• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2012

We investigated the effects on soil microbial diversity and the growth promotion of red pepper resulting from inoculation with a microbial agent composed of Bacillus subtilis AH18, B. licheniformis K11 and Pseudomonas fluorescens 2112 in a red pepper farming field. Photosynthetic bacteria, Trichoderma spp., Azotobacter spp., Actinomycetes, nitrate oxidizing bacteria, nitrite oxidizing bacteria, nitrogen fixing bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, phosphate solubilizing bacteria, cellulase producing bacteria, and urease producing bacteria are all indicator microbes of healthy soil microbial diversity. The microbial diversity of the consortium microbial agent treated soil was seen to be 1.1 to 14 times greater than soils where other commercial agent treatments were used, the latter being the commercial agent AC-1, and chemical fertilizer. The yield of red pepper in the field with the treated consortium microbial agent was increased by more than 15% when compared to the other treatments. Overall, the microbial diversity of the red pepper farming field soil was improved by the consortium microbial agent, and the promotion of growth and subsequent yield of red pepper was higher than soils where the other treatments were utilized.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.778-785
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• 2017

This study was conducted to develop a predictive model for the growth of Escherichia coli strain RC-4-D isolated from red kohlrabi sprout seeds. We collected E. coli kinetic growth data during red kohlrabi seed sprouting under isothermal conditions (10, 15, 20, 25, and $30^{\circ}C$). Baranyi model was used as a primary order model for growth data. The maximum growth rate (${\mu}max$) and lag-phase duration (LPD) for each temperature (except for $10^{\circ}C$ LPD) were determined. Three kinds of secondary models (suboptimal Ratkowsky square-root, Huang model, and Arrhenius-type model) were compared to elucidate the influence of temperature on E. coli growth rate. The model performance measures for three secondary models showed that the suboptimal Huang square-root model was more suitable in the accuracy (1.223) and the suboptimal Ratkowsky square-root model was less in the bias (0.999), respectively. Among three secondary order model used in this study, the suboptimal Ratkowsky square-root model showed best fit for the secondary model for describing the effect of temperature. This model can be utilized to predict E. coli behavior in red kohlrabi sprout production and to conduct microbial risk assessments.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.185-196
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effects of rice genetically modified to be resistant against rice blast and rice bacterial blight on the soil microbial community. A comparative analysis of the effects of rice genetically modified rice choline kinase (OsCK1) gene for disease resistance (GM rice) and the Nakdong parental cultivar (non-GM rice) on the soil microbial community at each stage was conducted using rhizosphere soil of the OsCK1 and Nakdong rice. METHODS AND RESULTS: The soil chemistry at each growth stage and the bacterial and fungal population densities were analyzed. Soil DNA was extracted from the samples, and the microbial community structures of the two soils were analyzed by pyrosequencing. No significant differences were observed in the soil chemistry and microbial population density between the two soils. The taxonomic analysis showed that Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria were present in all soils as the major phyla. Although the source tracking analysis per phylogenetic rank revealed that there were differences in the bacteria between the GM and non-GM soil as well as among the cultivation stages, the GM and non-GM soil were grouped according to the growth stages in the UPGMA dendrogram analysis. CONCLUSION: The difference in bacterial distributions between Nakdong and OsCK1 rice soils at each phylogenetic level detected in microbial community analysis by pyrosequencing may be due to the genetic modification done on GM rice or due to heterogeneity of the soil environment. In order to clarify this, it is necessary to analyze changes in root exudates along with the expression of transgene. A more detailed study involving additional multilateral soil analyses is required.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 1995

The balance of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of all warm-blooded animals is critical to the maintenance of health and resistance to disease. The composition of the populations can be altered by diet and environment, making the host animal susceptible to disease, and reducing growth rate and feed efficiency. Some feed additives including antimicrobial agents, prohiotics or yucca extract have been used to promote growth and feed utilization. There is evidence that part of growth-promoting effect of those feed additives results from the suppression of microbial urease activity or ammonia production in the GI contents of animals. Over 200 microbial species have been known to produce urease and the product of urea hydrolysis, ammonia, is toxic to animals. Carefully tested probiotics or other urease-suppressing agents can be a possible alternative to antimicrobial agents including antibiotics as growth promotants used for animals feeds.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2012

