• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2002

The test of germination has been used as a good indicator to assess the toxicity of chemicals to plant. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of PAHs, anthracene and phenanthrene, on germination ratio, germination index and germination time of barley, tall fescue and alfafa. Anthracene and phenathrene induced to decrease the seedling length and increase the germination time of the experimental plants. But they did not affect the maximum germination ratio. While it was not correlated between seedling length and final germination ratio, it was shown a close relationship between seedling length and mean germination time of the plants. These results suggested that the mean of germination time and seedling growth could be useful to exmine the phyto -toxicological effect of PAHs. The mixture of anthracene and phenanthrene was examined to investigate the combined effect on seedling length; the mixture induced the reduction of seedling. This was meant that the mixture toxicity of PAHs might be not shown in the sum of each chemical toxicity.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.189-203
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• 2015

Membrane biofouling impedes wide application of membrane bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment. Recently, quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms are accounted for one of major mechanisms in biofouling of MBRs. In this study, vanillin was applied to investigate reduction of biofouling in MBRs. MBR sludge was analyzed to contain QS signal molecules by cross-feeding biosensor assay and HPLC. In addition, the inhibitory activity of vanillin against bacterial quorum sensing was verified using an indicator strain CV026. The vanillin doses greater than 125 mg/L to 100 mL of MBR sludge showed 25% reduction of biofilm formed on the membrane surfaces. Two MBRs, i.e., a typical MBR as a control and an MBR with vanillin, were operated. The TMP increases of the control MBR were more rapid compared to those of the MBR with the vanillin dose of 250 mg/L. The treatment efficiencies of the two MBRs on organic removal and MLSS were maintained relatively constant. Extracellular polymeric substance concentrations measured at the end of the MBR operation were 173 mg/g biocake for the control MBR and 119 mg/g biocake for the MBR with vanillin. Vanillin shows great potential as an anti-biofouling agent for MBRs without any interference on microbial activity for wastewater treatment.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.670-680
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• 2022

Owing to the lack of a cold-chain distribution system, most seafood is generally distributed under room temperature conditions. However the degradation of freshness during the distribution process can lead to disputes between sellers and consumers. The most widely used method for low-temperature distribution for seafood includes packaging it with styrofoam boxes and cold packs. In this study, vacuum-packed frozen fillets of four fish species of [white meat (Paralichthys olivaceus and Sebastes schlegelii) and red meat (Scomber japonicus and Scomberomorus niphonius)] were placed in styrofoam boxes with cold packs. Thereafter, changes in chemical (including pH, volatile basic nitrogen, and trimethylamine), physical (odor intensity, hardness, and chewiness), and microbial (viable cell count) characteristics of the fillets were measured during storage at 25℃. To identify the suitable method of determining freshness during the room-temperature distribution, several factors were considered, which included significant difference verification, correlation coefficients, and economic efficiency (experimental cost and time). Volatile basic nitrogen, pH, odor intensity, and viable cell count are the most rapid and accurate freshness indicators for determining freshness of frozen fish fillets during.

• 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.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.348-354
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• 2017

Internationally different food safety regulation and standards could cause troubles in trade unless those are built on scientific knowledge. In this research, we monitored the microbial population and analyzed the results to determine the level of microbial contamination in foodstuffs using relatively new statistical analysis (microbiological sampling plan, International Commission on Microbiological Specification for Foods). The goal of this research falls on establishing entirely new standards for various food categories addressed in the Korean "Food Code". Targets for monitoring were indicator organisms (i.e. total aerobic count, coliform and Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (i.e. Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens) in ready-to-eat (RTE) products. As the result of the monitoring, total aerobic count, coliform, E. coli, and B. cereus in RTE products were found at the mean values of 2.10 log CFU/g, -0.60 log CFU/g, -1.33 log CFU/g and -1.23 log CFU/g, respectively. S. aureus was detected with the level of -1.35 log CFU/g only in fresh-cut food, while C. perfringens was -1.37 log CFU/g only in ready-to-cook food. Other samples did not have any food borne pathogens. Total aerobic count, B. cereus, S. aureus and C. perfringens satisfied the Food Code (the MFDS). On the basis of the analysis, we proposed a draft of microbial criteria for RTE products.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.682-691
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• 2020

Careful cleaning and disinfection of pigpens is essential to prevent disease spread and avoid the resultant economic losses. Hygiene in pigpens is generally evaluated by visual monitoring supplemented with bacteriological monitoring, which includes counting the total aerobic bacteria (TAB) and/or fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). However, these methods present drawbacks such as time and labor requirements. As adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is ubiquitous in all living organisms including microorganisms, this study aimed to directly compare the results of microbial assessment and ATP quantification, and to suggest possible detailed application methods of the ATP test for hygiene evaluation in pigpens of a farrowing unit. Before and after standard cleaning procedures, samples were collected from the floor corner, floor center, and feeding trough of four pigpens at different time points. No FIB were detected and both the TAB and ATP levels were significantly decreased in the floor center area after cleaning. FIB were continuously detected after cleaning and disinfection of the floor corners, and there was no significant ATP level reduction. The feeding trough did not show any significant difference in these values before and after cleaning, indicating insufficient cleaning of this area. The levels of TAB and ATP after cleaning were significantly correlated and the average ATP value was significantly lower in the absence of FIB than in their presence. In the absence of standard references, a more thorough hygiene management could be achieved evenly by supplementing cleaning or disinfection based on the lowest ATP results obtained at the cleanest test site, which in the present study was the floor center. Overall, these results indicate that the on-farm ATP test can be used to determine the cleanliness status, in addition to visual inspection, as an alternative to laboratory culture-based testing for the presence of microorganisms.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.788-794
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• 2013

