for one sample detected by 4.5 Log CFU/g. Coliform was detected in 12 of 99 samples (12%) at levels of $1.26{\pm}1.03\;Log\;MPN/g$ whereas non-detection was required according to the specification of coliform in infant formulas. Escherichia coli was detected in 1 of 99 samples by 0.48 Log MPN/g. Salmonella and Enterobacter sakazakii among Category A weren't detected in all the samples. Enterobacteriaceae, Category B group, were detected in 25 samples of total 99 samples (25%) by $0.83{\pm}1.37\;Log\;MPN/g$. Enterobacteriaceae identified by API 20E were Escherichia vulneris, Es. hermannii, Pantoea spp., Citrobacter koseri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, En. cloaceae. Bacillus cereus among Category C was highly detected in 29 of 99 samples (29%) at levels of $0.69{\pm}0.32\;Log\;MPN/g$ with the most probable number count method, which were below legal levels for the specification of B. cereus in infant formulas. Clostridium perfringens, E. coli O157, Staphyloccus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Campylobacter jejuni/coli were not detected. Contamination level of major pathogens was low and falls within the range of specification of infant formulas. However, Enterobacteriaceae and B.cereus showed the high prevalence and some Enterobacteriaceae causing disease were detected. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the potential pathogens continually and reduce them to improve the microbial quality of non-sterilized powdered infant formulas.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.238-243
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• 2006

The populations of V. parahaemolyticus were enumerated in oysters collected in wholesale seafood markets in Seoul and tested in various possible condition. The populations of oysters soled in the markets were ranged $<2\sim1.4\times10^6$ MPN/100 g from April to November in 2005. In the case of oysters added with V. parahaemolyticus of $4\times10^3$ CFU/100 g, the highest population numbers were $1.4\times10^7$ CFU/100 g, $5.4\times10^5$ CFU/100 g and $2.7\times10^4$ CFU/100 g at $36^{\circ}C$ after culturing for 15 hours, at $25^{\circ}C$ after 15 hours and at $4^{\circ}C$ after 15 hours, respectively. But the difference of the populations of V. parahaemolticus in oysters stored in the icebox with ice for bulked sale and displayed in stalls on ice for the small packaged sale was not significant. In the case of oysters carried with ambient temperature at $30.8^{\circ}C$, the V. parahaemolyticus density was dramatically increased from $2.7\times10^5$ to $1.4\times10^8$ MPN/100 g. It was indicated it is important to carry the oysters to home with ice after purchase. Even after the washing two times with 21 tap water, the common cooking method in Korea was not greately make the decrease of V. parahaemolyticus density from $1.4\times10^8$ MPN/100 g to $9.0\times10^5$ MPN/100 g. So it is noticed to stored in low temperature after cooking, especially in hot seasons.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.94-106
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• 2003

A pilot study was performed to examine the feasibility of UV disinfection system and the reactivation of indicator microorganisms (TC, FC, E. coli) after UV irradiation for agricultural reuse of reclaimed water. Photoreactivation and dark repair enable UV-inactivated microorganisms to recover and may reduce the efficacy of UV inactivation, which might be drawbacks of the UV disinfection method. The effluent of biofilter for 16-unit apartment house was used as input to the UV disinfection system, and average SS and BOD concentration were 3.8 and 5.7 mg/L, respectively, and the mean level of total coliform was in the range of $1.0\times10^4$ MPN/100mL. UV disinfection was found to be effective and it reduced mean concentration of indicator microorganisms (total coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli) to less than 100 MPN/100mL within 60s exposure using 17, 25, and 40W lamps. Two UV doses of 6 and 16 mW$\cdot$s/$\textrm{km}^2$ were applied and microorganisms reactivation was monitored under the dark, photoreactivating light, and solar irradiation. Microorganisms reactivation was observed in the UV dose of 6 mW$\cdot$s/$\textrm{km}^2$, and numbers increased up to 5% at the photoreactivating light and 1% at the dark. However, microorganisms were inactivated rather than reactivated at the solar radiation and numbers decreased to non-detectible level about below 2 MPN/100mL in 4 hours. In the case of 16 mW$\cdot$s/$\textrm{km}^2$, microorganism reactivation was not observed indicating that UV dose might affect the reactivation process such as photoreactivation and dark repair. Therefore, concerns associated with microorganism reactivation could be controlled by sufficient UV dose application. Agricultural reuse of reclaimed water might be even less concerned due to exposure to the solar irradiation that could further inactivate microorganisms. The pilot study result is encouraging, however, sanitary concern in water reuse is so critical that more comprehensive investigation is recommended.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.209-216
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• 2004

