• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1054-1062
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• 2022

The population of Korea's solar salt-producing regions is rapidly aging, resulting in a decrease in the number of productive workers. In solar salt production, salt collection is the most labor-intensive operation because existing salt collection vehicles require human operators. Therefore, we intend to develop an unmanned solar salt collection vehicle to reduce manpower requirements. The unmanned solar salt collection vehicle is designed to identify the salt collection status and location in the salt plate via color detection, the color detection performance is a crucial consideration. Therefore, an image processing algorithm was developed to improve color detection performance. The algorithm generates an around-view image by using resizing, rotation, and perspective transformation of the input image, set the RoI to transform only the corresponding area to the HSV color model, and detects the color area through an AND operation. The detected color area was expanded and noise removed using morphological operations, and the area of the detection region was calculated using contour and image moment. The calculated area is compared with the set area to determine the location case of the collection vehicle within the salt plate. The performance was evaluated by comparing the calculated area of the final detected color to which the algorithm was applied and the area of the detected color in each step of the algorithm. It was confirmed that the color detection performance is improved by at least 25-99% for salt detection, at least 44-68% for red color, and an average of 7% for blue and an average of 15% for green. The proposed approach is well-suited to the operation of unmanned solar salt collection vehicles.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2010

Salt composition may affect the quality of Kimchi. We examined the quality of Kimchi prepared using different types of salt (Korean purified salt, Korean solar salt without bittern, Korean solar salt, Chinese purified salt, Chinese solar salt, and Australian solar salt). Kimchi was fermented for 7 days at $20^{\circ}C$. Following fermentation, the pH of Kimchi decreased during storage, but total acidity and salinity values increased. The type of salt used did not affect quality. Total bacterial counts were 4.18-4.37 log CFU/g initially, and increased markedly during fermentation. Lactic acid bacterial counts were 3.42-4.91 log CFU/g initially, but 7.31-7.79 log CFU/g after 7 days of storage. The sensory characteristics of Kimchi during storage did not vary with the type of salt used in fermentation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.395-401
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the changes in the fermentation characteristics of Kimchi prepared with various salts (Korean solar salt, Chinese solar salt, washed and dehydrated salt, purified salt and a processed salt). Acidity appeared to increase most rapidly in Kimchi prepared with Korean solar salt and reached higher level. Total microbial count slowly increased at the beginning of fermentation and reached maximum on 6 days, then decreased slowly. The number of lactic acid bacteria was rapidly increased up to $4{\sim}6$ days, and thereafter decreased slowly. In conclusion, any significant differences in fermentation characteristics analyzed was not observed in Kimchi prepared with various salts except acidity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.629-634
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The aim of this experiments was to show anti-obesity effects of Korean solar salt from different salt fields in diet-induced obese mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Diet-induced obesity (DIO) was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD; 45% cal from fat) in C57BL/6J mice for eight weeks. The mice were fed with the designated diets (chow diet for Normal, HFD for Control, 0.47%-salt-mixed HFD for purified salt (PS), Guerande solar salt from France (SS-G), solar salt from Y salt field (SS-Y), solar salts from T salt field (SS-T) and S salt field (SS-S)) for another eight weeks. We checked body weight, food efficiency ratio (FER) and tissue weights (liver and epididymal adipose tissue (EAT)), and observed serum concentrations of triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), leptin and insulin. We also evaluated gene expressions of adipogenic / lipogenic mRNAs of $C/EBP{\alpha}$, $PPAR{\gamma}$ and FAS and beta-oxidation-related factors ($PPAR{\alpha}$ and CPT-1) in liver and EAT. The mineral composition of salt samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). RESULTS: SS-T and SS-S significantly reduced body weight gain, FER, and weight of EAT compared to control and other samples (P < 0.05). SS-T and SS-S also significantly decreased serum levels of TG, TC, leptin and insulin (P < 0.05). SS-T and SS-S suppressed expressions of adipogenic / lipogenic mRNAs in liver and EAT, while promoting expression of beta-oxidation-related factors. The lowest sodium concentration was observed in SS-T ($30.30{\pm}0.59%$), and the lowest sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio was found in SS-S (17.81). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that well-processed Korean solar salt may have anti-obesity effects in vivo, probably owing to its differences in mineral composition and other components, presumably resulting from the manufacturing processes. Further research is needed into the mechanism and to explore optimal manufacturing processes.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.363-374
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• 2012

Quality characteristics of baechu (Kimchi cabbage) kimchi prepared using various kinds of domestic solar salts (KS5Y, KS2Y, KS1Y, KFS, and KSS) and imported solar salts (AS1Y and CS1Y) were compared with Korean processed salt (KRS) and Mexican rock salt (MR1Y) during 60 days of storage. Sodium contents of MR1Y, AS1Y, and domestic KRS with values of 363,653.40, 358,952.40, and 356,799.90 mg/dL, respectively, were significantly higher than that of KFS with a value of 280,249.80 mg/dL (p < 0.001). Thus, the kimchi using KFS was expected to have 22-23% lower sodium content compared to that of the other kimchis. KFS magnesium content was significantly highest at 4,464.10 mg/dL and calcium was significantly the highest in samples of KS1Y with a value of 711.31 mg/dL. Most of the pHs and acidities in the kimchi samples were in the optimum range due to the relatively low storage temperature of $2^{\circ}C$. The salt concentrations of all kimchis using domestic solar salt during storage was greatly reduced compared to those using the imported salts or KRS. Sensory saltiness of the KS1Y sample group was significantly the lowest value (6.08) at 0 days of storage (p < 0.001) and maintained relatively low saltiness during the entire storage period. The crispness of the KS2Y, KS1Y, and KSS sample groups were significantly higher (10.02, 9.77, and 9.49, respectively), compared to that of KRS (7.64) at 60 days of storage (p < 0.001). The KFS sample group had the higher acceptance values for pickled seafood aroma, sour aroma, saltiness, and overall acceptability compared to those in the other samples.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.128-133
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• 2020

