• Food Science and Industry
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.105-114
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• 2010

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.4458-4461
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• 2011

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2015

Food-Health indicators have been developed and utilized internationally in the 'Food' domain of environment and health indicators. In Korea, however, Food Safety Health Indicators which are in the introductory stage had been developed separately from Environmental Health Indicators. The aim of the current study is to suggest feasible applications of the domestic Food Safety Health Indicators as a case study. We introduced 3 possible applications which are as follows: 1) production of two types of Integrated Food Safety Health Index; 2) conduction of correlation analysis between the Integrated Food Safety Health Index and Food Safety Health Indicators; 3) conduction of regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between the Integrated Food Safety Health Index and socioeconomic status. As a result, we provided the calculated Integrated Food Safety Health Index I and Integrated Food Safety Health Index II, which represents the regional food safety level in relative and absolute terms, respectively. Integrated Food Safety Health Index I was significantly correlated with the outbreaks of food-borne diseases (caused by Campylobacter jejuni, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp. and unknown cause) and incidence of E.coli infections. Integrated Food Safety Health Index II significantly decreased as the proportion of foreigners and women increased, and increased as the population density increased. Utilization of such Integrated Food Safety Health Indicators may be helpful in understanding the overall domestic food safety level and identifying the indicators which must be considered with priorities to enhance the food safety levels regionally and domestically. Furthermore, analyzing the association between Integrated Food Safety Health Index and factors other than food safety could be useful in conducting risk management and identifying susceptible populations. Food Safety Health Indicators can be useful in other applications, and may serve as a supporting material in establishing or modifying policy plans to enhance food safety. Therefore, keen interests by researchers accompanied by further studies on food safety health indicators are needed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1131-1136
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• 2013

Parabens, the esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, have been widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in cosmetic products, drugs, and processed foods and beverages. However, some parabens have been shown to have weak estrogenic effects through in vivo and in vitro studies. Because such widespread use has raised concerns about the potential human health risks associated with exposure to parabens, we developed a simultaneous analytical method to quantify 4 parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl) in human urine, by using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. This method showed good specificity, linearity ($R^2$ > 0.999), accuracy (92.2-112.4%), precision (0.9-9.6%, CV), and recovery (95.7-102.0%). The LOQs for the 4 parabens were 1.0, 0.5, 0.2, and 0.5 ng/mL, respectively. This method could be used for quick and accurate analysis of a large number of human samples in epidemiological studies to assess the prevalence of human exposure to parabens.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2019

The safety of food is occasionally questionable, as there have been some reports of products contaminated with illegal adulterants. In this study, the presence of 16 sedative-hypnotics and sleep inducers in dietary supplements was determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (UPLC-UV) and quadruple Orbitrap mass spectrometry (Q-Orbitrap-MS). The UPLC method was validated, providing a linearity (R2) of more than 0.999, and LODs and LOQs that ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 and 0.6 to $1.5{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$, respectively. The repeatabilities were 0.2-8.4 % (intra-day) and 0.3-4.5 % (inter-day), and the accuracies were 89.0-117.0 % (intra-day) and 87.8-111.9 % (inter-day). The mean recoveries of the spiked samples ranged from 98.7 to 107.3 %. The relative standard deviation (%RSD) of the stability was less than 2.4 %. Using the developed method, one sedative-hypnotic compound, phenobarbital, was detected in one of the nineteen samples tested. In addition, the major characteristic fragment ions of each target compound were confirmed using Q-Orbitrap-MS for higher accuracy. Monitoring the presence of these 16 sedative-hypnotics and sleep inducers in dietary supplements should be pursued in the interest of human health, and the results of this study confirmed that the developed method has value for this application.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.168-180
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• 2022

