• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2011

We investigated the immunostimulatory effects of doenjang, a famous Korean traditional food made from fermented soybean paste, on the immunohistochemical reaction in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and immune response in mice. Male C57BL/6N mice (6 weeks-old) were divided into 4 experimental diet treatment groups and a basal diet (control) group, and fed with different diets for 4 weeks. The immunoreactive density of $CD4^+/CD8^+$ lymphocytes were strongly stained in the jejunum and colon in Group III. The immunoreactivity of universal nitric oxide synthase (uNOS) was strongly stained in the myenteric plexus in the colon of all doenjang-fedgroups (I, II and III). The colonic immunoreactive density of protein kinase C-${\alpha}$ (PKC-${\alpha}$) was strongly increased in Groups II and III, while that of stem-cell factor (c-kit) was increased in colonic mucosa of all doenjang-fedgroups (I, II and III) and especially increased in the colonic muscle layer of Group III. These morphological and immunological results indicated that the intake of doenjang could improve the mucosal immune reaction, gastrointestinal motility, blood circulation in the GI tract, and the immuneactivity of the body. These results provide experimental evidence about the health benefits of doenjang.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.2
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• pp.193-197
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• 2015

To develop superior cultivars for edible or medicinal purposes, we investigated morphological characteristics and total anthocynin contents for the fruit of 24 individuals from 4 populations in Korea. ANOVA analysis showed significant differences among populations and among individuals within population in all characteristics. The mean characteristics of the species were 8.2 mm, 7.8 mm, 0.4 g, 11.7 Brix., 7.7 ea and 474.4 mg/100 g in the fruit width, fruit length, fruit weight, soluble solids contents, number of fruit per punch and total anthocyanin contents, respectively. Especially, total anthocyanin contents (474.4 mg/100 g) of V. oldhamii showed 1.9 times higher than that of American blueberry (237.3 mg/100 g) using as control. Consequently, the investigation suggests that V. oldhamii fruits can be used to develop the functional cultivars with enhanced health benefits by the selection breeding. Selection effect with outstanding candidate trees including superior 3 individual trees was estimated at 129.6%, 109.5% and 140.5% in fruit weight, number of fruit per punch and total anthocyanin content, respectively.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.485-495
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• 2018

Background: The geographical origin of Panax ginseng Meyer, a valuable medicinal plant, is important to both ginseng producers and consumers in the context of economic profit and human health benefits. We, therefore, aimed to discriminate between the cultivation regions of ginseng using the stable isotope ratios of C, N, O, and S, which are abundant bioelements in living organisms. Methods: Six Korean ginseng cultivars (3-yr-old roots) were collected from five different regions in Korea. The C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratios in ginseng roots were measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and then these isotope ratio profiles were statistically analyzed using chemometrics. Results: The various isotope ratios found in P. ginseng roots were significantly influenced by region, cultivar, and the interactions between these two factors ($p{\leq}0.001$). The variation in ${\delta}^{15}N$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$ in ginseng roots was significant for discriminating between different ginseng cultivation regions, and ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}^{34}S$ were also affected by both altitude and proximity to coastal areas. Chemometric model results tested in this study provided discrimination between the majority of different cultivation regions. Based on the external validation, this chemometric model also showed good model performance ($R^2=0.853$ and $Q^2=0.738$). Conclusion: Our case study elucidates the variation of C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratios in ginseng root depending on cultivation region. Hence, the analysis of stable isotope ratios is a suitable tool for discrimination between the regional origins of ginseng samples from Korea, with potential application to other countries.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.8
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• pp.1278-1282
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to improve the sensory qualities of soymilk. For this purpose, soymilk was prepared by adding different types of rice grain, including cooked, puffed, and saccharified rice. Acceptable products could be obtained by addition of saccharified rice. The addition of saccharified rice had a positive influence on sensory qualities, especially mouth feel. Further, soymilk with saccharified rice was comparable in terms of physicochemical characteristics (pH, soluble solids, and viscosity) with commercial whole-bean soymilk. This result suggests that there are opportunities to develop a new market for soy-milk that incorporates health benefits and traditional beverages.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.100-112
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• 2014

This study investigates the characteristics of cookies added with yacon. The addition of yacon powder did not affect the density of the cookies and decreased pH level. The moisture content was the highest in the cookies with 12% of yacon. Spread ratio was the highest in the cookies containing yacon powder. The loss rate and leavening rate of the cookies decreased with increasing amounts of yacon powder. Lightness and yellowness decreased significantly while redness increased significantly with a high content of yacon powder in the formulation. The hardness of the control group was higher than that of the cookies prepared with different levels of yacon powder. The antioxidant activity was estimated by DPPH free radical scavenging activity and the total phenolic acid content in yacon powder and cookies. The consumer acceptability score for the 6% yacon cookie group ranked significantly higher than the other groups in overall preference, appearance, flavor, taste and color. Through this experiment, this study exhibited both the functional and health based benefits of yacon when it is added to cookies and confirmed the development feasibility of yacon cookies considering consumer satisfaction.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.182-188
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• 2009