Dry rehydratable film methods were compared to conventional methods for the enumeration of microorganisms in Korean traditional foods. Kimchi, doenjang, kochujang, kanjang, takju, sujeongkwa and sikhe were used as Korean traditional foods. $Petrifilm^{TM}$ aerobic count plate, $Petrifilm^{TM}$ coliform count plate, $Petrifilm^{TM}$ E. coli/coliform count plate, $Petrifilm^{TM}$ yeast and mold count plate and $Petrifilm^{TM}$ staph express count plate were compared to plate count agar, most probable number (MPN) for coliform, MPN for E. coli, potato dextrose agar and coagulase test, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that correlation coefficient values were 0.974-0.998, 0.913-0.995, 0.955-0.978, 0.968-0.986 and 0.998-0.999 for total aerobic bacteria, yeast and mold, coliform, E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. There were no significant differences between two methods, suggesting that $Petrifilm^{TM}$ plates can be used as an alternative to conventional method for the determination of microorganisms in Korean traditional foods.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.391-396
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biosafety of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in raw salad vegetables at wet markets and supermarkets in Malaysia. A combination of the most probable number-polymerase chain reaction (MPN-PCR) method was applied to detect the presence of V. parahaemolyticus and to enumerate their density in the food samples. The study analyzed 276 samples of common vegetables eaten raw in Malaysia (Wild cosmos=8; Japanese parsley=21; Cabbage=30; Lettuce=16; Indian pennywort=17; Carrot=31; Sweet potato=29; Tomato=38; Cucumber=28; Four-winged bean=26; Long bean=32). The samples were purchased from two supermarkets (A and B) and two wet markets (C and D). The occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus detected was 20.65%, with a higher frequency of V. parahaemolyticus in vegetables obtained from wet markets (Wet market C=27.27%; Wet Market D=32.05%) compared with supermarkets (Supermarket A=1.64%; Supermarket B=16.67%). V. parahaemolyticus was most prevalent in Indian pennywort (41.18%). The density of V. parahaemolyticus in all the samples ranged from <3 up to >2,400 MPN/g, mostly <3 MPN/g concentration. Raw vegetables from wet markets contained higher levels of V. parahaemolyticus compared with supermarkets. Although V. parahaemolyticus was present in raw vegetables, its numbers were low. The results suggest that raw vegetables act as a transmission route for V. parahaemolyticus. This study will be the first biosafety assessment of V. parahaemolyticus in raw vegetables in Malaysia.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.262-266
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• 1997

Total, direct viable count, and acid-tolerant epiphytic bacterial population sizes were quantified on leaves of chestnut tree (Castanea crenata S. et Z.) near Taejon Industrial Estate affected by acid precipitation and deposition as well as in the clean natural forest area, Mt. Kyejok, in Taejon city from August 1996 to August 1997. Geometric mean numbers of total, direct viable count, and acid-tolerant epiphytic bacteria were $9.9{\times}10^5cell/cm^2$, $1.6{\times}10^6cell/cm^2$, and $7.1{\times}10^3cfu/cm^2$ respectively, being 1.5, 2, and 2.6 times those in the clean area. Acid-tolerant epiphytic bacterial numbers at pH 5.6 by MPN method were $3.3{\times}10^4$ in the industrial area, about the same as the number, $3.4{\times}10^4MPN/cm^2$, of the clean area. Acid-tolerant bacterial number at pH 4.0 was $1.9{\times}10^{-1}MPN/cm^2$ in the industrial area, whereas none was detected in the clean area. Acid-tolerant bacteria at pH 3.0 were not detected at all in the industrial area as well as in the clean area. Epiphytic bacterial population sizes were generally the greatest in May when leaves are emerged and grew hut the lowest in November when defoliation occurs. These results showed that air pollutant deposition on leaves did not cause a decrease of epiphytic bacteria at least and acid deposition on leaves did cause an increase of acid-tolerant bacteria.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.248-256
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• 2007

