• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.388-395
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• 1997

A survey was conducted to investigate housewives' perception and consumption of Korean fermented foods marketed in Taejon. Most subjects know how to prepare Kimchi(seasoned and fermented vegetables), 65-67% can make Kochujang(fermented red pepper soybean paste), Toenjang(Korean style soysauce) and Jang-atchies(pickled basic side dishes), 56% can make Kuk-ganjang(Korean style coysauce), 45% can make Chonggukjang (fermented soybean) and 34% can make Jot-kals(salt-fermented fish products). With decreasing age(p<0.0001), not many other subjects could make other fermented foods besides Kimchi. The percentages of subjects buying fermented foods were 71.5% for Chin-ganjang(Japanese style soysauce), 51.7% Jot-kals, 27.1%Kochujang, 25.7% Chonggukjang, 20.1% Jang-atchies, 10.4% Toenjang, 5.9% Kuk-ganjang, and 3.8% Kimchi. the uounger in age, the higher the tendency to buy marketed Kimchies(p<0.05) and Kochujang(p<0.01). The resons for purchasing fermented foods were convenience (52.9%), lack of preparation knowledge(17.5%), lack of time for preparation(12.5%), and lack of space for food storage(8.2%). Subjects indicated that their reasons for mot buying were as follows : use of additives or unreliability with regard to manufacturing dates(45%), bad taste(21%), unsanitary treatment(16%) and to keep their indigenous taste(14%). They cosidered expiration dates, taste, crpteria and safety as the important standard in selecting marketed foods. Younger subjects insisted on the improvement of sanitary condition and partial change of taste to increase the consumption of fermented foods. However, older subjects thought it best to keep the taste original for more utilization of fermented foods.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.253-259
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• 1996

To investigate the yeast florae in the traditional and commercial Kochujang, computer identification systems, Vitek, API kit and conventional identification methods were used. Yeast florae of each process were compared and their typical physiological characteristics were also tested. Various process intervals yielded 330 colonies, which resulted in 11 species 184 strains classified. They were identified into Candida glabrata C. guilliermondii. C. humicola. C. rugosa, C. zeylanoides, Cryptococcus uniguttulatus, Pichia farinosa, Rhodotorula glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. The strains of Candida, Pichia, Saccharomyces and Zygosaccharomyces were existing in both processes. In case of commercial process, the maximum distribution of Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae were 33% at 15 day fermentation and 13% at 21 day, respectively. The distribution of Candida spp. was gradually decreased throughtout the fermentation period from 40% to 10%. In the traditional process, the maximum distribution of Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae were 53% after 3 months and 26% after 7 months, respectively, S. cerevisiae and Z. rouxii showed distintive growth pattern at the high concentration of glucose and sodium chloride and played important roles in both processes of fermentation. Physiological tests revealed that only two major yeasts. S. cerevisiae and Z. rouxii, showed vigorous carbon dioxide formation under the tested conditions.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.315-322
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• 2007

This study was carried out to investigate the functional activities of microorganisms isolated from kochujang, such as fibrinolytic, immunostimulating, and cytotoxical activities, and to apply these microorganisms to kochujang products. Ninety-one microbial strains with proteolytic activity were selected from 294 strains isolated from traditional and commercial kochujang. Three strains (TPP 0014, TPP 6013, and TPP 6015) with high fibrinolytic activity were tested for their immunostimulating and cytotoxical activities. For the assessment of macrophage activation, cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor, $interleukin-1{\alpha}$ and nitrogen oxide were measured with the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. In addition, the cytotoxical activities of the three strains were examined by MTT assay on the colon cancer cell line SNU-C4 and normal cell line CHO-K1. Using an API identifying kit, two of the microbial strains (TPP 0014 and TPP 6015) were identified as Bacillus stearothermophilus and the other strain (TPP 6013) was identified as B. amyloliquefacience.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.851-859
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• 2000