Lactobacillus spp., primary members of probiotics, have significant benefits for health and well-being of human. In this study Lactobacillus strains representing six species (L. paracasei KLB58, L. fermentum MS79 and KLB282, L. plantarum KLB213, L. gasseri KLB238, and L. reuteri KLB270) isolated from Korean adults were electrotransformed with plasmid pNCKH104. To determine optimal electrotransformation conditions, various conditions including cell wall weakening agent, electroporation buffer, electric field strength and time constant were tested for each strain. Overall, high transformation efficiency of approximately 2.5 ${\times}$ $10^3$ ${\sim}$ 5.5 ${\times}$ $10^4$ CFU/${\mu}g$ DNA was obtained where conditions of 0.5 M sucrose electroporation buffer, 1.8 kV pulse voltage and 5 ms time constant were applied. The common conditions developed in this study will make transformation of various Lactobacillus spp. easier than previous procedures.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2007

Grape juice, one of the most valuable fruit derived product has large amounts of phenolic compounds which provide many of the health benefits. Campbell grape juice, divided into Sample A(without seeds and stems), Sample B(with seeds only), Sample C(with seeds and stems) were processed and assessed for its components, sensorial attributes and functional properties as influenced by the addition of seeds and stems. The presence of seeds and stems in the processing of Campbell grape juice has significant effects on pH and total soluble solids($^{\circ}Brix$) but showed no significant effects on other physicochemical and color properties and corresponds to an increase in total phenolics, radical scavenging activity, total anthocyanin and total flavonoid The sensory evaluation showed that there is no significant differences among the samples but were all liked moderately to very much by the panelists. The result of this study demonstrated that seeds and stems can be included in the processing of Campbell grape juice as it enhances the juice functional properties without altering its physicochemical and sensorial properties.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2007

Five phenolic compounds 1-5 were isolated for the first time from the exudate of geminating peanut (Arachis hypogaea). The structures were fully characterized by analysis of physical and spectral data. All isolated compounds were tested for antioxidant activities using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and hydroxyl radical. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 exhibited a strong scavenging effect on DPPH (2: $IC_{50}\;=\;10.4\;{\um}M$, 3: $IC_{50}\;=\;45.2\;{\mu}M$, 5: $IC_{50}\;=\;5.0\;{\mu}M$), and ABTS (2: $IC_{50}\;=\;9.6\;{\mu}M$, 3: $IC_{50}\;=\;5.5\;{\mu}M$, 5: $IC_{50}\;=\;3.3\;{\mu}M$) radical activity, whereas these compounds had weak hydroxyl radical scavenging activity ($IC_{50}\;>\;200\;{\mu}M$). The total phenolic contents of the extracts using n-hexane, EtOAc, and n-BuOH were found to be 96.4-964.3 mg gallic acid equivalent per g dry material (GAE/g) and n-BuOH fraction showed the highest total phenolic content (964.3 mg GAE/g). These studies suggest that the exudate of geminating peanut may possess possible health related benefits to humans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.671-676
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• 2014

In recent years, the growing interest in the health care benefits of sugared-plant fermented enzymes has led to increased consumption. This study investigated the fermentation of sugared-buchu (Leek:sugar, 1:3) by lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus AML 0422, Lactobacillus brevis HLJ 59, Lactobacillus helveticus AML0410, Lactobacillus plantarium KCTC 13093) and the antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity, and functionality (e.g., anti-hypertensive activity) of the fermented product. The fermented sugared-buchu showed high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus KCTC 1916, at 31.43 mm, and its total polyphenols, total flavonoid content, and DPPH scavenging activity were 160.8-178 mg/ml, 100-108 mg/ml, and 51.4-58.1%, respectively. DPPH scavenging activity was to that of vitamin C (50 ppm). ACE inhibitory activity was 50.4-67%, depending on the strain of lactic acid bacteria, and the control of sugared-buchu activity was higher than 32.6%. These results suggest that sugared-buchu fermented with lactic acid bacteria has strong antibacterial, antioxidant, and ACE inhibitory activities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1078-1085
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• 2017

Free radicals have long been considered damaging to various tissues. An excessive amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to have detrimental effects on the body and to be linked to numerous pathological conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and skeletal muscle atrophy. On the other hand, recent findings suggest that ROS is important for maintenance and development of cellular activity. Cells respond to increased oxidative stress by adaptive changes in the expression of a variety of proteins involved in the maintenance of cellular integrity. ROS is also essential for skeletal muscle function and metabolism. It is well known that physical exercise has many health benefits. Paradoxically, physical exercise also stimulates the production of ROS, which result in oxidative stress. Based on evidence amassed in the past decade, exercise itself may be considered an antioxidant because training increases the expression of antioxidant enzymes. In this review, we discuss the processes underlying the generation of ROS and its role in exercise-induced adaptation based on recent evidence. Furthermore, we discuss the possible role of NADPH oxidase in exercise-induced activation of insulin signaling and its effect on longevity.