• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.671-679
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• 2003

Effects of sun-dried, refined, seaweed, and bamboo salts on the quality of kochujang were studied by measuring enzymatic, microbial, and physicochemical characteristics of kochujang during 12 weeks of fermentation. Yeast count was low in the bamboo-salt kochujang, whereas that of aerobic bacteria was low in the seaweed-salt kochujang. Acid protease activity was high in the bamboo-salt kochujang, whereas amylase activity did not show any remarkable difference. Color change was lowest in the bamboo-salt kochujang. Water activities of all kochujangs decreased during fermentation with the lowest shown in the refined-salt kochujang. Consistency of seaweed-salt kochujang was the highest. Total sugar content was higher, whereas ORP was lower in the seaweed- and bamboo-salt kochujangs. Titratable acidity changed slightly in the bamboo-salt kochujang. Reducing sugar content was the lowest, whereas ethanol content was the highest in the refined-salt kochujang. Amino and ammonia nitrogen contents of kochujangs increased up to the middle of fermentation period then decreased with lower changes observed in the sun-dried and refined-salt kochujangs. Results of sensory evaluation indicated that the bamboo-salt kochujang was more acceptable than the sun-dried salt kochujang in taste, color, and overall acceptabilities.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2002

To evaluate the effect of reed population on the distribution and activities of microorganisms, vertical distribution of heterotrophic bacteria, degradation rate of cellulose, extracellular aminopeptidase activity (APA) and metabolic diversity based on GN2 Microlog plate were measured at two salt marsh stations in Hogok-ri, Namyang Bay, west coast of Korea. The number of heterotrophic bacteria at station 1 (reed population inhabited area) showed 2 to 6 times higher than that of station 2 (exposed area) with exception in the surface layer. Cellulose degradation rates in station 1 showed more than 50%. month-I and higher than that of station 2 (10.2 to 38.4%. $month^{-1}$). Yet the APA at two stations did not show difference except surface layer and suggested that APA might not be a significant factor in degrading marsh plant debris. Lipid class compounds, cell wall polymers and L-alanine were widely used by microorganisms. The number and activities of bacterial populations especially concerned in plant debris degradation seemed to be stimulated by the reed communities.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.261-270
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• 2010

Increasing atmospheric $CO_2$ affects the soil carbon cycle by influencing microbial activity and the carbon pool. In this study, the effects of elevated $CO_2$ on extracellular enzyme activities (EEA; ${\beta}$-glucosidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, aminopeptidase) in salt marsh sediment vegetated with Suaeda japonica were assessed under ambient atmospheric $CO_2$ concentration (380 ppm) or elevated $CO_2$ concentration (760 ppm) conditions. Additionally, the community structure of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was analyzed via terminal restriction fragments length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Sediment with S. japonica samples were collected from the Hwangsando intertidal flat in May 2005, and placed in small pots (diameter 6 cm, height 10 cm). The pots were incubated for 60 days in a growth chamber under two different $CO_2$ concentration conditions. Sediment samples for all measurements were subdivided into two parts: surface (0-2 cm) and rhizome (4-6 cm) soils. No significant differences were detected in EEA with different $CO_2$ treatments in the surface and rhizome soils. However, the ratio of ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity to N-acetylglucosaminidase activity in rhizome soil was significantly lower (P < 0.01) at 760 ppm $CO_2$ than at 380 ppm $CO_2$, thereby suggesting that the contribution of fungi to the decomposition of soil organic matter might in some cases prove larger than that of bacteria. Community structures of SRB were separated according to different $CO_2$ treatments, suggesting that elevated $CO_2$ may affect the carbon and sulfur cycle in salt marshes.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1065-1072
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• 2012

Crop productivity decreases globally as a result of salinization. However, salinity impact on greenhouse-grown crops is much higher than on field-grown crops due to the overall concentrations of nutrients in greenhouse soils. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the short-term changes in growth, photosynthesis, and metabolites of tomato plants grown in greenhouse under heavily input of fertilizers evaluated by microbial activity and chemical properties of soils. The soils (< 3, 3.01~6, 6.01~10 and > 10.01 dS $m^{-1}$) from farmer's greenhouse fields having different fertilization practices were used. Results showed that the salt-accumulated soil affected adversely the growth of tomato plants. Tomato plants were seldom to complete their growth against > 10.0 dS $m^{-1}$ level of EC. The assimilation rate of $CO_2$ from the upper fully expanded leaves of tomato plants is reduced under increasing soil EC levels at 14 days, however; it was the highest in moderate or high EC-subjected (3.0 ~ 10.0 dS $m^{-1}$) at 28 days. In our experiment, soluble sugars and starch were sensitive markers for salt stress and thus might assume the status of crops against various salt conditions. Taken together, tomato plants found to have tolerance against moderate soil EC stress. Various EC levels (< 3.0 ~ 10.0 dS $m^{-1}$) led to a slight decrease in organic matter (OM) contents in soils at 28 days. Salinity stress led to higher microbial activity in soils, followed by a decomposition of OM in soils as indicated by the changes in soil chemical properties.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.747-752
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• 2011

