• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.500-506
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• 2017

Kimchi cabbage is one of the four major vegetable crops in Korea. The total annual production of kimchi cabbage, the main material of kimchi, was 20,559 tons in 2015. Kimchi cabbage is one of the majer crops produced by farmers which accounts for about 80% of the total leaf vegetable production in Korea. As the consumption of environmental-friendly agricultural products increases, food safety is one of the major public health concerns. We analyzed the biological hazards of kimchi cabbage produced by two types of cultivation methos such as organic farming and conventional farming using various culture media and microscopy. A total of 432 samples were analysed for presence of sanitary indicator microorganisms (aerobic plate count, coliform count, yeast & mold) and food-borne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, environmental Listeria, Bacillus cereus). The population of sanitary indicating microorganisms and food borne pathogens was under 5 Log CFU/g in all tested samples. The results of total microorganism numbers of leaf surface showed a positive correlation to those of soil samples. Additionally, we examined chemical factors such as pesticide residues and heavy metals in soil samples. All tested samples did not shown contamination levels higher than the standard limit.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.244-255
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• 2019

Xylose isomerase (XI; E.C. 5.3.1.5) catalyzes the isomerization of xylose to xylulose, which can be used to produce bioethanol through fermentation. Therefore, XI has recently gained attention as a key catalyst in the bioenergy industry. Here, we identified, purified, and characterized a XI (PbXI) from the psychrophilic soil microorganism, Paenibacillus sp. R4. Surprisingly, activity assay results showed that PbXI is not a cold-active enzyme, but displays optimal activity at $60^{\circ}C$. We solved the crystal structure of PbXI at $1.94-{\AA}$ resolution to investigate the origin of its thermostability. The PbXI structure shows a $({\beta}/{\alpha})_8$-barrel fold with tight tetrameric interactions and it has three divalent metal ions (CaI, CaII, and CaIII). Two metal ions (CaI and CaII) located in the active site are known to be involved in the enzymatic reaction. The third metal ion (CaIII), located near the ${\beta}4-{\alpha}6$ loop region, was newly identified and is thought to be important for the stability of PbXI. Compared with previously determined thermostable and mesophilic XI structures, the ${\beta}1-{\alpha}2$ loop structures near the substrate binding pocket of PbXI were remarkably different. Site-directed mutagenesis studies suggested that the flexible ${\beta}1-{\alpha}2$ loop region is essential for PbXI activity. Our findings provide valuable insights that can be applied in protein engineering to generate low-temperature purpose-specific XI enzymes.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.232-237
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• 1994

Microorganism producing glutaryl 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ADCA) acylase was screened from soil. The microorganism was identified as Alcaligenes sp. J-421 by its morphology and biochemical properties. Cultural conditions of Alcaligenes sp. J-421 were investigated for the production of GL-7-ADCA acylase. Optimum medium composition was 1% glucose, 1% beef extract, 0.5% yeast extract, 0.2% monosodium L-glutamate, 0.1% glutaric acid, 0.2% NaCl, 0.5% $K_2$ $HPO_4$, and 0.05% $CuSO _4{\cdot}5H_2O$. Optimum cultivation conditions for the production of the enzyme in 5 l jar fermentor were $37^{\circ}C$, tip speed 300 rpm, aeration 1 vvm. Optimum reaction pH of the enzyme was 8.0 and the enzyme was stable at pH7.0-11.0.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1868-1873
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• 2006

A novel microorganism that could degrade high molecular weight gellan was screened and isolated from soil. On gellan plate, the microorganism grew well and completely liquefied the plate. The gellan-degrading microorganism was isolated by pure culture on glucose and nutrient agar medium afterwards. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis and biochemical tests using an API 50CHB/20E kit revealed that the strain belonged to Bacillus sp. The isolate, named as Bacillus sp. YJ-1, showed optimum gellan-degrading activity in 0.5% gellan medium at pH 7.5 and 37$^{\circ}C$. The activity was measured and evaluated by the thiobarbituric acid and thin-layer chromatography method. Mass spectrometry revealed that the major gellan.. depolymerized product was an unsaturated tetrasaccharide consisting of $\Delta$4,5-glucuronic acid-(1$\rightarrow$4 )-$\beta$-D-glucose-(1$\rightarrow$4)- $\alpha$-L-rhamnose-(1$\rightarrow$3)-$\beta$-D-glucose, which is a dehydrated repeating unit of gellan, thus the enzyme was identified as gellan lyase. When the gellan was present in the medium, the gellan-degrading activity was much higher than that in glucose-grown cells. These results indicate that in the presence of gellan, Bacillus sp. YJ-1 is able to metabolize the gellan by inducing gellan-degrading enzymes that can degrade gellan into small molecular weight oligosaccharides, and then the gellan. depolymerized products are taken up by the cells and utilized by intracellular enzymes.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.11
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• pp.43-47
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• 1969