In the present study, changes in physicochemical and sensory properties, and microflora and enzyme activities, by addition of pumpkin (1, 2 and 5% pumpkin on the weight basis), of Sunchang sikhe kochujang, the most famous traditional kochujang, were investigated. Moisture content appeared to be reduced during fermentation, possibly due to exposure to the sun. Patterns of pH changes were rather complicated. pH of control kochujang was gradually reduced from the begining of fermentation up to 60 days of fermentation. Thereafter, it tended to be increased but again reduced after 90 days of fermentation. On the other hand, titratable acidity increased with fermentation reaching at the highest level at 90 day of fermentation and then slowly decreased. The addition of pumpkin induced a reduction in pH and an increase in titratable acidity, but this was due to organic acid contained in pumpkin itself. Contents of reducing sugar and amino nitrogen were increased by the addition of pumpkin in relation to the level of addition. Ethanol content was highly increased by the addition of pumpkin. Bacterial and yeast count, and activities of amylase and protease were not affected by the addition of pumpkin. Sensory evaluation test revealed that the addition of pumpkin improved sweet and savory taste, but color turned to be undesirable. However, none of tested parameters except color showed statistical significance.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.221-228
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• 1994

The quantitative detection of ochratoxin A (OT-A) in the traditional fermented foods were investigated to develop the analytical procedures, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA) and Chemiluminescence Immunoassay(CIA). Products used were divided into two groups: the first was the home-made 13 Doenjang, 12 Kanjang, and 14 Gochujang; and the second the traditional commercial products, 17 Deonjang and 11 Kanjang, which collected throughout the country. The standard curve for the quantitative determination of OT-A showed that the sensitivities in ELISA and CIA were upto the level of 20 pg/assay, and that the OT-A recovery rates were appeared to be more than 90%. The residual OT-A in the home-made products were 7.1$\pm$3.7 ng/g for Deonjang, 2.1$\pm$4.1 ng/g Kanjang were found in the traditional commercial products. Residual OT-A in the home-made products was comparatively far less than that of the traditional commercial products. At heat stability test of OT-A in the traditional fermented foods was found to be stable even at 121$^{\circ}C$ for 120 min.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.737-744
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• 2013

The present study was investigated to evaluate on the health improving effect of Kochujang (Fermented Korean hot pepper paste), which was famous as Korean traditional healthy food among foreigners as it was served together with Bibimbap. For comparison, observation was made on the experimental animals (Sprague-Dawley rat) as breeding during 5 weeks, which were divided three groups as into the control groups (N-group) fed with normal feed only and high cholesterol feed only (H-group) and the K-group with combined diet of normal feed and Kochujang extracts (Water soluble complex materials). The most outstanding result was found as the definite fatty liver lesions found from all (100%) of the rats of the H-group at the abdominal opening examination. On the other hand, there was any finding on fatty liver lesions in the N-group as well as the K-group. Therefore, it was more than enough to identify the hypolipidemic effect by visual finding only. Furthermore, from the results of blood plasma analysis from SD-rats fed with Kochujang extract (K-group), more prominent differential findings were found, the value of HDL-cholesterol, which was good for preventing the arteriosclerosis, was more or less higher than that of H-groups. But the level of LDL-cholesterol, which was one of the hazardous agents of hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis, was more significantly reduced to the level even lower than that of N-group, based on the statistical analysis, in especial. According to the present results, we could find that the unidentified Korean traditional Kochujang-derived complex components had expressed both the positive health improving effects and hypolipidemic effects on the SD-rat.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2001

Toxicological safety on 20 kGy-gamma irradiated Kanjang (soy sauce), Doenjang (soybean paste), Kochujang (hot pepper paste) and Chunghukjang (soy paste) was determined by SOS Chromotest. As the strain of the SOS Chromotest, Escherichia coli PQ37 was used in the condition of presence or absence of an exogenous metabolizing system (S-9 mix). Water extract or organic solvent extract was prepared from samples, concentrated and tested by SOS Chromotest with S-9 mix or not. All irradiated samples were not different from non-irradiated one in the bacterial assay maintaining the below 1.5 of IF(induction factor) values in the adapted dose of 10,000$\mu\textrm{g}$/assay. The results indicated that any mutagenicity was not observed in 20 kGy-irradiated traditional soybean fermented foods.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.525-528
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• 1996

