• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2020

The Ministry of Environment (ME) is planning to adopt in 2020 the IUCN regional Red List for "Guidelines for listing and delisting rare & endangered species and management of endangered Species System". The ME designated 377 species of vascular plants on the regional Red List. In a previous study it had been suggested that 103 species from this list are candidates for the regional Red List. With respect to a possible Red List, we assessed 59 species (after excluding 34 additional NA species and ten endemic species). These assessments indicated that 16 species are at the "threatened" level. Of those, one species is Critically Endangered, ten are Endangered, and five are Vulnerable. A further four species are classified as Near Threatened, 30 as Of Least Concern, and nine as Data Deficient. We found that most of the assessments proposed by the Ministry of Environment were not supported by scientific data, including quantitative geographic data (over 70%) in Criteria B. In order to determine the endangered species belonging to the orchid family, it is necessary to obtain records of illegal activities or data on overcollection. The current problem with the Ministry of Environment Red List has been the lack of management of scientific data on species showing a trend in decreasing population in the mid- to long-term; thus, there is a lack of critical resources for policy-makers. The ME legally designated categories and assessment, and the lack of expertise in failing to comply with the legal law by itself. The key to presenting an accurate overview of the state of Korean flora is to fill the information gaps with respect to significant geographical and taxonomical biases in the quality and quantity of data. By regularly updating the qualified data, we will be able to track the changes in the conservation status of the flora and inform the necessary conservation policies.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2021

Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) is a perennial plant belonging to the family Apiaceae. Its root has been utilized as a traditional medicine especially in Korea. This study was carried out to evaluate the potential use of extracts from AGN root parts as a cosmetic material. The dried AGN roots are divided into body (B), thick root (TkR), medium root(MR) and thin root (TnR) according to their diameter before cutting into medicine. B, TkR and MR of AGN are combined and used as medicinal herbs (MH). The extracts from AGN each root part (B, TkR, MR, TnR, MH) were used to test the effect on cell viability using MTS assay and to examine inhibitory effect on melanin accumulation in B16F10 melanoma cells. All extracts (50 - 200 ㎍/mL) from the each root part did not affect the cell viability. And inhibitory effect of all root extracts (200 ㎍/mL) on melanin accumulation was 12-19%. Especially, TnR showed similar inhibitory effect on melanin accumulation to MH. In addition, DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activity were higher in the TnR extract compared to MH. This study showed that the TnR extract exhibit high inhibitory effect on melanin accumulation and antioxidant activity compared to MH, suggesting that TnR extract has potential as a cosmetic ingredient.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.543-549
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• 2021

Approximately 10% of all angiosperms belong to the Asteraceae family. Plant species belonging to this family have traditionally been used as medicinal plants in the Korean Peninsula. We investigated the antioxidant activity of seed extracts from 14 species belonging to the Asteraceae family. Seeds with ≥ 90% percentage of filled seed and ≥ 50% final germination were used. The total phenolic content was the highest in Dendranthema zawadskii var. tenuisectum (13.5 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAEs)/g seeds), followed by Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum (11.8 mg of GAEs/g seeds), and Callistephus chinensis (11.0 mg of GAEs/g seeds). The total flavonoid content was highest in C. chinensis (9.8 mg of quercetin equivalents (QEs)/g seeds), followed by D. zawadskii var. tenuisectum (7.2 mg of QEs/g seeds) and Taraxacum officinale (6.3 mg of QEs/g seeds). Our results showed that 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity was highest in D. zawadskii var. tenuisectum (57.4 ㎍/ml), followed by T. officinale (59.1 ㎍/ml) and D. zawadskii var. latilobum (65.0 ㎍/ml), with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of DPPH scavenging activity. Furthermore, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity was highest in C. chinensis (26.2 ㎍/ml), followed by D. zawadskii var. tenuisectum (38.4 ㎍/ml), T. officinale (40.2 ㎍/ml), with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of ABTS scavenging activity. Based on a cluster analysis according to the antioxidant activity, the 14 species were classified into five groups, with group 4 having the highest antioxidant activity and group 0 having the lowest antioxidant activity. D. zawadskii var. latilobum, D. zawadskii var. tenuisectum, T. officinale, and C. chinensis belonging to groups 3 and 4, exhibited high phenolic content and antioxidant activity and can be considered potent plant-derived natural antioxidants.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.188-202
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• 2022