In this study, the competitive polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) was used to develop a direct enumeration method of Salmonella spp. in pork meat. After comparing three DNA extraction methods, the modified guanidine thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform method was chosen for Salmonella DNA extraction in artificially inoculated pork meat. The previously reported 284-bp invA gene (Rahn et al. Mol. Cell. Probes 1992) was tested for specificity, and 57 Salmonella strains and 24 non-Salmonella strains were evaluated. All Salmonella strains tested were invA positive, and all non-Salmonella strains produced no false positive amplification products. The detection limit achieved was as low as 1,460 colony-forming units (cfu) per 0.1g of pork meat. For cPCR, the invA gene, which features a 82 bp-deletion, was cloned in the pGEM-4Z vector. A known amount of competitor DNA, which has the same primer binding sites, was co-amplified with Salmonella chromosomal DNA from the artificially inoculated pork meat. The cell-number determined by cPCR was approximately equal to the cfu from the most probable number (MPN) method. Finally, the whole procedure took only 5 hr.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2009

We studied soil components, methane production, the number of methanogens, and T-RFLP patterns dependent on agricultural methods with the change of seasons. There is no regular increase or decrease tendency of the most soil components followed by sampling period. And the water content in soil was higher in October than May. Also a lot of methanogens existed in soil, and acetotrophs were relatively of smaller number than hydogenotrophs and formate utilizing methanogens using MPN (most probable number) enumeration. In the experiment using the formate, it was used from the first week, and only a minute amount was detecte after four weeks. However in the acetate, it was increased until the third week, and after that was consumed. And there was higher methane production for all soil samples which administered with the hydrogen spike. The activity of methanogens was higher in the organic and low-agrichemical agricultural method samples, and the organic agricultural method had high methanogen activity among the other samples. A result of T-RFLP pattern of mcrA gene digested with Sau96I, methanogen community have a little relation with agricultural methods and seasons. This results also agreed to no critical difference the soil components dependent on agricultural methods, but some analytical data have a positive relationship with a agricultural methods. Therefor we could concluded that the comparison study of community for soil bacteria sufficiently could be useful for the microbiological indicator.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.422-427
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• 2007

The purposes of this study were to investigate the concentration of total coliforms in sewage effluents during the period from August 2004 to October 2005. The removal efficiency range of multi-tube method and plate count method were $31.3{\sim}99.5%$ and $66.8{\sim}99.2%$, respectively. Though a correlation between the multi-tube method and the plate count method in the same sample is low, not only is an experimental procedure very simple, but the time required also is short. The seasonal correlation between methods showed more sensitive spring and summer than autumn and winter. So the study indicated plate count method can be used in rapid and reliance identification of total coliform more than the multi-tube method.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 1978

The differences in Vibrio parahaemolyticus detection ratio were compared between the isolation methods, the Most Probable Number technique and single dilution tube method. During the period from February to October in 1976, 298 samples of sea water, 112 of bottom deposit, 169 of shellfish, and 80 of fish samples collected along the south coastal area of Korea were examined to determine the detection ratio of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It was often observed that Vibrio parahaemolyticus was detected in higher diluted samples even through negative in lower dilution. Three hundred and forty three samples out of 659 samples submitted to the test by MPN procedure appeared positive for Vibrio parahaemolyticus showing $52\%$ detection ratio. Whereas only 149 samples, corresponding $22.5\%$, were positive for Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the lowest dilution grade. The positive result was $24.5\%$ in the lowest dilution grade and $50\%$ by MPN Procedure in sea water samples, $28.6\%$ and $65.2\%$ in bottom deposit, $22.5\%$ and $56.2\%$ in shellfish and $7.5\%$ and $32.5\%$ fish samples. When tested by triplicate tubes, $61.7\%$ of 149 Vibrio parahaemolyticus positive samples appeared positive in one tube, $28.9\%$ of them were positive in two tubes and $9.4\%$ of them were positive in all three tubes. The detection ratio determined by MPN procedure was more than two times higher than that of single dilution in triplicate tubes.