• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2020

In this study, various constituents and biological activities of different parts of asparagus were analyzed and compared. The Ca content was high in the leaves, K was significantly high in the top 25 cm of the spear, and Fe and Na were significantly high in the roots. The ascorbic acid, rutin, total polyphenol, and total flavonoid contents were high in the leaves, and the asparagine and glutathione contents were significantly high in the top 25 cm of the spear and roots, respectively. The bottom 5 cm of the spear had the highest saponin content compared with all other parts. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were the highest in the leaves. The bottom 5 cm of the spear had the highest α-amylase inhibitory activity, whereas the stem showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. These results suggest that the usually inedible parts of asparagus may be highly valuable as high-quality functional components owing to their antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.322-327
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• 2006

Food constituents analysis of Acer tegmentosum. Maxim.(Acer TM) stem was carried out according to AOAC method, and the antiradical activity on DPPH and cytotoxicity on human cell lines (AGS, HepG2, A549, MCF-7 and Chang) for the 80% ethylalcohol(EtOH) extracts of Acer TM stem were studied. The antiradical activity on DPPH radical of the ethylacetate(EtOAc) fraction of the bark showed a higher activity than that of $\alpha$-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and BHT. The inhibition activity of the 80% EtOH extracts from Acer TM stem on human cancer cell lines by SRB assay indicated a dose-dependent growth inhibition on most human carcinoma cells. The growth inhibition rate of each human cancer cell line showed 91.3% to AGS, 75.0% to A549, 74.1% to HepG2, and 70.2% to MCF-7 cells, respectively, when the 80% EtOH extract(1 mg/ml) of Acer TM stem was added.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2012

The anti-obese, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of post-fermented green tea by Monascus pilosus was tested with mice fed with high-fat diet for 7 weeks. The body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio (FER) in normal control group (NC), CHA (2% non-fermented green tea powder supplemented high-fat diet group) and mCHA (2% green tea powder post-fermented by M. pilosus supplemented high fat diet group) groups were significantly lower than those of high fat diet control group (HC). Epididymal fat weight in mCHA and NC were significantly lower than HC. The hepatic lipid peroxide was dramatically higher in HC than that of NC and was significantly lower in CHA and mCHA. In addition, dehydrogenase type activity of xanthine oxidoreductase in HC was lower than that of NC, but significantly higher than CHA and mCHA. In histopathological findings, hepatic fat accumulation in HC was higher than that of NC, CHA and mCHA. Antiobese, hypolipidemic and antifatty liver effect of green tea powder post-fermented by M. pilosus was slightly higher than that of non-fermented green tea. In conclusion, the constituents of green tea fermented by M. pilosus has been proven to not only inhibit obesity and hyperlipidemia but also decrease the hepatic fat accumulation in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.439-446
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• 2021

A field-scale study was conducted to evaluate the effect of organic matter amendments on the solubility of arsenic (As) in paddy soil and uptake by rice. Six organic matter (rice bran, rice straw, pig/cattle/fowls manure compost and swine liquid manure) were added to two polluted soils with high As (53 mg kg^-1) and low As concentration (28 mg kg^-1), and changes in soil solution constituents was monitored. The mean As concentrations in soil solution from the high As soil with rice bran, pig manure compost and swine liquid manure addition were significantly higher (0.61-1.15 mg L^-1) than that of the control (0.42-0.66 mg L^-1). Regression between As and Fe in soil solution indicated that As was attributable to reductive dissolution of Fe (hydr)oxides and it was driven by organic matter addition. Mean As concentrations in brown rice from the high As soil were 0.35-0.46 mg kg^-1, above the maximum safety level of inorganic As (0.35 mg kg^-1), and tended to be higher in organic matter amended soils than that of the control. The significant correlation between grain As and soil solution As was not observed and it was probably attributable to As tolerance of rice causing the reduction of As uptake and/or translocation to grain. However, considering the significant As release in soil solution from the high As soil and the tendency of grain As elevation after organic matter addition, it is needed to be cautious for food safety when amending organic matter to paddy soil with high As concentration.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.362-368
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• 2018