The use of suitable sanitizers can increase the quality of fresh-cut produce and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. The objective of this study was to compare the washing effects of 100 mg/L sodium hypochlorite (SH) and 500 mg/L acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) on the prevention of enzymatic browning and the growth of microbial populations, including aerobic plate counts, E. coli, and coliforms, throughout storage at $4^{\circ}C$ and $10^{\circ}C$. Fresh-cut zucchini, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and root vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and radishes were used. Compared to SH washing, ASC washing significantly (p<0.05) reduced microbial contamination on the fresh-cut produce and prevented browning of fresh-cut potatoes and sweet potatoes during storage. More effective inhibition of aerobic plate counts and coliforms growth was observed on fresh-cut produce treated with ASC during storage at $10^{\circ}C$. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of fresh-cut potatoes and sweet potatoes was more effectively inhibited after washing with ASC. The use of 500 mg/L ASC can provide effective antimicrobial and anti-browning treatments of fresh-cut produce, including processed root vegetables.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.348-353
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• 2008

Aerobic bacterial growth on Korean pan.fried meat patties as a primary quality deterioration factor was modeled as a function of temperature to estimate microbial spoilage on a real.time basis under dynamic storage conditions. Bacteria counts in the stretch.wrapped foods held at constant temperatures of 0, 5, 10 and $15^{\circ}C$ were measured throughout storage. The bootstrapping method was applied to generate many resampled data sets of mean microbial counts, which were then used to estimate the parameters of the microbial growth model of Baranyi & Roberts in the form of differential equations. The temperature functions of the primary model parameters were set up with confidence limits. Incorporating the temperature dependent parameters into the differential equations of bacterial growth could produce predictions closely representing the experimental data under constant and fluctuating temperature conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.261-269
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• 2012

In this study, 18 kinds of Korean medicinal herb extracts were examined for anti-microbial activities against pathogenic microorganisms. The methanol (MeOH) extracts from Schizandra chinensis, Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan exhibited antimicrobial activities against most pathogenic microorganisms at concentrations of 5 mg/mL, whereas the other 15 extracts exhibited anti-microbial activities at concentrations of 30 mg/mL. The minimum concentration at which Schizandra chinensis extracts inhibited for S. epidermidis and Bor. bronchiseptica was 0.6 mg/mL. The MeOH extracts from Schizandra chinensis, Caesalpinia sappan, Rhus javanica and Seutellaria baicalensis which had higher anti-microbial activities were subsequently fractionated using 5 different solvents, and further screened for anti-microbial activities. The inhibitory effects of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts on microbial growth were greater compared to any other solvent extracts. In order to investigate the inhibitory effect of Korean medicinal herbs with high anti-microbial activities on microbial proliferation, the MeOH extracts at concentrations of 0, 100, 300 and 500 ppm were added to the media. No addition of extracts caused rapid growth of microbes after 12 hours incubation. As the concentration of extracts from Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan increased, the growth-inhibiting effect on gram-positive bacteria including S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and L. monocytogenes was prominent. Rhus javanica extracts exhibited growth-inhibiting activity for gram-negative bacteria including Sal. Pullorum and Sal. Choleraesuis. The low concentration of extracts from Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan exhibited the growth of Bor. bronchiseptica and E. coli serotype $O_8$. However, the higher concentration of extracts from Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on microbial proliferation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1650-1655
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• 2006

Bacteria belonging to the genus Paenibacillus are facultatively anaerobic endospore formers and are attracting growing ecological and agricultural interest, yet their genome information is very limited. The present study surveyed the genomic features of P. polymyxa ATCC $842^T$ using pulse-field gel electrophoresis of restriction fragments and sample genome sequencing of 1,747 reads (approximately 17.5% coverage of the genome). Putative functions were assigned to more than 60% of the sequences. Functional classification of the sequences showed a similar pattern to that of B. subtilis. Sequence analysis suggests nitrogen fixation and antibiotic production by P. polymyxa ATCC $842^T$, which may explain its plant growth-promoting effects.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-53
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• 2008

To utilize edible red algae paper for food packaging, red algae paper coated with green tea extract or catechin was prepared and microbial growth in bread wrapped with the paper was determined during storage. The paper coated with green tea extract or catechin had antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. Packaging of bread with the red algae paper coated with green tea extract or catechin decreased the populations of total aerobic bacteria and yeast and mold after 2 days of storage by 0.41 and 0.63 log CFU/g, respectively, compared to the control. These results suggest that bread can be packaged by edible red algae paper coated with green tea extract or catechin, resulting in inhibit microbial growth during storage.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 1985

Seasonal and vertical variations of abiontic soil carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) activities were assessed every other month for a year in two contrasting forest soils and evaluated the relationships between soil CMCase activity and environmental parameters. In climax deciduous soil, variations in CMCase activities caused by differences in sampling time were greater than those caused by differences in soil depth. On the other hand, counter phenomenon was obserned in coniferous soil at the stage of development. Correlation analyses showed that soil CMCase activities were significantly (p>0.01) correlated with microbial respiration rates ($O_2$ uptake) and all of the microbial population sizes. From these results, it is suggested that determination of abiontic soil CMCase activity is an useful additional index for evaluating the overall microbial growth and activity in soils.