Ephedra is a genus of the Ephedraceae family and is found in temperate regions, such as Central Asia and Europe. Among the various ephedra species, Ma Huang (Ephedra herb) is derived from the aerial parts of Ephedra sinica S tapf, Ephedra equisetina Bunge, and Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A. Mey. Ma Huang contains various ephedra alkaloids, including (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, (-)-norephedrine, (+)-norpseudoephedrine, (-)-methylephedrine, and (+)-methylpseudoephedrine, which are found naturally as single enantiomers, although they can be prepared as racemates. Although the use of Ma Huang in foods is prohibited in Korea, products containing Ma Huang can be imported, and so it is necessary to develop a suitable analytical technique for the detection of Ma Huang in foods. Herein, we report the development of analytical methods for the detection of ephedra alkaloids in products containing Ma Huang. Following sample purification by solid phase extraction, quantitative analysis was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Additionally, the enantiomers were successfully separated using HPLC-DAD. We successfully analyzed various food samples, where the ephedra alkaloids were qualitatively and quantitatively determined, and the enantiomers were separated. It is expected that these methods may contribute toward preventing the distribution of illegal products containing Ma Huang.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.719-723
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: South Korean's sodium consumption level is more than twice the upper limit level suggested by the WHO. Steep increases in the prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in Korea necessitate more effective sodium reduction programs. This study was conducted in order to compare sodium intake-related eating behaviors and key psychosocial factors according to age group and gender. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using an online survey, a total of 1,564 adults (20-59 years old) considered to be geographically representative of South Korea were recruited and surveyed. The major outcomes were perceived behaviors, knowledge, intentions, and self-efficacy related to sodium intake. RESULTS: The results show that perceived behavior and level of self-efficacy related to low sodium consumption differed by age and gender. Female participants showed better behavior and intention towards low sodium intake than male counterparts. Young participants in their 20s showed the lowest intention to change their current sodium intake as well as lowest self-efficacy measures. CONCLUSIONS: Future sodium reduction interventions should be developed with tailored messages targeting different age and gender groups. Specifically, interventions can be planned and implemented at the college level or for workers in their early career to increase their intention and self-efficacy as a means of preventing future health complications associated with high sodium intake.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.345-351
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• 2011

A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of finasteride in human serum. Beclomethasone was used as internal standard (IS) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was carried out to isolate analyte. The mass transitions monitored in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive ion mode were m/z 373.2${\rightarrow}$305.2 for finasteride and m/z 409.3${\rightarrow}$391.2 for IS. Retention times of finasteride and IS were 5.81 and 5.46 min, respectively. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 0.1 ng/mL and the calibration curve showed good linearity in the range of 0.1~20.0 ng/mL ($R^2$=0.9997). The intra-day assay precision and accuracy were in the range 6.3~10.6% and 97.3~103.6%, respectively, and the inter-day assay precision and accuracy were in the range 0.8~5.2% and 99.8~102.5%, respectively. The sample extract recovery of the method was 80~83%.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.227-240
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• 2015

Recent amendment on the Food Sanitation Act in Korea mandated the Minister of Food & Drug Safety to secure the scientific basis for management and reevaluation of standards and specifications of foods. Especially because the current food safety control is limited within the scope of 'Farm to Market' covering from production to retail in Korea, safety control at the plane of true 'Farm to Fork' scope is urgently needed and should include 'total diet' of population instead of individual food items. Therefore, 'Total Diet Study (TDS)' which provides 'closer-to-real' estimates of exposure to hazardous materials through analysis on table-ready (cooked) samples of foods would be the solution to more comprehensive food safety management, as suggested by World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Although the protection of diets from hazards must be considered as one of the most essential public health functions of any country, we may need to revisit the value of foods which has been too much underrated by the meaningless amount of some hazardous materials in Korea. Considering the primary value of foods lies on sustaining life, growth, development, and health promotion of human being, food safety control should be handled not only by the presence or absence of hazardous materials but also by maximizing the value of foods via balancing with the preservation of beneficial components in foods embracing total diet. In this regard, this article aims to provide an overview on TDS by describing procedures involved except chemical analysis which is beyond our scope. Also, details on the ongoing TDS in Korea are provided as an example. Although TDS itself might not be of keen interest for most readers, it is the main user of the safety reference values resulted from toxicological research in the public health perspective.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2011

Though food safety efforts of the government has been increasing, but the health hazards resulting from food does not stop and thus increases consumers' anxiety and distrust of government. For more reliable safety management, developing analysis and intake measurement methods and strengthening regulatory control with strict criteria is necessary. In addition, as not only the known hazards by now, but also unknown but obvious hazards are simultaneously ongoing in current environments, the unified risk management and health assessment for food, health food and medicines from the media is critical. As risks and damage to health may show up after a long time after exposure, preventive measures and strategies for safety control is also needed.