Grasshoppers play vital role in the digestion of photosynthetically fixed carbons. With the aid of intestinal microflora, the grasshopper can degrade leaves constituents such as cellulose and hemicellulose. The purpose of this study was to examine cellulolytic yeast isolates from the gut of grasshoppers collected in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Among the yeast isolates, ON2, ON17 (two strains), and ON6 (one strain) showed positive cellulolytic activity in the CMC-plate assay. The sequence analyses of D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rDNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions revealed that the strains ON2 and ON17 were most closely related to Papiliotrema aspenensis CBS $13867^T$ (100%, sequence similarity in D1/D2 domains; 99.4% sequence similarity in ITS) and strain ON6 related to Saitozyma flava (100% in D1/D2 domains; 99.0% in ITS). All these three yeast strains are capable of degrading cellulose; therefore, the members of endosymbiotic yeasts may produce their own enzymes for carbohydrate degradation and convert mobilized sugar monomers to volatile fatty acids. Thus, the endosymbiotic yeast strains ON2, ON17 (represents the genus Papilioterma) and ON6 (Saitozyma) belonging to the family Tremellomycetes, are unreported strains in Korea.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.453-463
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• 2021

This study investigated that comparison of the nutrients (including fatty acids, amino acids, and minerals) and ginsenoside, total phenolic (TP) and total flavonoid (TF) contents and antioxidant activities in 5-year-old cultivated ginseng (CG), mountain-cultivated ginseng (MCG), and whole plant parts of MCG (WPMCG). The contents of total fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids were determined highest in MCG (1215.9 and 751.2 mg/100 g), and saturated fatty acid was determined highest in WPMCG (486.4 mg/100 g) respectively. Characteristically, the α-linolenic acid content was detected up to 10 times higher in MCG (139.3 mg/100 g) and WPMCG (194.4 mg/100 g) compared to CG (18.1 mg/100 g). Total free and essential amino acid contents were high with CG < MCG < WPMCG (1006.35 mg/100 g and 839.46 mg/100 g). Notably, γ-aminobutyric acid and arginine were detected as the main non-essential amino acids with highest levels detected in WPMCG (163.10 mg/100 g) and MCG (305.23 mg/100 g), respectively. Total mineral content was high in CG (30.36 mg/100 g) and WPMCG (29.82 mg/100 g). Particularly, Calcium (Ca) was detected more than twice as high in WPMCG (6.68 mg/100 g) as compared to CG and MCG. TP and TF contents were 5.12 gallic acid mg/g and 3.04 RE mg/g respectively. Ginsenoside content was the highest in WPMCG (42.44 mg/g) in general and the highest antioxidant activity was also observed in WPMCG.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.129-142
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• 2022

Ginseng sprouts, which can be eaten from leaves to roots, has the advantage of not having to use pesticides without being affected by the season by using smart farms. The optimal cultivation timing of sprout ginseng was checked and the nutritional content and antioxidant activity were compared and analyzed. The values of total fatty acids and total minerals were no significant changes during the growth periods. The contents of total amino acids were slightly decreased to 45 days and after increased to 65 days. When the growth period was 65 days, arginine had the highest content of 3309.11 mg/100 g. The total phenolic contents were high at 3.73 GAE mg/g on the 45 days, and the total flavonoid contents were also the highest at 9.04 RE mg/g on the 45 days. The contents of total ginsenoside was not noticeable for the growth periods (29.83 on 25 days→32.77 on 45 days→26.02 mg/g on 65 days). The ginsenoside Rg2 (0.62 mg/g), Re (8.69 mg/g), Rb1 (4.75 mg/g) and Rd (3.47 mg/g) had highest contents on 45 days during growth. The values of phenolic acids and flavonols were gradually increased to 45 days (338.6 and 1277.14 ㎍/g) and then decreased to 65 days. The major compounds of phenolic acids and flavonols were confirmed to benzoic acid (99.03-142.33 ㎍/g) and epigallocatechin (416.03-554.64 ㎍/g), respectively. The values of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (44.27%), 2,4,6-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphnoic acid) diammonium salt (75.16%), and hydroxyl (63.29%) radical scavenging activities and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (1.573) showed the highest activity on the 45 days as well as results of total phenolic and total flavonoid contents.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.285-296
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• 2014