In the insect industry, as the scope of application of insects is expanded from pet insects and natural enemies to feed, edible and medicinal insects, the demand for quality control of insect raw materials is increasing, and interest in securing the safety of insect products is increasing. In the process of expanding the industrial scale, controlling the temperature and humidity and air quality in the insect breeding room and preventing the spread of pathogens and other pollutants are important success factors. It requires a controlled environment under the operating system. European commercial insect breeding facilities have attracted considerable investor interest, and insect companies are building large-scale production facilities, which became possible after the EU approved the use of insect protein as feedstock for fish farming in July 2017. Other fields, such as food and medicine, have also accelerated the application of cutting-edge technology. In the future, the global insect industry will purchase eggs or small larvae from suppliers and a system that focuses on the larval fattening, i.e., production raw material, until the insects mature, and a system that handles the entire production process from egg laying, harvesting, and initial pre-treatment of larvae., increasingly subdivided into large-scale production systems that cover all stages of insect larvae production and further processing steps such as milling, fat removal and protein or fat fractionation. In Korea, research and development of insect smart factory farms using artificial intelligence and ICT is accelerating, so insects can be used as carbon-free materials in secondary industries such as natural plastics or natural molding materials as well as existing feed and food. A Korean-style customized breeding system for shortening the breeding period or enhancing functionality is expected to be developed soon.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.300-309
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• 2021

This study was conducted to develop food and medicinal products containing useful components of Lentinula edodes in Codonopsis lanceolata and Platycodon grandiflorus for use as herbal medicine. We manufactured C. lanceolata (FCLM) and P. grandiflorus (FPLM) extract fermented with L. edodes mycelium. The effect of the two fermented products on proximate composition, free sugar, organic acid, 𝛽-glucan, ergothioneine, ergosterol, and vitamin D₂ levels, and 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell growth were studied. The proximate composition analysis results showed that the crude fiber and crude fat content in FCLM was higher than that in FPLM, and the crude protein and soluble nitrogen content in FPLM was higher than that in FCLM. Free sugar analysis detected arabinose, glucose, and sucrose in both FCLM and FPLM, and the total free sugar content was high in FPLM. The organic acid content was lower in FCLM and FPLM compared to C. lanceolata and P. grandiflorus before fermentation. The 𝛽-glucan content was higher than that of L. edodes used as a control in both fermented products, FCLM and FPLM. The content of ergothioneine, an antioxidant, was higher in FCLM than in FPLM. Ergosterol content was highest in L. edodes which was used as a control, and the two fermented products showed similar content. Vitamin D₂ was detected only in FCLM and FPLM, and FPLM (0.58±0.01 mg%) showed a higher vitamin D₂ content than FCLM (0.47±0.01). FCLM and FPLM showed a higher level of cell viability for 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes compared to non-fermented C. lanceolata and P. grandiflorus. In addition, FCLM and FPLM inhibited 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation more than C. lanceolata and P. grandiflorus before fermentation, which may exert an anti-obesity effect.

• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.4
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• pp.13-37
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• 2022

