• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 1985

This study was attempted to investigate the effect of fermentation of soybean on protein and mineral bioavailability. The traditional, oriental fermented soybean foods, Meju and Tempeh, and isolated soybean protein( ISP ) and cooked soybean were prepared and fed to rats as sources of protein. The C-PERs of ISP, cooked soybean, Meju and Tempeh were 1.82, 1.98, 2.11, and 2.36, respectively C-PERs of fermented soybean products, Meju and Tempeh were higher than ISP and cooked soybeans. However, they were not significantly different The percent retention of protein of rats fed with casein, ISP, cooked soybean, Meju and Tempeh were 47.44%, 51.83%, 47.67%, 50.90% and 45.97%, respectively, showing no significant differences among the diets. The rates of calcium retention percent were 62.26%, 59.22%, 61.59%, 55.78% and 67.09 % in rats fed with casein, ISP, cooked soybean, Meju and Tempeh, respectively, demonstrating no significant differences. Rats fed with cooked soybeans did show significantly higher iron retention rate than other samples. However, this study failed to any significant increase in iron availability. The percent of fine retained in rats fed with ISP was significantly lower than those of rats fed with other diets, however, significantly high amounts of zinc were retained in rats fed with Tempeh compared with other diets. The percents of zinc, iron, calcium retained in the bones of rats were not significantly different among the diets.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.835-848
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• 2015

In the past, Korea had many kinds of jeupjang (succulent jang), a rapidly maturing original Korean jang (fermented soybean paste) of which there is no record in Chinese cookbooks. However, this local delicacy has almost been forgotten. Therefore, we looked for information about jeupjang in cookbooks written prior to the Joseon Dynasty in Korea (1392~1910) and in the 1950s. Among the recipes, there were 34 jeupjangs prepared with vegetables, such as eggplant and cucumber, and 9 without. The main ingredients of jeupjang are soybean, bran (wheat crust), and barley, and wild wheat is also used. Jeupjang is made in small portions to expedite its rapid maturation, but the most common form is egg-shaped, and there is also a flat or round, hilt-shaped version. In most cases, jeupjang consists of a mixture of meju powder (moldy soybean), water, and salt. Other ingredients can include nuruk (moldy bran), bran, wheat flour, an alcoholic beverage, maljang (dried fermented soybeans), ganjang (liquid soy sauce), malt, and takju (Korean murky wine). Jeupjang meju can be fermented in a vessel, most widely in baskets made of straw (sum and dungumi) or willow or interwoven twigs (chirung), but jars can also be used. The leaves of the paper mulberry are generally used for the mat and cover, but straw or leaves of the sumac, mulberry, or pine tree, soy, and fallen leaves are also used. Unlike other jangs, jeupjang is matured at $60^{\circ}C$ to $65^{\circ}C$, using heat emitted from the decomposition of horse dung, haystacks, or manure. Jeupjang became defunct or was transformed into jeomjang, jiraejang, mujang, paggeumjang, makjang, jipjang, and tojang. These jangs differ from jeupjang in that they use rice, malt, or hot pepper powder.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.183-188
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• 1997

This study was carried out in order to analyze the changes in general compounds and sugars of traditional Korean soy sauce with varying Meju concentrations (Meju-water ratios of 1 : 4 and 1.3 : 4) and ripening periods (up to 2 years). Along with ripening period, pH decreased and titratable acidity, total acidity and crude protein contents increased, which were higher in 1.3 : 4 than in 1.4. Buffering power increased significantly with increasing ripening period. Crude fat content was higher in 1.3 : 4 than 1 : 4. Moisture content decreased and pure extract content increased significantly with increasing ripening period, which was high in 1.3 : 4. Salt contents increased with increasing ripening period, but decreasd in soy sauce ripened for 2 years. As the result of sugar analysis, reducing sugar showed slow increase with increasing ripening period. Among detected free sugars, galactose was present in the highest concentration and the rest were in the sequence of glucose, fructose. Total free sugar content was highest in soy sauce ripened for 150days in 1 : 4 and 210 days in 1.3 : 4.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2016

