• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.659-677
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• 2020

Leonurus japonicus (L. japonicus) Houtt., a biennial plant in the Lamiaceae family is broadly distributed in Asia such as Korea, China, Japan. The aerial part of L. japonicus is used as a traditional medicine to treat uterine disease including dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, sterility. In this study, we examined the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of L. japonicus ethanol extracts. The antioxidant activity of L. japonicus was measured by total polyphenol and flavonoid content, and DPPH, ABTS scavenging, reducing power activity, and intracellular ROS expression assay. The anti-inflammatory effects were measured by nitric oxide (NO), cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) production and inflammatory protein expression in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Total polyphenol and flavonoid content of L. japonicus were 51.40 ± 0.47 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g and 73.28 ± 0.10 mg of rutin equivalents/g respectively. DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity and reducing power activity tended to increase concentration-dependent and treatment L. japonicus with 400 ㎍/mL reduced ROS production by 69.5%. Furthermore, L. japonicus inhibited NO, TNF-α and IL-1β production in a concentration-dependant manner and reduced the expression levels of inflammatory proteins via regulating NF-κB, MAPK pathway. Therefore, we suggest that L. japonicus could be a natural antioxidants and medicinal source to treat oxidative stress and inflammation-related disease.

• Laboraroty Animal Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.239-247
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• 2018

Bacopa monnieri is a medicinal plant with a long history of use in Ayurveda, especially in the treatment of poor memory and cognitive deficits. In the present study, we hypothesized that Bacopa monnieri extract (BME) can improve memory via increased cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus. BME was administered to 7-week-old mice once a day for 4 weeks and a novel object recognition memory test was performed. Thereafter, the mice were euthanized followed by immunohistochemistry analysis for Ki67, doublecortin (DCX), and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and western blot analysis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BME-treated mice showed moderate increases in the exploration of new objects when compared with that of familiar objects, leading to a significant higher discrimination index compared with vehicle-treated mice. Ki67 and DCX immunohistochemistry showed a facilitation of cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation following the administration of BME in the dentate gyrus. In addition, administration of BME significantly elevated the BDNF protein expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and increased CREB phosphorylation in the dentate gyrus. These data suggest that BME improves novel object recognition by increasing the cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus, and this may be closely related to elevated levels of BDNF and CREB phosphorylation in the dentate gyrus.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.470-477
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• 2019

White jelly fungus (Tremella fuciformis Berk) is effective for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, lung disease, beauty, and has been known as an elixir of life in ancient Chinese dynasty. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity and diabetic effects of the fermented white jelly fungus extract by the bioconversion process. We fed an obesity-inducing mouse with 5% non-fermented Tremella fuciformis (TF), 2.5% fermented Tremella fuciformis (FTF), and 5% FTF containing High Fats Diet (HFD) and HFD for 8 weeks, respectively. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed analysis after 7 weeks of feeding and the dietary intake, food efficiency ratio, body weight, liver, epididymal fat weight, and serum insulin level were measured after 8 weeks of feeding. Also, HOMA-IR was analyzed. The concentrations of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides test was analyzed. The FTF compare with 5% TF and HFD confirmed that 5% FTF reduced body weight, tissue weight, triglycerides concentration, HOMA-IR, respectively. As a result, we confirmed that the fermented white jelly fungus has the anti-obesity effect. Finally, this study can be used a basic data for obesity treatment using fermented white jelly fungus.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.79-87
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• 2017

This study was carried out to extract ginsenosides in by-products from honeyed red ginseng. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction conditions. Based on D-optimal design, independent variables were ethanol (extraction solvent) concentration (30-90%, v/v), extraction temperature ($25-70^{\circ}C$), and extraction time (5-11 h). Extraction yield (Y1) and total ginsenosides (Y2) in the extract were analyzed as dependent variables. Results found that extraction yield increased with increasing extraction temperature and time, whereas it was decreased with increasing ethanol concentration. Similar trends were found for the content of ginsenosides in the extracts, except for ethanol concentration, which was increased with increasing ethanol concentration. Regression equations derived from RSM were suggested to coincide well with the results from the experiments. The optimal extraction conditions for extraction yield and total ginsenosides were an extraction temperature of $56.94^{\circ}C$, ethanol concentration of 57.90%, and extraction time of 11 h. Under these conditions, extraction yield and total ginsenoside contents were predicted to be 84.52% and 9.54 mg/g, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.42-47
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to compare the amygdalin content, alcohol content, pH, titratable acidity, and color of maesil wine prepared with two different manufacturing processes. Maesil wine was made from maesil chung, and maesil was preserved (MW1) or removed (MW2) before fermentation. During aging, amygdalin content in all the wines was gradually reduced, and the content of MW2 was less than that of the other. The alcohol content, pH, and titratable acidity ranged from around 9.87-10.94, 3.57-3.80, and 8.89-10.68%, respectively. The difference between the samples was not significant. For color, MW1 had lower L and higher a and b values than MW2. In this study, the difference in physicochemical properties according to the presence of maesil was not significant, indicating no degradation of the quality according to the manufacturing processes. However, the MW2 showed a reduction in amygdalin contents.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• 제50권6호
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• pp.697-700
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• 2018