To investigate the effects of disulphide bond position on the salt resistance and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-neutralizing activity of ${\alpha}$-helical homo-dimeric antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), we synthesized an ${\alpha}$-helical model peptide ($K_6L_4W_1$) and its homo-dimeric peptides (di-$K_6L_4W_1$-N, di-$K_6L_4W_1$-M, and di-$K_6L_4W_1$-C) with a disulphide bond at the N-terminus, the central position, and the C-terminus of the molecules, respectively. Unlike $K_6L_4W_1$ and di-$K_6L_4W_1$-M, the antimicrobial activity of di-$K_6L_4W_1$-N and di-$K_6L_4W_1$-C was unaffected by 150 mM NaCl. Both di-$K_6L_4W_1$-N and di-$K_6L_4W_1$-C caused much greater inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) release in LPS-induced mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, compared to di-$K_6L_4W_1$-M. Taken together, our results indicate that the presence of a disulphide bond at the N- or C-terminus of the molecule, rather than at the central position, is more effective when designing salt-resistant ${\alpha}$-helical homo-dimeric AMPs with potent antimicrobial and LPS-neutralizing activities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1577-1584
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• 2010

In total, 140 halotolerant bacterial strains were isolated from both the soil of barren fields and the rhizosphere of six naturally growing halophytic plants in the vicinity of the Yellow Sea, near the city of Incheon in the Republic of Korea. All of these strains were characterized for multiple plant growth promoting traits, such as the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), nitrogen fixation, phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) solubilization, thiosulfate ($S_2O_3$) oxidation, the production of ammonia ($NH_3$), and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes such as protease, chitinase, pectinase, cellulase, and lipase under in vitro conditions. From the original 140 strains tested, on the basis of the latter tests for plant growth promotional activity, 36 were selected for further examination. These 36 halotolerant bacterial strains were then tested for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity. Twenty-five of these were found to be positive, and to be exhibiting significantly varying levels of activity. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses of the 36 halotolerant strains showed that they belong to 10 different bacterial genera: Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Planococcus, Zhihengliuella, Halomonas, Exiguobacterium, Oceanimonas, Corynebacterium, Arthrobacter, and Micrococcus. Inoculation of the 14 halotolerant bacterial strains to ameliorate salt stress (150 mM NaCl) in canola plants produced an increase in root length of between 5.2% and 47.8%, and dry weight of between 16.2% and 43%, in comparison with the uninoculated positive controls. In particular, three of the bacteria, Brevibacterium epidermidis RS15, Micrococcus yunnanensis RS222, and Bacillus aryabhattai RS341, all showed more than 40% increase in root elongation and dry weight when compared with uninoculated salt-stressed canola seedlings. These results indicate that certain halotolerant bacteria, isolated from coastal soils, have a real potential to enhance plant growth under saline stress, through the reduction of ethylene production via ACC deaminase activity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.760-763
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• 2001

Five commercial salt-fermented shrimps contained 29.8~48.3% of salt 3.5%~7.3% of total nitrogen and 0.3~0.7g/100g of amino-nitrogen respectively. The average peptide length(APL) of five commercial salt-fermented shrimps ranged from 10.1 to 15.0. Sample B and E showed longer APL than the others with the values of 15.0 and 14.4 respectively. Protease activity showed the large differences in five samples from 17 unit to 232 unit ; sample C showed the highest protease activity with 232 unit while sample D and E were relatively lower with 17 unit and 18 unit respectively. The chitinase activities which can hydrolyze chitin the one of components on outer layer of shrimp ranged from 14.4 unit to 171 unit. Sample E had the highest chitinase activity as 171 unit but sample B showed the lowest activity with 14.4 unit. Chitooligosaccharides of five commercial salted-fermented shrimps were consisted of monoglucosamine diglucosamine and triglucosamine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.449-456
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• 2008

Phenotypic screening for bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity was performed on Lactobacillus acidophilus PF01 isolated from piglet feces. A gene encoding BSH was identified and cloned from the genomic library of L. acidophilus PF01. The bsh gene and surrounding regions were characterized by nucleotide sequence analysis and were found to contain a single open reading frame (ORF) of 951 nucleotides encoding a 316 amino acid protein. The potential bsh promoter region was located upstream of the start codon. The protein deduced from the complete ORF had high similarity with other BSHs, and four amino acid motifs located around the active site, FGRNXD, AGLNF, VLTNXP, and GXGXGXXGXPGD, were highly conserved. The bsh gene was cloned into the pET21b expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli BLR(DE3) by induction with 0.1mM of isopropylthiogalactopyranoside. The BSH enzyme was purified with apparent homogeneity using a $Ni^{2+}$-NTA agarose column and characterized. The overexpressed recombinant BSH enzyme of L. acidophilus PF01 exhibited hydrolase activity against tauroconjugated bile salts, but not glycoconjugated bile salts. It showed the highest activity against taurocholic acid. The maximum BSH activity occurred at approximately $40^{\circ}C$. The enzyme maintained approximately 70% of its maximum activity even at $60^{\circ}C$, whereas its activity rapidly decreased at below $37^{\circ}C$. The optimum pH was 6, and BSH activity was rapidly inactivated below pH 5 and above pH 7.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.323-327
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• 2009

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.94-94
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• 2002