• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.400-406
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• 1997

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. were investigated to develop a natural food preservative from it. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine and arginine were major amino acids of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., but were present in a trace amount. Free sugars were composed of glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose and major fatty acids were linolenic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid. Mineral elements were potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper. Antimicrobial activities were shown in acidic, neutral and phenolic fraction of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., but not in basic fraction. Among the four fractions, neutral fraction showed the strongest antimicrobial activities against microorganisms tested, such as Pseudomnas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) of the neutral fraction varied according to microoganisms tested. The lowest values of MIC (0.0075 g eq./mL) and MLC (0.10 g eq./mL) were obtained from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.1114-1121
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• 2000

Monascus koji have been used as a natural food colorant and preservative in Asia countries for centuries. This study was investigated to the chemical properties of Doenjang prepared with Monascus koji. Four kinds of Doenjang were fermented with Aspergillus koji only and Aspergillus koji plus 10%, 20% and 30% Monascus koji of its amount, respectively, and the changes of characteristics were investigated during fermentation. All the Monascus koji substituted Doenjang showed lower protease activities than Aspergillus koji Doenjang over all periods of fermentation. No differences of amino nitrogen and free amino acids were found after 30 days of fermentation and reducing sugars and peptides were found during over all periods of fermentation in each other. The Monascus koji gave higher a-, L- and C-values and lower h-values than Aspergillus koji. Sensory profiles of color, flavor, taste and overall quality on the final products which fermented during 60 days, indicated that there were no differences each other. From these results Monascus koji suggested as 30% substitutes for Aspergillus koji in Doenjang preparation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.1144-1152
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• 1999

In order to investigate the content of preservative components occurred naturally in foods, the content of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in 48 kinds of plants which used as commercial teas or spices was determined according to the method of 'Korean Food Code' and analyzed with a gas chromatograph. The recoveries of the benzoic and sorbic acid were 82.5% and 94.5%, respectively. The naturally occurring benzoic acid was less than 50 ppm in most of the plants used as commercial teas. The content of benzoic arid in spices and the content of sorbic acid in teas or spices were less than 10 ppm. The average contents of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in edible part of each plant were as followed ; leaf 12.5 ppm and 8.1 ppm, root 16.8 ppm and 3.7 ppm, seed 9.8 ppm and 2.3 ppm, fruit 33.8 ppm and 1.2 ppm, fungus 18.3 ppm and 14.6 ppm, respectively. The contents of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in several plants used at teas or spices extended over a wide range.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.1009-1013
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• 2012

We investigated the antibacterial effects of Opuntia ficus indica extracts on foodborne pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, on the medium of sliced apples. Pathogens were inoculated on sliced apples and immersed for 10 min in Opuntia ficus indica extracts. Each sample was packaged and stored at $4^{\circ}C$ and $21^{\circ}C$ for 8 days. The populations of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes significantly decreased with increasing extract concentration (p<0.05). In particular, L. monocytogenes was reduced to non-detectable levels after 2 days in 50 mg/mL treatment at $4^{\circ}C$ and $21^{\circ}C$ Opuntia ficus indica extracts therefore have antibacterial effects on the two foodborne pathogens. Sensory evaluation results indicated that treated apples had better sensory characteristics than did the control. Therefore, the results suggest that Opuntia ficus indica extracts could be useful as a natural food preservative to improve microbial safety.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.462-469
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• 2010

Protamine has been widely used as a pharmaceutical product and natural food preservative. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the beneficial function of dietary protamine. This study examined the effects of dietary salmon protamine on serum and liver lipid levels and the expression levels of genes encoding proteins involved in lipid homeostasis in the liver of rats. Groups of male Wistar rats were fed AIN93G diet containing 2% or 5% protamine. After 4 weeks of feeding these diets, markedly decreased serum and liver cholesterol (CHOL) and triacylglycerol levels were noted. Increased activity of liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase-2 and acyl-CoA oxidase, which are key enzymes of fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation in the mitochondria and peroxisomes, was found in rats fed on protamine. Furthermore, rats fed protamine showed enhanced fecal excretion of CHOL and bile acid and increased liver mRNA expression levels of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) G5 and ABCG8, which form heterodimers and play a major role in the secretion of CHOL into bile. The decrease in triacylglycerol levels in protamine-fed rats was due to the enhancement of liver ${\beta}$-oxidation. Furthermore, rats fed protamine exhibited decreased CHOL levels through the suppression of CHOL and bile acid absorption and the enhancement of CHOL secretion into bile. These results suggest that dietary protamine has beneficial effects that may aid in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases such as hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.358-365
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• 2015

ε-Poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) is a homopolymer of L-lysine molecules connected between the epsilon amino and alpha carboxyl groups. This polymer is currently used as a natural preservative in food. Insufficient biomass is a major problem in ε-PL fermentation. Here, to improve cell growth and ε-PL productivity, various nitrogen-rich nutrients were supplemented into flask cultures after 16 h cultivation, marking the onset of ε-PL biosynthesis. Yeast extract, soybean powder, corn powder, and beef extract significantly improved cell growth. In terms of ε-PL productivity, yeast extract at 0.5% (w/v) gave the maximum yield (2.24 g/l), 115.4% higher than the control (1.04 g/l), followed by soybean powder (1.86 g/l) at 1% (w/v) and corn powder (1.72 g/l) at 1% (w/v). However, supplementation with beef extract inhibited ε-PL production. The optimal time for supplementation for all nutrients examined was at 16 h cultivation. The kinetics of yeast-extract-supplemented cultures showed enhanced cell growth and production duration. Thus, the most commonly used two-stage pH control fed-batch fermentation method was modified by omitting the pH 5.0-controlled period, and coupling the procedure with nutrient feeding in the pH 3.9-controlled phase. Using this process, by continuously feeding 0.5 g/h of yeast extract, soybean powder, or corn powder into cultures in a 30 L fermenter, the final ε-PL titer reached 28.2 g/l, 23.7 g/l, and 21.4 g/l, respectively, 91.8%, 61.2%, and 45.6% higher than that of the control (14.7 g/l). This describes a promising option for the mass production of ε-PL.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.7 s.87
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• pp.915-922
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• 2007

