• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.615-624
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the use of sugar alcohols as alternative sweeteners for replacing sucrose in sponge cake. The sponge cakes were prepared with only sucrose or a 50% replacement of sucrose with various sugar alcohols (erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol). The specific gravity of cake batter containing only sucrose was significantly higher and the viscosity was significantly lower than those containing sugar alcohol (p<0.001). Among sugar alcohols, xylitol was the most similar to sucrose. The thermal characteristics, as assessed by differential scanning calorimetry, showed that sucrose delayed gelatinization of cake batter more than sugar alcohol, as the onset temperature and the peak temperature of cake batter containing only sucrose were higher than those containing sugar alcohol. The moisture content of cake containing sorbitol was the highest and that containing only sucrose was the lowest among cakes. The specific volume of cakes containing only sucrose and xylitol were higher and the baking loss rate of those were lower than other sugar alcohols. The volume and symmetry index of cake containing only sucrose were the highest among cakes (p<0.001), and xylitol was similar to sucrose for the above indices. The redness (a) and yellowness (b) values of crust containing only sucrose were significantly higher than those containing sugar alcohols (p<0.001). The a and b values of crumb containing erythritol were the lowest among cakes, showing a pale yellowish color. The microstructure, as assessed by scanning electron microscopy, showed that the cake containing only sucrose had more uniformly and finely distributed pores and a smoother cross section than that containing sugar alcohols. Cake containing xylitol was similar to cake containing only sucrose. Hardness, chewiness, and gumminess of cake containing only sucrose were higher than those containing sugar alcohols, whereas the adhesiveness of cakes containing sugar alcohols were higher than those containing only sucrose (p<0.01). Among sugar alcohols, xylitol was the most similar to sucrose in textural properties. In a sensory quality test, the tenderness and moistness of cakes containing sorbitol and erythritol were higher than those containing only sucrose and xylitol. The overall acceptance of cakes containing xylitol and only sucrose were higher than those containing sorbitol and erythritol (p<0.001). Thus, xylitol is more appropriate as a 50% replacement for sucrose than erythritol and sorbitol when preparing sponge cake.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.12-19
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• 2013

Objectives Children's unique taste bud often gives them difficult time to take oriental medicines. To overcome, survey was conducted focusing on useful and practical tips on how to take them. Methods The survey was carried out by posting mail questionnaire. Target clinics for the survey were selected by the internet search engine, Google, Daum, and Naver, and typing in "oriental treatment + pediatrics", "pediatrics + oriental medicine", "pediatric oriental clinic". 24 clinics were searched, but they were further narrowed down to the specialized pediatric oriental clinics. Also, total of 38 inquiry leaflets were distributed to 14 University Oriental Hospitals. Results If children refuse to take the medicine, mixture with sweeteners can be prescribed for them. Among them, oligosaccharide is the most recommended followed by sugar and honey. To avoid rejection to medication, use of different formulation, such as distillation medicine, soft X-Section, granulated medicine, and character printing can be used. Conclusions The most effective method is to investigate the mixture first, and then the alternative formulations.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.352-359
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• 2009

Panax ginseng roots produce triterpene saponins called ginsenosides, which are high value secondary metabolites and has been used as drugs, detergents, sweeteners, and cosmetics. In the recent years plant cell, tissue and organ cultures have developed as important alternative sources for the saponin production in Panax ginseng. Adventitious roots and hairy roots have been successfully induced and cultured for the improvement of saponin contents. Genetic and metabolic engineering to regulate saponin biosynthesis in P. ginseng might be important way to improve the medicinal values of P. ginseng. Here we introduced the protocol of genetic transformation and recent progress of functional characterization of genes involved in saponin biosynthesis in P. ginseng.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.747-756
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• 2024

Chronic gut inflammation promotes the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity. There is growing evidence which suggests that dysbiosis in gut microbiota and metabolites disrupt the integrity of the intestinal barrier and significantly impact the level of inflammation in various tissues, including the liver and adipose tissues. Moreover, dietary sources are connected to the development of leaky gut syndrome through their interaction with the gut microbiota. This review examines the effects of these factors on intestinal microorganisms and the communication pathways between the gut-liver and gut-brain axis. The consumption of diets rich in fats and carbohydrates has been found to weaken the adherence of tight junction proteins in the gastrointestinal tract. Consequently, this allows endotoxins, such as lipopolysaccharides produced by detrimental bacteria, to permeate through portal veins, leading to metabolic endotoxemia and alterations in the gut microbiome composition with reduced production of metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids. However, the precise correlation between gut microbiota and alternative sweeteners remains uncertain, necessitating further investigation. This study highlights the significance of exploring the impact of diet on gut microbiota and the underlying mechanisms in the gut-liver and gut-brain axis. Nevertheless, limited research on the gut-liver axis poses challenges in comprehending the intricate connections between diet and the gut-brain axis. This underscores the need for comprehensive studies to elucidate the intricate gut-brain mechanisms underlying intestinal health and microbiota.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.146-154
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• 2011

An in vitro study on cariogenic potential of 8 over-the-counter syrups for children was performed. The experimental groups were 8 over-the-counter syrups. The positive control group was 10% sucrose solution, and the negative control group was artificial saliva. The pH of each group was determined. The buffering capacity was measured by the volume of 2 N NaOH adding to equalize the pH of 20 ml of experimental solution to pH 7. The consistency was measured by the time to pass Ostwald pipette for 2 ml of the experimental solution. The experimental solutions were inoculated with S. mutans and cultured in $37^{\circ}C$ anaerobic condition for 48 hours. To estimate acid production, pH of the experimental solutions were measured before and after the culture. The primary teeth specimens were soaked in the experimental solutions for 20 minutes three times a day. Except on those hours the specimens were stored in artificial saliva. After 5 days, the microhardness changes of the specimens were measured. These results show that most of syrup-form medicines for children tend to have cariogenic potential partially in endogenous pH, buffering capacity, consistency, acid production and erosive ability of enamel. For the oral health of children, the alternative sweeteners (ex. xylitol) may be substituted for the cariogenic sweeteners of syrups. Additionally, It may be helpful that the chewable tablet replace liquid or syrup in term of dose form.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1545-1553
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• 2018

