• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.537-544
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• 2020

Background and objective: Artemisia argyi has a long history as an effective treatment for various diseases. The detection of environmental pollutant benzo(a)pyrene, a known human carcinogen, in the leaves of Artemisia argyi is cause for concern. For medicinal plant extracts, both a reduction of benzo(a)pyrene as well as the maintained effectiveness of the compound are important. Therefore, in this study, we propose an optimized process for the addition and filtration of activated carbon to reduce benzo(a)pyrene and change the contents of the indicating substance(jaceosidine and eupatilin). Methods: Artemisia argyi EtOH extract containing 36 ppb of benzo(a)pyrene was added to 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% (w/w) of activated carbon for 120 min and filtered using an activated carbon filter 1, 2, 3, and 5 times respectively. The content of benzo(a)pyrene and indicating substances in Artemisia argyi extract were then measured with high performance liquid chromatography (fluorescence and UV detectors). Results: As the amounts of activated carbon powder and filtering cycles increased, the content of benzo(a)pyrene in the Artemisia argyi extract decreased. However, when activated carbon powder 1.5% was added to the extract, and when the activated carbon filter was filtered five times, the results were reduced by 15% and 30~40% respectively. The optimal extraction condition for reducing benzo(a)pyrene was adding 1.5% of activated carbon powder. This resulted in reducing benzo(a)pyrene by 83% and indicating substances by about 4%. Conclusions: Here we present a process for reducing benzo(a)pyrene in Artemisia argyi extract using activated carbon to reduce toxicity and minimize the loss of active ingredients. This approach has potential application within a manufacturing process of various medicinal plant extracts.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.288-293
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• 2013

In worldwide, viral diseases of apple plants has caused the serious problems like reduced production and malformation of fruits. Also, the damages of apple plants by virus and/or viroid infection (Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus, Apple stem grooving virus, Apple mosaic virus, and Apple scar skin viroid) were reported in Korea. However there is few report about the protection approach against the infection by apple viruses. Therefore, this paper introduced the experimental protocol for the development of virus-free apple cultivars (Danhong, Hongan, Saenara, Summerdream). Apple plants were treated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 4 weeks and shoot tips were cultured in vitro. After heat treatment, the detection of apple viruses was performed by RT-PCR using virusspecific detection primers in new apple cultivars. With the heat treatments followed by in vitro shoot tip culture, the proportion of virus-free stocks of 'Danhong', 'Hongan', 'Saenara', and 'Summerdream' was 28%, 16%, 12%, and 12%, respectively. Taken together, this approach can be a good tool for production of virus-free apple stocks.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.195-201
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• 2020

Rice bacterial leaf blight (BLB) by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is considered to be one of the major rice diseases steadily occurring around the rice-producing countries. In this study, we developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for the rapid, convenient and specific diagnosis of Xoo by targeting Xoo-specific transposase A gene. As the target gene can be amplified in 10 min without DNA extraction process and special equipment for temperature control, RPA for BLB can be useful and practical component for on-site diagnosis.

• CELLMED
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.7.1-7.6
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• 2020

Plants produce a wide range of active principles, making them a rich source of different types of medicines. Without any knowledge of the phytoconstituents or active principles the medicinal plants itself or in the form of polyherbal formulations, were used by all society of human being from ancient times for prevention and cure of disease, but most of the traditional formulations including the formulation of Ayurveda and Unani have not been scientifically validated in order to establish the pharmacopoeial standards to improve the efficacy. Globally, the people become conscious that uses of synthetic drugs for a long period is not safe; the trend of medical society at large is looking at alternatives from natural, safe sources to combat diseases. Due to this comprehension, it has been increased the demand for plant-derived medicine, and on the other side, it is extremely important to standardize the polyherbal formulations and validate them scientifically to improve their safety and efficacy. The polyherbal Unani formulation Safuf-e-Muallif is widely used and recommended in Unani system of medicine (USM) as a spermatogenic agent, semen thickening agent, etc. to treat sexual disorders viz. premature ejaculation, nocturnal emission, etc. The study mainly deals with phytochemical screening for the detection of nature of phytoconstituents and analytical technique like High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) for developing fingerprint of Safuf-e-Muallif revealing specific identities of the drug. The phytochemical screening and HPTLC fingerprint profile for SM reported here may be used as a reference standard for quality control purpose in future.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2021