The most economically important species used in a wide range of fermentation industries throughout Asia belong to Aspergillus section Flavi, which are morphologically and phylogenetically indistinguishable, with a few being toxigenic and therefore a major concern. They are frequently isolated from Korean fermentation starters, such as nuruk and meju. The growing popularity of traditional Korean alcoholic beverages has led to a demand for their quality enhancement, therefore requiring selection of efficient non-toxigenic strains to assist effective fermentation. This study was performed to classify the most efficient strains of Aspergillus section Flavi isolated from various types of traditional wheat nuruk, based on a polyphasic approach involving molecular and biochemical evaluation. A total of 69 strains were isolated based on colony morphology and identified as Aspergillus oryzae/flavus based on internal transcribed spacer and calmodulin gene sequencing. Interestingly, none were toxigenic based on PCR amplification of intergenic regions of the aflatoxin cluster genes norB-cypA and the absence of aflatoxin in the culture supernatants by thin-layer chromatography analysis. Saccharification capability of the isolates, assessed through ${\alpha}-amylase$ and glucoamylase activities, revealed that two isolates, TNA24 and TNA15, showed the highest levels of activity. Although the degrees of variation in ${\alpha}-amylase$ and glucoamylase activities among the isolates were higher, there were only slight differences in acid protease activity among the isolates with two, TNA28 and TNA36, showing the highest activities. Furthermore, statistical analyses showed that ${\alpha}-amylase$ activity was positively correlated with glucoamylase activity (p < 0.001), and therefore screening for either was sufficient to predict the saccharifying capacity of the Aspergillus strain.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.241-245
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• 2006

The biofunctional properties of traditional Doenjang supplemented with the extract of herb medicines (refer as DHM) were examined DHM divided to four groups, I, II, III and IV according to herb medicines were added. Nitrite scavenging-activities from all 4 groups of DHMs were significantly higher than that of control. Also hydrogen donating-activities from all 4 groups of DHMs were slightly higher than that of control. Antibacterial activities against pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutant and Salmonella enteritidis and fibrinolytic activity of all DHMs on fibrin plate were higher than those of control. On the other those of groups III and IV were higher in sensory score, biofunctional and antimicrobial activities than those of group I, II and control. Therefore, the usage of extract of Korean herb medicines instead of water to make Doenjang will effective in development of traditional soybean Doenjang with the biofunctional properties.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.105-114
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• 1996

Certain Fungi Including Aspergillus flavus produce low molecular secondary metabolite that is toxic to human and animals, which have been termed mycotoxin. Given the proper humidity and temperature like summer in Korea, are capable of growing of those hazard fungi and elaborating mycotoxin on almost any organic substrate such as traditional foodstuffs and their raw materials including rice, barley, corn, meju, doenjang and gochujang etc. Until now, some people have examined to isolate various fungi such as Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. and Fusarium sp. from traditional foodstuffs and raw materials, and have screened various mycotoxin producing strains. Some mycotoxin contamination such as aflatoxin, ochratoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone etc. also have been confirmed from similar above samples. But these data are different each other and inconsistent in experimental conditions and methods. Especially, almost experiments have been finished for one time. So more consistent experimental method and data are necessary to evaluate objectiely the safety of traditional foodstuffs subjected to the mycotoxin. For this purpose, we have to apply a new advanced technology to develop more simple and rapid methods for determination of mycotoxin and also have to concentrate our efforts on activation of research and accumulation of technology nth sustaining investment of financial support and enlargement of research installation. With those harmonious efforts, it should be possible to examine continuously nd systematically the mycotoxin contamination in our traditional foodstuffs and to assure the safety of them. Then we can maintain and develop the better traditional foodstuffs suited to internationalization.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.609-615
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• 1994