To investigate the inhibitory effect of soybean and Korean traditional fermented soybean products on the chemically induced mutagenesis, we extracted soybean, Kanjang, Doenjang, Kochujang, and Chongkukjang with water, methanol and hexane. Inhibitory effect of the extracts was assayed by the SOS chromotest using Escherichia coli PQ37 as a test strain. 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide(4NQO), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoquanidine(MNNG), and aflatoxin B$_{1}$(AFB$_{1}$) were used as mutagens. Methanol extracts showed relatively higher inhibitory effect than water and hexane extracts. Methanol extracts of soybean, Doenjang, Kochujang, and Chonhkukjang showed inhibitory effect of 68.4, 96.3, 17.5, and 100.9% against MNNG, and 28.6, 109.1, 41.3, and 101.8% against AFB$_{1}$, respectively. Doenjang methanol extract showed inhibitory effect of 51.0, 96.3, and 109.1% against 4NQO, MNNG, and AFB$_{1}$, respectively. Methanol extract of Doenjang showed dose-dependent inhibitory effect against 4NQO, MNNG, and AFB$_{1}$. Inhibitory effect of heat-treated Doenjang and Chongkukjang methanol extracts on the mutagenecity of MNNG and AFB$_{1}$ was remained over 95% of the inhibitory effect of heat-untreated extracts, demonstrating the heat stability of the potent antimutagenic activity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.477-482
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• 1997

To investigate the cytotoxicity of Korean traditional fermented soybean products using the MTT assay, we extracted soybean, Kanjang, Doenjang, Kochujang, and Chongkukjang with water, methanol, and hexane. Primary testing of cytotoxicity of 14 extracts was done for P388D1(mouse lympoid neoplasm) and L1210(mouse leukemia) cell lines. Doenjang methanol extract, Kochujang hexane extract, Chongkukjang methanol extract, and Chongkukjang hexane extract showed cytotoxicity of 86.1, 94.3, 83. 6, and 81.1%, respectively against P388D1, and showed cytotoxicity of 69.4, 96.9, 51.4, and 95.1%, respectively against L1210. All the other extracts showed less than 50% cytotoxicity. Methanol extracts of Doenjang and Chongkukjang showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity against P388DI, L1210, SNU-16 (human stomach cancer), HepG2(human hepatic cancer), WiDr(human colon cancer) cell lines, and IC$_{50}$ of Doenjang methanol extract was 67.7, 90.4, 1338.0, 706.4, and 371.2 $\mu$g/ml, respectively, and IC$_{50}$ of Chongkukjang methanol extract was 107.1, 228.3, 756.2, 1346.0, and 327.0 $\mu$g/ml, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.1313-1318
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• 2000

총고형분 함량$(TS:\;50{\sim}57%)$을 달리하여 숙성시킨 고추장의 유동특성, 정적 및 동적점탄특성을 관찰하였다. 고추장의 TS가 증가함에 따라서 점조도 지수(K)와 겉보기 점도$({\eta}_{a.5})$는 증가하였으며 유동성 지수(n)는 1보다 훨씬 낮은 0.24-0.31의 범위를 나타내어 고추장은 shear-thinning 성질을 보여주었다. 고추장의 항복응력 측정에서는 고추장의 TS가 증가함에 따라 Casson 항복응력$({\sigma}_{oc})$은 증가하는 경향을 나타내었으며, 또한 고추장의 액상 매개체인 serum 점도$({\eta}_{se})$는 고추장의 TS와 매우 좋은 상관관계$(R^2=0.97)$를 나타내었다. 고추장의 동적점탄성 실험에서는 주파수$({\omega})$가 증가함에 따라 저장탄성률(G#)와 손실탄성률(G@)은 증가하였으며 양(+) 기울기로 G#수치가 G@수치보다 높게 나타났다. 이는 고추장이 약한 겔과 같은 구조적 특성을 갖고 있으며 또한 shear-thinning 거동을 가지고 있음을 나타낸다. 정적점탄성 실험에서 고추장의 총고형분 함량에 따라서 순간탄성 변형$(J_0)$과 지연탄성변형$(J_1)$은 총고형분 함량이 증가함에 따라서 감소하였으며 점도$({\eta}_N)$와 지연시간 $({\tau}_1)$은 증가하였다. 따라서 고추장은 농도가 증가함에 따라 보다 탄력적이며 안정된 구조를 형성하고 있음을 알 수 있었다.