Mastitis set apart as clinical and sub clinical is a disease complex of dairy cattle, with sub clinical being the most important economically. Of late, laboratories showed interest in developing biochemical markers to diagnose sub clinical mastitis (SCM) in herds. Many workers reported noteworthy alternation of acute phase proteins (APPs) and nitric oxide, (measured as nitrate+nitrite = NOx) in milk due to intra-mammary inflammation. But, the literature on validation of these parameters as indicators of SCM, particularly in riverine milch buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) milk is inadequate. Hence, the present study focused on comparing several APPs viz. ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin, ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein, fibrinogen and NOx as indicators of SCM in buffalo milk. These components in milk were estimated using standardized analytical protocols. Somatic cell count (SCC) was done microscopically. Microbial culture was done on 5% ovine blood agar. Of the 776 buffaloes (3,096 quarters) sampled, only 347 buffaloes comprising 496 quarters were found positive for SCM i.e. milk culture showed growth in blood agar with $SCC{\geq}2{\times}10^5$ cells/ml of milk. The cultural examination revealed Gram positive bacteria as the most prevalent etiological agent. It was observed that ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin and NOx had a highly significant (p<0.01) increase in SCM milk, whereas, the increase of ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein in infected milk was significant (p<0.05). Fibrinogen was below detection level in both healthy and SCM milk. The percent sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated taking bacterial culture examination and $SCC{\geq}2{\times}10^5$ cells/ml of milk as the benchmark. Udder profile correlation coefficient was also used. Allowing for statistical and epidemiological analysis, it was concluded that ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin indicates SCM irrespective of etiology, whereas ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein better diagnosed SCM caused by gram positive bacteria. NOx did not prove to be a good indicator of SCM. It is recommended measuring both ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin and ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein in milk to diagnose SCM in buffalo irrespective of etiology.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.561-569
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• 2012

To evaluate the bacteriological water quality in Yongnam-Gwangdo, located in western Jinhae Bay, seawater samples were analyzed using sanitary indicator bacteria at 57 sampling stations. According to survey results from January 2007 to December 2009, the range of the geometric mean and the estimated 90th percentile for coliforms and fecal coliforms in the samples were <1.8-16.5 and 1.8-246.8 MPN/100 mL and <1.8-7.1 and 1.8-74.8 MPN/100 mL, respectively. The samples, including those taken from stations located in Wonmunman, Gwangdo, and Dangdong, showed high levels of microbial contamination caused by the climate and weather patterns in the marine environment. The bacteriological water quality in the area met Korean criteria for a designated shellfish growing area for export and National Shellfish Sanitation Program criteria for an approved shellfish growing area, except at station #49. A total of 24 direct pollution sources were discharged into the shellfish growing area. The radius of impact was calculated for each pollution source to assess the effect on the shellfish growing area. The calculated radius of impact for most of the pollution sources was below 300 m. However, the radius of impact for the combined pollution sources in Kyeonnaeryang was 93-1973 m. There were significant differences between the calculated closed sea area and actual monitoring results. The closed sea area values calculated from the fecal coliform load in drainage water tended to be higher than the actual monitoring results. Tidal currents and environmental factors such as salinity, water temperature, sunlight, and microbiological factors affect the survival of fecal indicator bacteria in seawater.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.76-81
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• 2008

The objective of this study is to evaluate the microbial safety of raw pork used to produce Korean pork jerky. The raw pork samples harbored large populations of microorganisms. In particular, mesophilic bacteria were found to be most numerous $(3.9{\times}10^2-3.9{\times}10^5cfu/g)$ in the samples. Spore-forming bacteria and coliforms were not detected below detection limit. Yeast and molds were detected at $3.8{\times}10^1-5.1{\times}10^2cfu/g$ in the raw pork. Ten samples of raw pork were analyzed for the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Bacillus cereus was isolated from samples B and J and Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from sample B. The B. cereus isolates from raw pork samples were identified with 99.8% agreement and S. aureus isolate was identified with 97.8% agreement according to the API CHB 50 kit.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.940-948
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• 2006

Fluorescence measurements of dissolved organic matter(DOM) have the superior advantages over other analysis tools for applying to water quality management. They are simple and fast and require minimal pretreatment of samples. Fluorescence index($F_{450}/F_{500}$), synchronous spectra, and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices(EEM) of various DOM samples were investigated to discriminate autochthonous/allochthonous composition, protein-like fluorescence, fulvic-like fluorescence, humic-like fluorescence, terestrial humic-like fluorescence by comparing among the real DOM samples of different origins with the help of literature. The samples used included standard purified DOM, lake, river and wastewater treatment effluent. The relative distribution of various DOM composition was derived from the ratios of each fluorescence region. The results were very consistent with those expected from the sample properties. Allochthonous and terrestrial humic-like fluorescence were more prominent in the samples with abundant soil-derived DOM components. In addition, the protein-like fluorescence property was more pronounced in the samples where strong algal or microbial activities were expected. It was also shown that the ratio of protein-like/terrestrial humic-like fluorescence obtained from synchronous spectrum and fluorescence EEM could be used as an indicator for the evaluation of wastewater treatment on the downstream water quality of rivers and for the prediction of the degree of algal/microbial activities in lakes. It is expected that the results of this study will provide the basic information to develop the future water quality management techniques using DOM fluorescence measurements.