• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2022

Objectives: The chemical composition of cactus pear seed oil (Opuntia ficus-indica [L.] Mill.) was analyzed in terms of its fatty acid composition, tocopherol content, phenolic identification, and the oil's phenolic-rich fraction antioxidant power was determined. Methods: Fatty acid profiling was performed by gas chromatography coupled to an FI detector. Tocopherols and phenolic compounds were analyzed by LC-FLD/UV, and the oil's phenolic-rich fraction antioxidant power was determined by phosphomolybdenum, DPPH assay and β-carotene bleaching test. Results: Fatty acid composition was marked by a high unsaturation level (83.22 ± 0.34%). The predominant fatty acid was linoleic acid (66.79 ± 0.78%), followed by oleic acid (15.16 ± 0.42%) and palmitic acid (12.70 ± 0.03%). The main tocopherol was γ-tocopherol (172.59 ± 7.59 mg/kg. In addition, Tyrosol, vanillic acid, vanillin, ferulic acid, pinoresinol, and cinnamic acid were identified as phenolic compounds in the analyzed seed oil. Moreover, the oil's phenolics-rich fraction showed a significant total antioxidant activity, scavenged DPPH up to 97.85%, and effectively protected β-carotene against bleaching (97.56%). Conclusion: The results support the potential use of cactus pear seed oil as a functional food.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.3 s.76
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• pp.477-484
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• 2006

This study was performed to know the potentialities of the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica, as a medium for mushroom mycelial culture. Five mushroom mycelial (Agrocus blazei, Grifola frondosa, Hericium erinaceum, Innonotus obliquus, Phellinus linteus) were frown on the malt extract broth (MEB) and the cactus broth medium (CB). The submerged culture mixtures were extracted using equal volume of ethyl acetate, and their extract yields, total polyphenol contents, and some physiological activities were compared with each other Each extract from mycelial culture grown on CB medium showed remarkable enhancement in physiological activities compared with each counterpart grown on MEB. Among five mycelial cultures grown on CB medium, the extract yield and polyphenyl content were highest in the extract from Grifola frondosa (extract yield, 0.4 g/L and polyphenol content, 22.7%). Also, the extracts from Grifola frondosa showed the highest physiological activities, such as DPPH radical scavenging ($IC_{50}=362.9{\mu}g/ml$), xanthine oxidase inhibition (about 80% at $500{\mu}g/ml$), and superoxide radical scavenging (about 80% at $500{\mu}g/ml$), and NO production inhibition ($IC_{50}=43.1{\mu}g/ml$) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. This result suggests that the fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica can be used as a culture medium for improving the functional properties of various mushroom mycelia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.210-219
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• 2017

This study aimed to establish an optimal extraction process and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-photodiode array (PDA) analytical method for determination of marker compounds, dihydrokaempferol (DHK) and 3-O-methylquercetin (3-MeQ), as a part of materials standardization for the development of health functional foods from stems of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (OFS). The quantitative determination method of marker compounds was optimized by HPLC analysis, and the correlation coefficient for the calibration curve showed very good linearity. The HPLC-PDA method was applied successfully to quantification of marker compounds in OFS after validation of the method in terms of linearity, accuracy, and precision. Ethanolic extracts from stems of O. ficus-indica var. saboten (OFSEs) were evaluated by reflux extraction at 70 and $80^{\circ}C$ with 50, 70, and 80% ethanol for 3, 4, 5, and 6 h. Among OFSEs, OFS70E at $80^{\circ}C$ showed the highest contents of DHK and 3-MeQ of $26.42{\pm}0.65$ and $3.88{\pm}0.29mg/OFS100g$, respectively. Furthermore, OFSEs were determined for their antioxidant activities by measuring 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation (LPO) inhibitory activities in rat liver homogenate. OFS70E at $70^{\circ}C$ showed the most potent antioxidant activities with $IC_{50}$ values of $1.19{\pm}0.11$ and $0.89{\pm}0.09mg/mL$ in the DPPH radical scavenging and LPO inhibitory assays, respectively. To identify active components of OFS, various chromatographic separation of OFS70E led to isolation of 11 flavonoids: dihydrokaempferol, dihydroquercetin, 3-O-methylquercetin, quercetin, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-galactoside, narcissin, kaempferol 7-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside. The results suggest that standardization of DHK in OFSEs using HPLC-PDA analysis would be an acceptable method for the development of health functional foods.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