Fermented traditional soybean paste(doenjang), koji soybean paste by Aspergillus oryzae, natto soybean paste by Bacillus natto and koji & natto soybean paste by Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus natto were analyzed for compositions of amino acids and contents of nitrogens. Amino type nitrogen was the highest in fermenting for 90 days as $271{\sim}868\;mg/100g$, and its contents were in the order of koji soybean paste>traditional soybean paste>koji & natto soybean paste>natto soybean paste in all samples tested. In compositions of total amino acids, glutamic and aspartic acids were rich in koji soybean paste but big differences were not observed in all samples. But some differences were observed in free amino acid compositions in all samples, that is, glutamic acid, tyrosine, lysine and aspartic acid were detected more abundantly. Sum of free amino acids for 90 days were in order of koji soybean paste>traditional soybean paste>koji & natto soybean paste>natto soybean paste. The ratios of free to total amino acids were $3.28{\sim}19.81%$ for 45 days, but increased to $10.88{\sim}25.10%$ for 90 days, and in order of traditional doenjang>koji doenjang>koji & natto doenjang>natto doenjang. Methionine and histidine showed higher ratios of free to total amino acid but lower in glutamic acid and aspartic acid. These results suggest that koji and traditional soybean paste of having high ratios of free amino acids to free and total amino acids may be more favorable in soybean paste fermentation.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.657-666
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to improve the quality of Korean traditional sauce products by producing short-term green gochujang with cheongyang pepper powder. To determine its antioxidant compounds and activities, we examined vitamin C, capsaicinoid, total phenolic, and total flavonoid contents, as well as electron-donating, SOD-like, ferrous ion-chelating, and nitrite-scavenging activities. Vitamin C content of short-term green gochujang was higher in CON-M than in the sample, whereas capsaicinoid content increased as the amount of cheongyang pepper powder increased. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, electron-donating activity, and nitrite-scavenging activity were higher in the sample than in CON-M, and the contents increased as the amount of meju powder increased. Green gochujang containing the highest amount of cheongyang pepper powder showed the highest SOD-like, and ferrous-ion chelating activities as well as superior nutrient contents, compared to red gochujang.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.56-61
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• 1997

An alkaline protease producing microorganism was isolated from korean traditional Meju and identified as Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. The optimum culture condition of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis for the production of alkaline protease was as follow: 2% soluble starch, 0.2$, tryptophan, 0.1% (NH$_{4}$) $_{2}$S$_{2}$O$_{8}$ 0.2% NaHPO$_{4}$, pH 7.5, 35$\CIRC $C. The optimum pH and temperature for the enzyme activity of alkaline protease producing Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were pH 9.0 and 50$\circ $C, respectively. The enzyme was relatively stable at pH 6.0~11.0 and at temperature below 40$\circ $C. The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by Hg$^{2+}$ whereas Cu$^{2+}$ gave rather activating effects on the enzyme activity. Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride inhibited the enzyme activity. This result indicates that serine is very important role in this enzyme. Km value for casein was 1.2410$^{4}$ M/L, V$_{max}$ value for casein was 25.99 $\mu $g/min. This enzyme hydrolyzed casein more rapidly than the hemoglobin.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.337-340
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• 2001

A galactooligosaccharide(GalOS)-producing yeast, OE-20 was selected from forty seven strains of yeast growing in Korean traditional Meju (cooked soybean) and the yeast was tentatively identified as Kluyveromyces maxianus var lactis by its morphology and fermentation profile. A maximum yield of 25.1%(w/w) GalOS, which corresponds to 25.1 g of GalOS per liter, was obtained from the reaction of 100 g per liter of lactose solution at 3$0^{\circ}C$, pH 7.0 for 18 h with an intracellular crude $\beta$-galactosidase. Glucose and galactosidase were found to inhibit GalOS formation. The GalOS that were purified by active carbon and celite 545 column chromatography were supplemented in MRS media and a stimulated growth was observed of some intestinal bacteria. In particular the growth rate of Bifidobacterium infantis in the GalOS containing MRS broth increased up to 12.5% compared to that of the MRS-glucose broth during a 48h incubation period.