This study investigated changes in amygdalin of maesil liqueurs during leaching and ripening, and their qualities during ripening. Maesil was leached at $24^{\circ}C$ for 3 months in a commercial soju (30% alcohol). During leaching, amygdalin contents dramatically increased by 1 month, remained at a plateau by 2 months, and then decreased at 3 months. Once completion of leaching, maesil liqueurs were ripened for 3 months together with maesil (ML1) and maesil flesh itself (ML2), and without maesil (ML3). During ripening, amygdalin contents significantly decreased for all treatments, and the reduction in amygdalin rapidly proceeded in the order: ML2>ML1>ML3. Alcohol contents decreased for ML1 and ML2, while remained constant for ML3. Their pH and titratable acidity observed only subtle changes, and their color became increasingly darker. Overall results suggested that the long-term ripening of maesil liqueurs containing maesil or maesil flesh (without seeds) may resolve the concern on their amygdalin toxicity.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제61권4호
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• pp.391-395
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• 2018

There is an increasing concern over arsenic (As) contamination of paddy soil and rice with regard to food safety. This study was conducted to investigate total and inorganic As concentration in one hundred husked and polished rice samples collected at the non-contaminated paddy soil in Korea. Arsenic species in rice samples were extracted using 1% nitric acid ($HNO_3$) with a microwave oven and were measured using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Mean concentrations of total As in husked rice and polished rice were 0.18 and $0.11mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. Also, average inorganic As concentrations in husked rice and polished rice were 0.11 and $0.07mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. These levels are lower than the standard guideline value 0.35 and $0.2mg\;kg^{-1}$ for inorganic As in husked and polished rice recommended by Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, respectively. The mean of the inorganic As ratio for the total amount of As was 0.65 and 0.67 for husked rice and polished rice, respectively, and the range was from 0.08 to 1.0. For health risk assessment, the average value of cancer risk probability was $9.24{\times}10^{-5}$ and ranged from $2.30{\times}10^{-5}$ to $1.90{\times}10^{-5}$. Therefore, human exposure to As through dietary intake of surveyed rice samples might considered to be a low health risk.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.60-67
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to verify the stability of nutrient composition by using herbal medicine by-products as an alternative food source and to examine the growth effect on Protaeria brevitarsis seulensis larvae. As a result of comparing the nutritional components of food source, crude protein, crude fat, and crude ash content, except crude fiber content, was high in both non-fermented and fermented medicinal herbal by-products. Especially, crude protein content was highest. Cadmium, lead, mercury, and other heavy metals were not detected and thus stability as alternative food was confirmed. The growth comparison based on the feeding sources showed no significant difference between the fermented oak sawdust fed control group and the herbal medicine by-products fed laboratory group from week 1 to week 3. The weight of a 4 week larva was 0.137 g in the control group and 0.671 g in the laboratory group and so began to reveal differences at a significant level (p<0.05). As a result of comparing weights of Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larvae according to the level of herbal medicine by-product addition, HMB40 recorded the heaviest weight in week 7. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in each body weights of HMB40 and HMB80 at week 5 (p<0.05). These results indicate that if the shipping date of an edible insect is a third instar larva, it arrives at the time of shipment at week 5. Thus feeding HMB40 and HMB80 at the 5th week is the most effective.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.434-440
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• 2019

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kimchi were studied for their ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activity. Among the 156 strains tested, 52 strains utilized glucuronic acid as a carbon source and their intracellular ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activities were significantly higher than their extracellular activities. Leuconostoc mesenteroides KFRI 73007 isolated from turnip kimchi exhibited the highest intracellular ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activity of $0.77{\pm}0.01U/mg$ protein, which was further increased to $1.14{\pm}0.01U/mg$ protein under optimized reaction conditions (pH 7, $37^{\circ}C$). The activity of ${\beta}$-glucuronidase was notably decreased by the addition of divalent cations, and glucuronic acid was the best carbon source to produce ${\beta}$-glucuronidase in Leu. mesenteroides KFRI 73007.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.323-331
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• 2019

White jelly fungus (Tremella fuciformis Berk; TF) has been used as a traditional medicine in Asia; it is known to prevent hypertension, aging, cancer, and arteriosclerosis. This study aimed to investigate the anti-diabetic effects of fermented Tremella fuciformis Berk (FTF) ethanol extracts fermented with L. rhamnosus BHN-LAB 76. We show that FTF increases the ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity and suppress the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These inhibitory effects of FTF are accompanied by the regulation of the phosphorylation of AMPK, JNK, and Akt. These data demonstrate that FTF not only inhibits adipogenesis by affecting the adipogenic signaling, but also increases the anti-diabetic effects by regulating the insulin signaling pathway. Therefore, we suggest that the FTF can be used for developing functional food and cosmetics materials.