Two feeding experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of fermented cactus fruit (Opuntia ficusindica) fluid (FCFF) as a feed additive to a commercial diet on the growth of red sea bream, Pagrus major, and to determine an effective dose. FCFF was prepared by mixing crushed cactus fruit with a starch solution and commercially available microorganisms for 2 weeks at room temperature. Three triplicate groups of red sea bream had initial mean weights of 84.1 g (Exp-1) and 5.1 g (Exp-2) and were fed experimental diets containing 0%, 1%, and 5% FCFF for 2 months (Exp-1) and 0%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1% FCFF for 3 months (Exp-2), respectively. In experiment 1, the mean body weight of fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of fish fed the diet without FCFF. The survival rate was highest in fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF, although the difference was not statistically significant. The feed gain ratio (FGR), specific growth rate (SGR), and condition factor (CF) values of fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF were higher than those of fish in the other dietary groups that received lower levels of FCFF. The daily feeding rate (DFR) of fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF was slightly lower but not statistically different than the DFR values of fish in the other dietary groups. In experiment 2, the final mean body weight of fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the mean weight of fish in the control group. The FGR, SGR, and CF values of fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF were better than the values from fish in the other dietary groups that received lower levels of FCFF, although the differences were not statistically significant. However, the DFR of fish fed the diet containing 1% FCFF was lower than those of fish in the other groups. These results suggest that FCFF could be used as a feed additive in commercial fish food and a preferable level of supplementation is at least 1.0% in fingerling and young red sea bream.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.788-798
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• 2009

Objective : This study was undertaken to investigate effects of Opuntia ficus-indica (OP)extract on an asthma murine model. Methods : The total number of cells and eosinophils in BALF and the infiltration of inflammatory cells into lung tissues were determined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results : The number of OVA-induced total cells and eosinophils, a phenomenon of asthma, were decreased by treatment of the animals with OP extract (200 mg/kg) (respectively, p < 0.001 and p<0.01). Furthermore, we showed that OP extract reduced the increased immune cell infiltration induced by ovalbumin (p < 0.01). The levels of interleukin (IL)-4 in BAL fluid were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, because the eosinophilia is associated with a T helper (Th) 2 response including IL-4. The level of OVA-induced IL-4 was decreased by OP extract in BAL fluid (p < 0.05). We investigated whether OP extract reduced nitrite (NO) production on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 sells, because asthma is an inflammatory disease. The level of LPS-induced NO production was decreased by OP extract (50, 100 and 200 mg/ml) on RAW 264.7 cells (respectively, p < 0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.05). Conclusions : Our results indicate that OP extract has an inhibitory effect on lung eosinophilia of asthma and suggest that OP extract is a therapeutic candidate in the treatment of inflammatory disease, including asthma.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.521-528
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate changes in the proximate composition, antioxidant activities, and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) cladodes cultivated in Jeju (JJ1, JJ2, JJ3) and Jeonnam (JN1, JN2). The difference in the proximate composition (crude protein, lipid and ash content) of OFI between the two regions was not significant. Ca, Mg and Na were the major mineral components of OFI. The ascorbic acid content of OFI ranged from 57.87 to 143.72 mg/100 g. A 70% ethanol extract was used to investigate the antioxidant content and activity as well as the ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of OFI were 38.69~55.29 and 3.33~4.03 mg/g, respectively. The antioxidant activities based on the DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays were 45.19~61.52% and 39.15~51.96%, respectively, at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. The inhibitory activity of OFI extracts against rat intestinal ${\alpha}$-glucosidase was 29.72~45.73% at 1 mg/mL concentration, and JN1 showed the highest ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity. This information could be very useful for authentication of Opuntia species with the highest potential as sources of nutritional and therapeutic elements.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2002

Fermentation characteristics with/without nitrogen source and quality of the fruit distillate of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten were investigated during the manufacturing process of a Korean traditional liquor. As the fermentation period increased, acidity, brix degree, and alcohol concentration increased, whereas pH and contents of reducing sugar decreased. Acidity, pH, and brix degree were higher, whereas the content of reducing sugar lower, in the nitrogen source-added distillate than in the distillate without nitrogen source. The growth of yeast increased, while that of bacteria decreased; this trend was more prominent with the addition of a nitrogen source. Sojues, distilled from two types of mashes and diluted with $H_2O$ and tails of distillate into 22% alcohol concentration, showed pH $3.7{\sim}4.0$, acidity $0.02{\sim}0.10$, and $5.4{\sim}6.1$ $^{\circ}Brix$. Analysis through GC using direct injection methods revealed common volatile flavor compounds in sojues, including acetaldehyde, acetyl acetone, acetic acid ethyl ester, ethyl alcohol, 2-propyl alcohol, acetone, n-propyl alcohol, butanoic acid methyl ester, 2-phenyl ethanol, thymol, acetic acid phenyl ester, and vanillic aldehyde. As revealed through the sensory evaluation, no significant difference (p>0.05) in overall acceptability was shown among four experimental groups, while color and flavor showed significant differences(p<0.05).