Even before recorded history, the Korean people took ginseng. Later, poetry passed down from China developed into a literary style in which intellectuals from the Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon Dynasties expressed their thoughts concisely. The aim of this paper is to find Korean poems related to ginseng and to look for their semantic network. To this end, "Korea Classical DB ", produced by the Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics, was searched to find ginseng poems. As the result of a search in November 2021, two poems from the Three Kingdoms Period, two poems from the Goryeo Dynasty, and 23 poems from the Joseon Dynasty were searched. An examination of these poems found that the first ginseng poem was "Goryeoinsamchan," which was sung by people in Goguryeo around the 6th century. Ginseng poetry during the Goryeo Dynasty is represented by Anchuk's poem. Anchuk sang about the harmful effects of ginseng tributes from a realistic point of view. Ginseng poetry in the Joseon Dynasty is represented by Seo Geo-jeong in the early period and Jeong Yakyong in the late period. Seo Geo-jeong's ginseng poem is a romantic poem that praises the mysterious pharmacological effects of ginseng. A poem called "Ginseng" by Yongjae Seonghyeon is also a romantic poem that praises the mysterious medicinal benefits of ginseng. As a scholar of Realist Confucianism, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong wrote very practical ginseng poems. Dasan left five ginseng poems, the largest number written by one poet. Dasan tried ginseng farming himself and emerged from the experience as a poet. The story of the failure and success of his ginseng farming was described in his poems. At that time, ginseng farming was widespread throughout the country due to the depletion of natural ginseng and the development of ginseng farming techniques after the reign of King Jeongjo. Since the early 19th century, ginseng farming had been prevalent on a large scale in the Gaeseong region, and small-scale farming had also been carried out in other regions. What is unusual is Kim Jin-soo's poem. At that time, in Tong Ren Tang, Beijing (the capital of the Qing Dynasty), ginseng from Joseon sold well under the "Songak Sansam" brand. Kim Jin-Soo wrote about this brand of ginseng in his poem. In 1900, Maecheon Hwanghyeon also created a ginseng poem, written in Chinese characters. Thus, the semantic network of Korean ginseng poems is identified as follows: 1) Ginseng poetry in the spirit of the people - Emerging gentry in the Goryeo Dynasty (Anchuk). 2) Romantic ginseng poetry - Government School in the early Joseon Dynasty (Seo Geo-jeong, Seonghyeon, etc.). 3) Practical ginseng poetry - Realist School in the late Joseon Dynasty (Jeong Yak-yong, Kim Jin-soo, Hwang Hyun, etc.). This semantic network was extracted while examining the development of Korean ginseng poems.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.669-678
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• 2021

This study surveyed three land cover types in Chungju City in Chungcheongbuk Province to check the distribution of cultured bacteria in bio-aerosols according to land cover type. It was possible to compare and analyze the distribution of bacteria according to microclimatic changes at each measurement point by examining meteorological factors and bio-aerosols according to land cover. The microclimate temperature in each measurement point was 8.7℃ for the urban forest, 10.8℃ for the waterside green area, and 10.2℃ for the urban area, indicating the urban forest had the lowest temperature among the measurement points. The relative humanity was 61.8% fin the urban forest, 59.3% in the waterside green area, and 55.7% in the urban area, indicating that the urban forest was the most humid among the measurement points. The identified bacteria were found to be 43 genera and 99 species. In terms of species diversity of cultured bacteria, 22 genera were found in the waterside green area, 21 genera in the urban forest, and 17 genera in the urban area, 37 species were found in the waterside green area, 31 species in the urban area, and 31 species in the urban forest. Bacillus toyonensis and Pseudarthrobacter oxydan were the species present in all three types of measurement sites, and Herbiconiux flava was confirmed to inhabit green areas such as urban forests and waterside green areas. The analysis result of the bacterial concentration according to the microclimatic environment in each measurement point was 333 CFU/m³ in the urban forest, 287 CFU/m³, in the waterside green area, and 173 CFU/m³ in the downtown area. The relative humidity and wind speed were analyzed to show a similar trend as the concentration. This study is expected to provide basic data for healthy urban management and green area creation by identifying the distribution of cultured bacteria in bio-aerosols according to land cover type and comparing and analyzing the traits of bio-aerosol in each measurement point.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2022

This study was conducted to determine the changes in ginsenosides content according to additional UV-A, and UV-B LED irradiation before harvesting the ginseng sprouts. One-year-old ginseng seedlings (n=100) were transplanted in a tray containing a ginseng medium. The ginseng sprouts were grown for 37 days at a temperature of 20℃ (24h), a humidity of 70%, and an average light intensity of 80 µmol·m^-2·s^-1 (photoperiod; 24h) in a container-type plant factory. Ginseng sprouts were then transferred to a custom chamber equipped with UV-A (370 nm; 12.90 W·m^-2) and UV-B (300 nm; 0.31 W·m^-2) LEDs and treated for 3 days. Growth parameters and ginsenoside contents in shoot and root were conducted by harvesting on days 0 (control), 1, 2, and 3 of UV treatments, respectively. The growth parameters showed non-significant differences between the control and the UV treatments (wavelengths or the number of days). Ginsenoside contents of the shoot was highly improved by 186% in UV-A treatment compared to the control in 3 days of the treatment time. The ginsenoside contents of the roots was more improved in UV-A 1-day treatment and UV-B 3-day treatment, compared to the control by 171% and 160%, respectively. As a result of this experiment, it is thought that UV LED irradiation before harvesting can produce sprout ginseng with high ginsenoside contents in a plant factory.

• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.4
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• pp.103-127
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• 2022

The influx of modern culture in the early 20th century in Korea led to numerous changes in the country's ginseng industry. With the development of ginseng cultivation technology and commerce, the production and consumption of ginseng increased, and various ginseng products were developed using modern manufacturing technology. Consequently, competition for the sales of these products became fierce. At that time, newspaper advertisements showed detailed trends in the development and sales competition of ginseng products. Before 1920, however, there were few advertisements of ginseng in newspapers. This is thought to be because newspapers had not yet been generalized, and the ginseng industry had not developed that much. Ginseng advertisements started to revitalize in the early 1920s after the launch of the Korean daily newspapers Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo. Such advertisements in this period focused on emphasizing the traditional efficacy of Oriental medicine and the mysterious effects of ginseng. There were many advertisements for products that prescribed the combination of ginseng and deer antler, indicating the great popularity of this prescription at the time. Furthermore, advertisements showed many personal experience stories about taking such products. Mail order and telemarketing sales were already widely used in the 1920s . In 1925, there were advertisements that ginseng products were delivered every day. The advertisements revealed that ginseng roots were classified more elaborately than they are now according to size and quality. Ginseng products in the 1920s did not deviate significantly from the scope of traditional Oriental medicine formulations such as liquid medicine, pill, and concentrated extract. In the 1930s, ginseng advertisements became more active. At this time, experts such as university professors and doctors in medicine or in pharmacy appeared in the advertisements. They recommended ginseng products or explained the ingredients and medicinal effects of the products. Even their experimental notes based on scientific research results appeared in the advertisements to enhance the reliability of the ginseng products. In 1931, modern tablet advertisements appeared. Ginseng products supplemented with vitamins and other specific ingredients as well as ginseng thin rice gruel for the sick appeared at this time. In 1938, ginseng advertisements became more popular, and advertisements using talents as models, such as dancer Choi Seunghee or famous movie stars, models appeared. Ginseng advertisements in the 1920s and 1930s clearly show a side of our rapidly changing society at the time.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.462-475
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• 2022

Purpose: Allomyrina dichotoma larvae are one of the approved edible insects with nutritional value and various functional and medicinal properties. Previously we have demonstrated that the Allomyrina dichotoma larval extract (ADLE) ameliorates hepatic insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetic mice through the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This study investigated the effects of ADLE on insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle and explored mechanisms for enhancing the glucose uptake in palmitate (PAL)-treated C2C12 myotubes. Methods: To induce insulin resistance, the differentiated C2C12 myotubes were treated with PAL (0.5 mM) for 24 hours, and then treated with a 0.5 mg/ml concentration of ADLE, and the resultant effects were measured. The expression levels of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4), AMPK, and the mitochondrial metabolism-related proteins were analyzed by western blotting. The mRNA expression levels of lipogenesis- related genes were determined by quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR. Results: The exposure of C2C12 myotubes to 0.5 mg/ml of ADLE increased cell viability significantly compared to PAL-treated cells. ADLE upregulated the protein expression of GLUT4 and enhanced glucose uptake in the PAL-treated cells. ADLE increased the phosphorylated AMPK in both the PAL-treated C2C12 myotubes and HFD-treated skeletal muscle. The reduced expression levels of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator-1 alpha (PGC1α) and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) due to the PAL and HFD treatment were reversed by the ADLE treatment. The citrate synthase activity was also significantly increased with the PAL and ADLE co-treatment. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expressions of fatty acid synthesis-related factors were reduced in the PAL and HFD-treated muscle cells, and this effect was significantly attenuated by the ADLE treatment. Conclusion: ADLE activates AMPK, which in turn induces mitochondrial metabolism and reduces fatty acid synthesis in C2C12 myotubes. Therefore, ADLE could be useful for preventing or treating insulin resistance of skeletal muscles in diabetes.