Since the recent COVID-19 pandemic, countries have been strengthening trade protection for their security, and the importance of securing strategic materials, such as food, is drawing attention. In addition to the cultural aspects, the global preference for food produced in Korea is increasing because of the Korean Wave. Thus, the Korean food industry can be developed into a high-value-added export food industry. Currently, Korea has a low self-sufficiency rate for foodstuffs apart from rice. Korea also suffers from problems arising from population decline, aging, rapid climate change, and various animal and plant diseases. It is necessary to develop technologies that can overcome the production structures highly dependent on the outside world of food and foster them into export-type system industries. The global agricultural industry-related technologies are actively being modified via data accumulation, e.g., environmental data, production information, and distribution and consumption information in climate and production facilities, and by actively expanding the introduction of the latest information and communication technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence. However, long-term research and investment should precede the field of living organisms. Compared to other industries, it is necessary to overcome poor production and labor environment investment efficiency in the food industry with respect to the production cost, equipment postmanagement, development tailored to the eye level of field workers, and service models suitable for production facilities of various sizes. This paper discusses the flow of domestic and international technologies that form the core issues of the site centered on the 4th Industrial Revolution in the field of agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. It also explains the environmental awareness production technologies centered on sustainable intelligence platforms that link climate change responses, optimization of energy costs, and mass production for unmanned production, distribution, and consumption using the unstructured data obtained based on detection and growth measurement data.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.169-176
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• 2011

Phytophthora katsurae is the fungus responsible for chestnut ink disease. The objectives of this study were to determine if a single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of rDNA-ITS region, elongation factor 1 alpha gene and ${\beta}$-tubulin gene could be used for rapid identification and genetic diversity of P. katsurae, and to assess the potential use of the SSCP technique as a diagnostic tool for P. katsurae. Each regions amplified by PCR using primers designed to overlap the genus Phytophthora were characterized for the Phytophthora species. PCR products were denatured and electrophoresed for SSCP analysis. P. katsurae isolates showed an unique pattern in SSCP analysis and were easily distinguished from other Phytophthora species used as the control. This indicates that SSCP analysis is an useful technique for distinguishing Phytophthora species from genetically close relatives, and show that the SSCP analysis of each region is an efficient detection tool for P. katsurae. But PCR-SSCP analysis of single-gene may have difficulty in distinguishing P. katsurae from other Phytophthora species. Therefore, PCR-SSCP analysis of multi-genes can be useful for rapid and effective identification of P. katsurae.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.237-244
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• 2022

Chrysanthemum plants are one of the most economically important plants in South Korea. Both virus and viroid can cause diseases and economic damage to the plants. In this study, we investigated the detection of seven viruses and two viroids in 350 chrysanthemum plants cultivated in Yesan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. Two viruses, chrysanthemum virus B (CVB) and tomato aspermy virus (TAV), and two viroids, chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd) and chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd), were detected in this study. The two viruses were detected in six samples and one sample, respectively. The two viroids were detected in 97 samples and 21 samples, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of the CVB-CN-Y, TAV-CN-Y, CChMVd-CN-Y, and CSVd-CN-Y obtained in this study showed 83.7-86.9%, 99.2-100.0%, 94.4-99.5%, and 95.7-99.7% identity, respectively, compared to their other strains/isolates. The CVB-CN-Y and TAV-CN-Y showed the greatest nucleotide sequence homology to CVB-GS1 and three TAV isolates (TAV-V, TAV-P, and TAV-ChJ), respectively. The CChMVd-CN-Y and CSVd-CN-Y showed the greatest nucleotide sequence homology to CChMVd-Horst and four CSVd isolates (Au1.1, K4pop, Sagae, and Tochigi), respectively. This study is the report on the infection rate of viruses and viroids in chrysanthemum plants cultivated in Yesan-gun in 2021.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.253-264
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• 2022

In this study, we investigated the occurrence of viral diseases in the early growth stage of soybean to establish management practices. We collected 83 soybean samples showing abnormal symptoms, approximately 3-4 weeks after seeding in the breeding field of the National Institute of Crop Science. Viruses were detected in the collected samples using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and metatranscriptome analysis of all those samples. The incidence of viral diseases in the field was less than 1% overall and up to 50% in certain cultivars and lines. RT-PCR and metatranscriptome analysis detected Soybean yellow mottle mosaic virus (SYMMV), Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), Soybean yellow common mosaic virus, Peanut stunt virus, and soybean geminivirus A (SGVA). Among these detected viruses, SYMMV and SMV were identified as major viruses causing infection in the early growth stage of soybean, with detection rates of 53.7% and 42.6%, respectively. Soybeans infected with SYMMV showed typical mosaic symptoms, whereas those infected with SMV showed a variety of symptoms such as mosaic, mottle, stunt, and chlorotic spots. Transmission characteristics of these viruses are variable, such that SMV is primarily transmitted by seeds, whereas SYMMV could be transmitted by insects, soil, and seeds. In this study, SGVA was detected in the early growth stage of soybean, and research on the current status and its effects on soybean after the early growth stage should be conducted.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