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.48-56
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• 2009

This study was conducted to examine the effects of Opuntia ficus-indica complexes(OCB) on the intake of water and food, body weight, blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to four different groups; non-diabetic control(NC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic OCB of 2%(OCB-2), and diabetic OCB of 5%(OCB-5). The animals were fed on each experimental diet for 3 weeks. The DC, OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups showed a higher intake of water and food than the NC group. The fasting blood glucose levels were 100 $ mg/d{\ell}$ and 416 $ mg/d{\ell}$ for the NC and DC groups, respectively. The OCB-5 group presented a significantly low fasting glucose level of 21%(P<0.05), while OCB-2 group had a decrease of 13% compared to the DC group. As for the results of the glucose tolerance test, the highest blood glucose level was observed for all the groups at 30 minutes after the glucose injections as well as higher plasma insulin levels in the OCB-5 group. Plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acids(NEFA) and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were also lower in the OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups. The experimental diet did not affect the HDL-cholesterol levels. The overall results suggest that the higher intake of food by the OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups improved the blood glucose levels and lipid metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.333-340
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop functional lotus root bugak with plasma lipid reduction capacity by controlling the color of batter used for bugak preparation. Lotus root, nearly colorless, was selected to observe color effects. Gardeniae fructus (GF), Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (OF), and green tea (GT), which are colored yellow, red, and green, respectively, were used as coloring agents. Fermented glutinous rice was prepared naturally during winter season by placing glutinous rice and water (1:2, w/w) together in a crock pot for 7 days. Coloring materials (10%, w/w) were blended with glue made from fermented glutinous rice flour to prepare the batter. Cooked lotus root was then mixed with a 1.1-fold amount of batter (w/w) and dried at room temperature. Lotus root bugak (LRB) is pan-fried with un-roasted sesame oil, which is traditionally used as frying oil in Korea. Low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout ($LDLr^{-/-}$) mice (n=36) were fed an atherogenic diet (AD) containing various types of LRB (10 g%) for 10 weeks. Plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-C concentrations decreased significantly in mice fed LRB prepared with OF batter (OFB) and GT batter (GTB) (P<0.05). Protein expression levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) in the OFB and GTB groups were suppressed compared with the LRB group (P<0.05). In accordance with the results on FAS and HMGCR expression, sterol regulatory element binding protein-I and II (SREBP-I and II), which are responsible for the regulation of FAS and HMGCR gene expression, respectively, were down-regulated compared to the LRB group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the plasma lipid reduction activities of OFB and GTB could be mediated through down-regulation of FAS and HMGCR mRNA expression via suppression of regulatory molecules, SREBP-I and II, in $LDLr^{-/-}$ mice.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.767-776
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate key properties of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (OFI) ie, levels of key chemicals (carotenoids, flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds as well as phenolic acid) and its antioxidative potential, depending on where the plant had been cultivated in Korea. The levels of flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds in OFI were 55.45~65.32 mg (+)-catechin/g and 149.00~181.15 mg gallic acid/g, respectively. Protocatechuic acid was the most abundant phenolic acid in the ON1 and ON2 (161.90 and $196.25{\mu}g/g$ DW (dry weight)). Nineteen flavonoids were identified and analyzed by LC-ESI-MS in cladodes from OFI. Narcissin was the most abundant flavonoid in all of the samples ($1,241.89{\sim}1,775.10{\mu}g/g$ DW). Capxanthin and zeaxanthin were the most abundant carotenoids in OFI (64.88~128.08 and $48.10{\sim}93.82{\mu}g/g$ DW). The level of DPPH radical and ABTS radical scavenging activities in OFI were 10.78~25.35 and 16.85~34.16 mg AA eq/100 g, respectively. OFI by cultivar has different kind of phenolic acid, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Therefore, dietary intake of cladodes from OFI may be helpful for improving human health.