The International Society of Rare Sugars (ISRS) defines rare sugars as monosaccharides and their derivatives that rarely occur in nature. Rare sugars have recently received much attention because of their many uses including low-calorie sweeteners, bulking agents, and antioxidants, and their various applications including as immunosuppressants in allogeneic rat liver transplantation, as potential inhibitors of various glycosidases and microbial growth, in ischemia-reperfusion injury repair in the rat liver, and in segmented neutrophil production without detrimental clinical effects. Because they rarely exist in nature, the production of rare sugars has been regarded as one of the most important research areas and, generally, they are produced by chemical synthesis. However, the production of rare sugars by bioconversion using enzymes from microorganisms has been receiving increased attention as an environmentally friendly alternative production method. In particular, D-allulose, D-allose, and D-tagatose are of interest as low-calorie sweeteners in various industries. To date, D-tagatose 3-epimerase, D-psicose 3-epimerase, and D-allulose 3-epimerase have been reported as D-allulose bioconversion enzymes, and L-rhamnose isomerase, Galactose 6-phosphate isomerase, and Ribose 5-phosphate isomerase have been identified as D-allose production enzymes. Elsewhere, D-tagatose has been produced by L-arabinose isomerase from various microorganisms. In this study, we report the production of D-allulose, D-allose, and D-tagatose by microorganism enzymes.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1567-1579
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• 2023

Sucralose is used as a sucrose alternative in the food sector and is a globally approved pyrogenic, high-intensity artificial sweetener. However, due to the lack of studies on the effects of sweeteners on the brain, this study confirmed whether short-term consumption of sucralose has cognitive and memory protective effects in scopolamine-induced memory-injured animal models. After oral administration of sucralose 2, 5, and 10 mg/kg, scopolamine (1 mg/kg) was administered to the control group and the drug group 30 minutes later, and saline was administered intraperitoneally to the normal group, followed by behavioral experiments As a result of the experiment, Y-Maze, passive avoidance, and Morris WaterMaze recovered more than 10% of cognitive function compared to the control group. In addition, as a result of measuring proinflammatory cytokines, sucralose was found to inhibit IL-6 and TNF-α by more than 30%, and we observed that the expression level of ERK-CREB with intracellular signaling mechanisms increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, it suggests that sucralose is associated with functional foods for the prevention of functional food patients.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2017

Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered in 1879 that do not have any calories and is approximately 200~700 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharin was the most common domestically produced sweetener in Korea in 2010, and it has been used as an alternative to sugar in many products. The interaction between artificial sweeteners and drugs may affect the drug metabolism in patients with diabetes, cancer, and liver damage, this interaction has not been clarified thus far. Here, we examined the effects of the potential saccharin-drug interaction on the activities of 5 cytochrome P450 (CYPs) in male ICR mice; further, we examined the effects of saccharin (4,000 mg/kg) on the pharmacokinetics of bupropion after pretreatment of mice with saccharin for 7 days and after concomitant administration of bupropion and saccharin. Our results showed saccharin did not have a significant effect on the 5 CYPs in the S9 fractions obtained from the liver of mice. In addition, we observed no differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters of bupropion between the control group and the groups pretreated with saccharin and that receiving concomitant administration of saccharin. Thus, our results showed that saccharin is safe and the risk of saccharin-drug interaction is very low.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excessive intake of simple sugars induces obesity and increases the risk of inflammation. Thus, interest in alternative sweeteners as a sugar substitute is increasing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of saccharin on inflammation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were differentiated into adipocytes. The adipocytes were treated with saccharin (0, 50, 100, and 200 ㎍/mL) for 24 h. Inflammation was induced by exposure of treated adipocytes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 18 h and cell proliferation was measured. The concentration of nitric oxide (NO) was measured by using Griess reagent. Protein expressions of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and inhibitor κB (IκB) were determined by western blot analysis. The mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined by real-time PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the amount of NO and the mRNA expression of iNOS in the LPS-treated group were increased by about 17.6% and 46.9%, respectively, (P < 0.05), and those parameter levels were significantly decreased by saccharin treatment (P < 0.05). Protein expression of NF-κB was decreased and that of IκB was increased by saccharin treatment (P < 0.05). Saccharin decreased the mRNA expression of COX-2 and the inflammation cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-α) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that saccharin can inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory responses in 3T3-L1 adipocytes via the NF-κB pathway.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.257-265
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• 2018

Sweetener is one of the additives that makes you feel sweet. Artificial sweeteners and sugar are typical examples, and sweetness proteins with sweetness characteristics have been widely studied. These studies elucidated the transformation lettuce cells with Agrobacterium method for stable production of natural sweet proteins, brazzein, thaumatin, and miraculin. In this paper, we report use of a plant expression system for production of sweet proteins. A synthetic gene encoding sweet proteins was placed under the control of constitutive promoters and transferred to lettuce. High and genetically stable expression of sweetener was confirmed in leaves by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Sweet proteins expressed in transgenic lettuce had sweetness-inducing activity. Results demonstrate recombinant sweet proteins correctly processed in transgenic lettuce plants, and that this production system could be a viable alternative to production from the native plant.