Although the problems of the algal blooms have been world-widely observed in freshwater, estuary, and marine throughout the year, it is not yet certain what are the basic causes of such blooms. Consequently, it is very difficult to predict when and where algal blooms occur. The constituents of the Asian dust are in a good agreement with the elements required for the algal growth, which suggests some possible relationship between the algal blooms and the Asian dust. There have been frequently algal blooms in drinking water from rivers or lakes. However, there is no any algal blooms in upwelling waters where the Asian dust cannot penetrate into the soil due to its relatively weak settling velocity (size of particles, $4.5{\pm}1.5{\mu}m$), which implies the possible close relationship of the Asian dust with algal blooms. The present initiative study is thus intended firstly in Korea to illustrate such a relationship by reviewing typical previous studies along with 12 years of weekly iron profiles (2001~2012) and two slant culture experiments with the dissolved Asian dust. The result showed bacterial suspected colonies in the slant culture experiment that are qualitatively in a good agreement with the recent Japanese studies. Since the diatoms require cheap energy (8%) compared to other phytoplankton (100%) to synthesize their cell walls by silicate, the present results can be used to predict algal blooms by diatoms if the concentrations of iron and silicate are available during spring and fall. It can be postulated that the algal blooms occur only if the environmental factors such as light, nutrients, calm water surface layer, temperature, and pH are simultaneously satisfied with the requirements of the micronutrients of mineral ions supplied by the Asian dust as enzymatic cofactors for the rapid bio-synthesis of the macromolecules during algal blooms. Simple eco-friendly methods to regulate the algal blooms are suggested for the initial stage of blooming with limited area: 1) to cover up the water surface with black curtain and inhibit photosynthesis during the day time, 2) to blow air (20.9%) or pure oxygen into the bottom of the water and inhibit rubisco for carbon uptake and nitrate reductase for nitrogen uptake activities in algal growth during the night, 3) to eliminate the resting spores or cysts by suction of bottom sediments as deep as 5 cm to prevent the next year germinations.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.247-266
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• 2017

Cordyceps is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb well-known in China, Korea and Japan since B.C. 2,000. The original entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps sinensis belonging to the genus Cordyceps could not be found inside Korean peninsula due to the absence of the host insect for the corresponding entomogenous fungus. The development of artificial production methods of Korean type Cordyceps using the silkworm Bombyx mori as in vivo culture medium for the the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces tenuipes is the first, and wonderful occasion in the research history of insect industry of this global world. The aim of this article is to review the historical research background, mass-production methods, and pharmacological effects of the silkworm-dongchunghacho (Paecilomyces tenuipes) which is a newly developed Korean medicinal insect-borne mushroom, and another non-insect-borne medicinal mushroom (Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps pruinosa). Their biological actions include anti-tumor, immunostimulating, anti-fatigue, anti-stress, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombosis, hypolipidaemic and insecticidal effects. The bioactive principles are protein-bound polysaccharides (hexose, hexosamin), cordycepin, D-manitol, acidic polysaccharide etc. Protein-bound polysaccharides and n-butanol fractions were demonstrated to show a significant anti-tumor activities but did not show a cytotoxicities. D-mannitol exhibited a significant prolongation of the life span in tumor bearing mice. Ergosterol did not show an efficient anti-tumor activity, but showed a significant phagocytosis enhancing activity. Anti-tumor activity of silkworm-dongchunghacho might be attributed to immuno-stimulating activities rather than cytotoxic effects [164]. Also this review comprises the breeding of Dongchunghacho varieties, optimization of culture conditions, improvement of learning and memory by Dongchunghacho, application of them as foods and chemical constituents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.252-259
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• 2014

The leaves of Peatasites japonicus are a traditional oriental medicine with diverse biological activities. A simple and specific analytical method for the quantitative determination of bakkenolide B constituents from methanolic extract of the leaves of P. japonicus was developed. Bakkenolide B was isolated from the leaves of P. japonicus, and its structure was elucidated based on 1D, 2D NMR, and GC-MS spectral data. A liquid chromatographic method was developed to evaluate the quality of P. japonicus through determination of major active compound, bakkenolide B. The wavelengths at 254 and 215 nm were chosen to determine bakkenolide B. The recovery of the method was in the range of 98.6 to 103.1%, and bakkenolide B showed good linearity ($r^2$=0.999) within test ranges. The developed method was applied to the determination of bakkenolide B in the plant part and seasonal changes. The results showed that the content of bakkenolide B in the leaf was higher than in the petiole and rhizome. In this study, a simple, rapid, and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method was used to determine the percentage and composition of bakkenolide B in P. japonicus procured from different Petasites species plants in South Korea. The method can be employed in routine quantitative analysis and quality control of different products in the market.