With an attempt to obtain a glucose isomerizing enzyme producing microorganism, one hundred and thirty-three strains of microorganism were isolated from soil samples. After screening, a strain K-17 which belonging to actinomyces family, was finally selected. Using this strain of K-17, sugars produced from glucose by the reaction of sugar isomerizing enzyme were tested with paper chromatography. Only a kind of resulting sugar, fructose, was detected from enzyme reaction sample and other sugars were never detected. By these results, the enzyme produced by strain K-17 is classified as a glucose isomerase.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.210-221
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• 2018

Eight bacterial strains assigned to the phylum Firmicutes were isolated from the soil samples in Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strains 18JY14-16, 18JY14-35, 18JY42-5, 18JY12-20, 18JY35-8, 18JY76-9, 18JY39-1 and 18JY54-12 were most closely related to Paenibacillus lupini (MH497638; 99.4%), Paenibacillus illinoisensis (MH497643; 99.8%), Paenibacillus tundrae (MH497658; 99.7%), Paenibacillus selenitireducens (MH497639; 99.4%), Paenibacillus eucommiae (MH 497640; 99.9%), Paenibacillus vini (MH497654; 99.4%), Paenibacillus gorillae (MH497647; 99.5%), and Paenibacillus macquariensis (MH497649; 99.9%) respectively. These Paenibacillus species were Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped and radiation resistant bacteria. This is the first report of these nine bacterial species in Korea.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2010

A thermophilic microorganism, which is able to hydrolyze starch, was isolated from soil and compost in Korea. It was Gram-positive, rod-shaped, catalase positive, nonmotile, glucose and mannitol fermentative, xylose oxidative, and spore forming microorganism. It also has an ability to hydrolyze casein and gelatin. The color of colony was yellowish white. The sequence of 16S rDNA of strain 2719 showed 99.5% sequence homology with the sequence of 16S rDNA of Bacillus thermoglucosidasius. On the basis of biochemical and physiological properties and phylogenetic analysis, the isolated strain was named as Bacillus thermoglucosidasius 2719.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.263-270
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• 2010

An alkalophilic microorganism named DK-2386, which produces xylanase, was isolated from soil of Taejo-mountain, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, Korea. The isolated strain was characterized as Gram-positive, with size of 0.4${\times}$2.5 ${\mu}$m, spore forming, anaerobic, catalase positive, possessed with hydrolysis abilities of casein, starch, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, and xylan, reduction of nitrate to nitrite, resistant against lysozyme, urease positive, and motility positive. The color of culture broth was reddish yellow. The strain DK-2386 was identified as Bacillus agaradhaerens by whole cell fatty-acid composition analysis and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. However, it was not identical to Bacillus agaradhaerens 40952 obtained from the Korean Culture Center of Microorganism in its colour of culture broth. Therefore, we have named the newly isolated strain as Bacillus agaradhaerens DK-2386.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2002

An antimicrobial substance-producing microorganism was isolated from soil samples. Based of the taxonomic characteristics of its morphological, cultural, physiological properties and 16s rRNA sequence alignment, this microorganism was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and we named Pseudomonas aeruginosa EL-KM. The optimal culture condition for production of antimicrobial substance was 1% mannitol, 0.4% yeast extract, 0.5% Nacl, 0.2% $K_2SO_4$, 100$\mu$M $MgSO_4$.$7H_2O$, 10$\mu$M $CaCl_2$.$2H_2O$, 1$\mu$M $FeSO_4$.$7H_2O$, 1$\mu$M $MnSO_4$.$4-5H_2O$, initial pH 7 and 200 rpm at 3$0^{\circ}C$. The purification of the antimicrbial substance was performed by silica gel column chromatographys, and fraction with TLC $R_f$ 0.77 value represented good antimicrobial activity. The crude antimicrbial substance was stable within a pH range of 3-10 and temperature range of 4$^{\circ}C$-121$^{\circ}C$ autoclaving. This crude antibacterial substance acted as bacteriolytic agent against Vibrio cholerae non-Ol ATCC 25872, and also exhibited excellent properties, when the substance was demonstrated against many other gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria, yeast and fungi.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.543-547
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• 1991

An alkalophilic microorganism, SH-8, was isolated from soil samples. It was a Grampositive, catalase-positive, spore-forming and motile rod which was capable of growth in aerobic condition at the initial pH 9.0 or above up to 11.0 and between 15 and $42^{\circ}C$ The characteristics of this strain resembled those of the Bacillus group of bacteria. The mutant, Bacillus sp. SH- 8M, was selected from Bacillus sp. SH-8 by U.V. mutagenesis and was able to grow at pH 6.9 up to 11.0. These two strains will be suitable for the comparative study on growth and enzyme production at various pH conditions.