This study was conducted to demonstrate the manufacturing process for producing high-quality solar salt. The design criteria of the manufacturing process, which was studied in a previous study, was applied to an actual manufacturing system to evaluate its performance. The design factors applied were the drying air temperature and the temperature of the washing water. They were 100℃ or less and 10℃ or less, respectively. Two standards were applied to the process performance evaluation. Standard (I) was the international food standard for solar salt, and standard (II) was the quality standard for high-quality solar salt production. The main quality evaluation items were the moisture content and salinity, and the color characteristics were also measured (p<0.05). The manufacturing process of solar salt consisted of five steps, and the quality change was measured for each step. The measured quality was appropriate to the standard (I) from the third-step process. In addition, the quality of the high-quality solar salt was suitable for the standard (II) from the fourth-step process. Therefore, the performance of the proposed solar salt production process met international standards. The improvements in the production of high-quality solar salt will improve international competitiveness in the future.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 2016

In this study, doenjang samples were prepared with different types of salts (12%, w/w): purified salt (PS), 3-year aged solar salt (SS3), 1-year aged solar salt (SS1), and bamboo salt melted 3 times (BS). Whole-soybean mejus were fermented with starters consisting of 2 Bacillus strains, a yeast, and a fungus (starter doenjang), and control mejus were fermented with organisms present naturally in rice straw (non-starter doenjang). The whole-soybean mejus were dried, and then mixed with cooked soybeans and the respective salts. The doenjang samples were fermented for 13 weeks at 25℃. The protease (acid, neutral, and alkaline) activities, fibrinolytic activities, and antioxidant capacities of the samples were examined every week. BS doenjang showed the highest acid protease (6.46 ± 0.20 unit/g) and fibrinolytic activities (0.61 unit/ml). Among the starter doenjang samples, those made with SS and BS showed the highest total phenolic contents after 91 days of fermentation. For antioxidant activities, SS3 doenjang showed higher activities than the other doenjang samples, as evaluated by ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays. These results suggest that solar salt, especially aged for 3 years, is better than purified salt in terms of producing better functionalities of doenjang.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.935-941
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• 2011

The growth inhibitory effects of kimchi prepared with solar salt were investigated. Chinese cabbages were brined with purified salt, four year-old solar salt, and Topan solar salt, and then mixed with other ingredients. The final salt concentration was adjusted to 2.2~2.4% (w/v) for each salt, and the kimchi was fermented at $7^{\circ}C$. When the acidity reached around 0.5~0.6%, the kimchi was used as a sample for further experimentation. MTT assay was used to measure the growth inhibitory effect of kimchi extracts (water, methanol) on BJ human foreskin normal cells, AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells, and HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells. Water extracts of all the kimchi samples showed growth inhibitory effects on cancer cells; however, there was no significant difference among the used salts. Methanol extracts of all the kimchi samples showed higher growth inhibitory effects compared to the water extracts. The methanol extracts of four year-old solar salt kimchi (AGS: 73%, HT-29: 48%) and Topan solar salt kimchi (AGS: 62%, HT-29: 46%) showed higher growth inhibitory effects than that of purified salt kimchi (AGS: 52%, HT-29: 39%). In addition, morphological changes of cancer cells (AGS, HT-29) and decreased cell numbers were observed when methanol extract of four year-old solar salt kimchi was treated to AGS and HT-29 cells. However, none of the kimchi extracts showed any growth inhibitory effect on BJ normal cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.1248-1252
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• 2012

Potassium added with bamboo salt showed better antioxidative effects than bamboo salt, solar salt, or purified salt. It also showed inhibitory effects on the mutagenicity of MNNG (N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine) in a Salmonella Typhimurium TA100 tester strain. At concentrations of 1.25 and 2.5 mg/plate, potassium bamboo salt and bamboo salt showed weaker co-mutagenicity effects than either purified salt or solar salt, respectively. Anticancer effects of salts were evaluated using MTT assay in HCT-116 human colon carcinoma cells. At a 1% salt concentration, the growth inhibitory rate of potassium bamboo salt was 54%, higher than that of 1 time baked bamboo salt (36%). However, purified salt and solar salt showed relatively lower inhibitory effects of 19% and 23%, respectively. To determine the inhibitory mechanisms of potassium bamboo salt, the expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 genes in HCT-116 cells were determined by RT-PCR. Potassium bamboo salt significantly increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 expression levels unlike bamboo salt, purified salt, and solar salt (p<0.05). Therefore, addition of potassium to salt decreased co-mutagenicity and increased in vitro antioxidative and anticancer effects.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.63-69
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• 2007

The heat transfer characteristics of inorganic salt for high temperature heat storage material of solar power system were examined. The inorganic salts employed in this study was a mixture of $NaNO_3$ and $KNO_3$ and the operating temperature range was determined by measuring the melting temperature with DSC and by measuring the thermal decomposition temperature with TGA. The heat transfer characteristics was qualitatively obtained in terms of temperature profiles of salt in the tanks during the heat storage and heat release process as a function of steam flow rates, steam inlet temperature and the inlet position of steam. The effects of steam flow rates and inlet temperature of steam were experimentally determined and the effect of natural convection was observed due to significant density difference with temperature.