In order to discover physiologically active substance, we investigated a powder obtained by processing of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino trunk. The powder was treated by sulfuric acid and then extracted by several solvents such as methanol, methylene chloride, ethanol etc. Among them, the best antimicrobial activity was showed by methylene chloride extract. To identify materials exhibiting physiological activation, the acid hydrolyzed extract was separated by 7 fractions through preparative silica gel TLC. The effective fraction exhibiting the best broad antimicrobial activity was identified, named as MBT-01108. From structural analysis of the products extracted to acid hydrolysis, a compound exhibiting the antimicrobial activities is identified to levulinic acid. Levulinic acid isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino may be applicable as a natural preservative of food or cosmetic and for prevention of bacterial diseases, an ingredient of acne, ageing and whitening cosmetics and an antimicrobial agent.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.960-968
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• 2021

Since microalgae research started on late 18 century, they have been recognized as one of the most important bioresources used in bioindustry. Owing to the large efforts paid to industrial application of this microorganisms, their importance on food/feed and bioactive compounds has been further extending into the environmental research areas including alternative energy resources, mitigation of the carbon emission, and waste-water treatment. However, despite the importance on their industrial application, the fundamental research field related to the long-term preservation of microalgae culture has not received much attention. However, a less labor intensive and cost-efficient preservation technology enabling biologically active and stable microalgae-culture provides a key success factor in the biotechnological application. Therefore, this study investigated various cutting-edge microalgae cryopreservation technologies currently developed so far, mainly targeting Chlorophyta, which occupies the largest taxon in the classification system of microalgae. In addition, for the development of successful cryopreservation technique, the key factors such as temperature control effect and preservative effect during cryopreservation of microalgae culture were investigated. In addition, the problems with current preservation technology that is being used in Korean domestic biological resource banks and the international microalgal resource banks are described. According to our investigation, currently no standard method for long-term preservation of microalgae is available due to their various morphological and physiological characteristics. To overcome such issues, much more efforts on fundamental research area on the identification of specific biomarker used for microalgae taxonomical classification and further systemic approaches based on strain-specific cryopreservation methods needed.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.652-660
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• 2002

To develop natural food preservatives for extending the shelf-life of jeotkal (salted and fermented seafood), antimicrobial substances were extracted from 32 types of medicinal herbs and edible plants using 95% ethanol. Among the extracts, Glycyrrhizae radix, Curcumae domestica, Galla rhois, and Resina pini showed relatively high inhibitory effects on the growth of the microorganisms isolated from the deteriorated jeotkal. We selected and tested the extract from Recina pini as a natural jeotkal preservative. This ethanol extract was purified partially by adding equal quantity of water, through which 77% of insoluble materials were removed as impurities. In manufacturing modified jeotkal using squid, sucrose and starch syrup were substituted with sorbitol, $glucono-{\delta}-lactone$ was added instead of vitamin C and lactic acid, and sterilized hot pepper was used instead of natural one. The shelf-life of modified jeotkal was prolonged by 4 days compared with the control jeotkal when stored at $20^{\circ}C$, while that of modified jeotkal containing 1.0% partially purified Recina pini extract was prolonged by 6 days compared to the control. The same tests were conducted for the changran (stomach and intestine of Alaska pollack) jeotkal preservation. The shelf-life of the control jeotkal was 24 days, whereas the modified jeotkal and the Resina pini extract-containing modified jeotkal maintained their qualities without changes in microbial and chemical characteristics for 90 days at $20^{\circ}C$ storage.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.40-46
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• 2000

The sensitivity of various pathogenic bacteria(Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium) to the pine needle and green tea extracts was tested. Water extract of pine needle(PNW), 70% ethanol extract of pine needle(PNE), water extract of green tea(GTW) and 70% ethanol extract of green tea(GTE) were prepared for the test of antibacterial activty. Tryptic soy broth(TSB) containing 0∼2%(w/v) of pine needle and green tea extracts were inoculated with 10$\^$5/∼10$\^$6/ cells/ml of each bacterium and incubated at 35$\^{C}$ for 24 hours. The standard plate count method was used to measure the inhibitory effect of the extracts. Minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration(MBC) were derived from the survival curves of pathogenic bacteria. Antibacterial activities of the pine needle and green tea extracts were compared with that of sodium benzoate, a preservative, by clear zone test. L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and A. hydrophila were completely inhibited at 0.4∼1.6% level while E. coli and S. typhimurium were very resistant to the pine needle extracts. Green tea extracts completely inhibited all strains tested at 0.2∼1.0% level and bactercidal to all strains except L. monocytogenes at 0.5∼2.0% level. Antibacterial activities of pine needle and green tea extracts were stronger than that of sodium benzoate. The order of antibacterial activities of pine needle and green tea extracts to the pathogenic bacteria was GTE > GTW > PNE > PNW. This result suggests that green tea extracts can be used as an effective natural antibacterial agent in food.