The health benefits associated with consumption of fresh produce have been clearly demonstrated and encouraged by international nutrition and health authorities. However, since fresh produce is usually minimally processed, increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has also led to a simultaneous escalation of foodborne illness cases. According to the report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 10 people suffer from foodborne diseases and 420,000 die every year globally. In comparison to other processed foods, fresh produce can be easily contaminated by various routes at different points in the supply chain from farm to fork. This review is focused on the identification and characterization of possible sources of foodborne illnesses from chemical, biological, and physical hazards and the applicable methodologies to detect potential contaminants. Agro-chemicals (pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), natural toxins (mycotoxins and plant toxins), and heavy metals (mercury and cadmium) are the main sources of chemical hazards, which can be detected by several methods including chromatography and nano-techniques based on nanostructured materials such as noble metal nanoparticles (NMPs), quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic nanoparticles or nanotube. However, the diversity of chemical structures complicates the establishment of one standard method to differentiate the variety of chemical compounds. In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables contain high nutrient contents and moisture, which promote the growth of unwanted microorganisms including bacterial pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli O157: H7, Shigella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) and non-bacterial pathogens (norovirus and parasites). In order to detect specific pathogens in fresh produce, methods based on molecular biology such as PCR and immunology are commonly used. Finally, physical hazards including contamination by glass, metal, and gravel in food can cause serious injuries to customers. In order to decrease physical hazards, vision systems such as X-ray inspection have been adopted to detect physical contaminants in food, while exceptional handling skills by food production employees are required to prevent additional contamination.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1970

The present status of control measures for public health important helminthic infections in Korea was surveyed in 1969 and the following results were obtained. The activities of parasitic examination and Ascaris treatment for the positives which were done during 1966 to 1969 were brought in poor result and could not decrease the infection rate. It is needed to improve or strengthen the activities. The mass treatment activities for paragonimiasis and clonorchiasis in the areas which were designated by the Ministry of Health were carried out during 1965 to 1968 with no good results in decrease of estimated number of the patients. There were too many pharmaceutical companies where many kinds of anthelmintics were produced. It may be better to reduce the number of anthelmintics produced and control the quality. The human feces, the most important source of helminthic infections, was generally not treated in sanitary ways because of the poor sewerage system and no sewage treatment plant in urban areas and insanitary latrines in rural areas. The field soils of 170 specimens were collected from 34 areas out of 55 urban and tourist areas where night soil has been prohibited by a regulation to be used as a fertilizer, and examined for parasites contamination with the result of Ascaris egg detection in 44%. Some kinds of vegetables of 64 specimens each from the supply agents of parasite free vegetables and general markets were collected and examined for parasites contamination with the results of Ascaris egg detection in 25% and 36% respectively. The parasite control activities and the ability of parasitological examination techniques in the health centers of the country were not satisfactory. The budget of the Ministry of Health for the parasite control was very poor. The actual expenditure needed for cellophane thick smear technique was 8 Won per a specimen. As a principle the control of helminthic infections might be led toward breaking the chain of events in the life cycle of the prasites and eliminating environmental and host factors concerned with the infections, and the following methods nay be pointed out. 1) Mass treatment might be done to eliminate human reservoirs of an infection. 2) Animal reservoirs which are related with human infections night be eliminated. 3) The excretes of reservoirs, particularly human feces, should be treated in sanitary ways by the means of sanitary sewerage system and sewage treatment plant in urban areas and sanitary latrines such as waterborne latrine, aqua privy and pit latrine in rural areas. The increase of national economical development and prohibition of the habit of using night soils as a fertilizer might be very important factors to achieve the purpose. 4) The control of vehicles and intermediate hosts might be done by the means of prohibition of soil contamination with parasites, food sanitation, insect control and snail control. 5) The improvement of insanitary attitudes and bad habits which are related with parasitic infections night be done by the means of prohibition of habit of using night soils as a fertilizer, and improving eating habits and personal hygiene. 6) Chemoprophylactic measure and vaccination may be effective to prevent the infections or the development of a parasite to adult in the bodies when the bodies were invaded by parasites. Further studies and development of this kind of measures are needed.