• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.666-672
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• 2012

The present study was carried out in order to assess the dietary exposure as well as the risk for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) exposure through mushrooms among the Korean population. Various samples (n=536) covering 17 kinds of mushrooms were collected from retail outlets and markets in Korea. The contents of Pb were 0.005 (King oyster)-0.026 (Matsutake) mg/kg in raw mushrooms and 0.014 (Oyster)-16.411 (Manna lichen) mg/kg in dry mushrooms, respectively. The contents of Cd were 0.002 (Enoki)-0.205 (Hericium erinaciium) mg/kg in raw mushrooms and 0.021 (Vegetable worms)-2.650 (Agaricus blazei Muill) mg/kg in dry mushrooms, respectively. The mean dietary exposure of Pb for the general population was $0.053{\mu}g/day$, taking 0.03% of provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). The mean dietary exposure of Cd for the general population was $0.168{\mu}g/day$, corresponding to 0.37% of provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI). Therefore, the level of the overall dietary exposure to heavy metals through mushroom for the Korean population was far below the recommended JECFA levels, indicating little possibility of concern.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.442-448
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• 2012

Many outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have been associated with the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits contaminated with food-borne pathogens. Contaminated medium, manure and irrigation water are probable vehicles for the pathogen in many outbreaks. The aim of this study was to determine the potential transfer of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus from medium and soil fertilized with contaminated compost or irrigation with contaminated water to the edible parts of lettuce. Moreover, survivals of the two pathogens on lettuce contaminated medium, soil and irrigation water were estimated. Lettuce seeds were planted in medium contaminated with 7.5 log colony forming unit (CFU)/g of E. coli and B. cereus. Seedlings grown in the contaminated medium were transplanted in soil fertilized with contaminated pig manure compost or uncontaminated soil. Contaminated irrigation water with E. coli and B. cereus at 8.0 log CFU/mL was applied only once on the plant by sprinkle irrigation and surface irrigation. Although E. coli and B. cereus in medium and sprouted lettuce after planting seeds were reduced as time passed, these pathogens survived in seedling raising stage for extended periods. The numbers of E. coli and B. cereus in lettuce grown on contaminated soil were detected over 4.0 log CFU/g for 21 days. The numbers of E. coli and B. cereus in lettuce applied by sprinkle irrigation were higher than those of surface irrigation by 5.0 log CFU/g. Our results indicated that contaminated medium, soil and irrigation water can play an important role in the presence of food-borne pathogens on vegetables.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.217-226
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• 2015

This study was conducted to establish a standardized process for developing food safety health indicators. With this aim, we proposed a standardized process, accessed the validity of the suggested process by performing simulations, and provided a method to utilize the indicators. Developing process for domestic environmental health indicators was benchmarked to propose a standardized process for developing food safety health indicators, and DPSEEA framework was applied to the development of indicators. The suggested standardized process consists of an exploitation stage and a management stage. In the exploitation stage, a total of 6 procedures (initial indicators suggestion, candidate indicators selection, data availability assessment, feasibility assessment, pilot study, and final indicator selection) are conducted, and the indicators are routinely calculated and officially announced in the management stage. The exploitation stage is operated by an interaction between a task force team who manages the overall process, and an advisory committee (minimum of 4 in academia, 2 in research, 4 in specialists of Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) who reviews and performs evaluations on the indicators. The standardized process was simulated with 45 initial indicators, and total of 4 indicators (17 detailed indicators) were selected: 'Proportion of domestic fruit/vegetable receiving 'acceptable' in the evaluation of pesticide/herbicide residues', 'Food-borne disease outbreaks', 'Food-borne legal infectious disease incidence', 'Salmonellosis incidence'. Synthetic food safety health index was derived by calculating percent difference with the data from 2010 to 2012. Results showed that when comparing the year 2010 to 2011, and 2011 to 2012, the overall food safety status improved by 10.37% and 9.87%, respectively. In addition, the contribution of indicators to the overall food safety status can be determined by looking into the individual indicators, and the synthetic index may be illustrated to enhance the ease of interpretation to the public and policy makers. In overall, food health safety indicators can be useful in many ways and therefore, attention should be drawn to conduct further studies and establish related legislations.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.560-564
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• 2012

This study was undertaken to assess the microbiological quality and prevalence of pathogens in organic vegetables produced in Korea. A total of 189 organically grown vegetable samples (perilla leaf 50, lettuce 50, tomato 39, cucumber 50) were analyzed for the presence of aerobic plate count, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica. The total aerobic plate counts were in the range of 4.2 to $7.7log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ for perilla leaf, 5.0 to $8.0log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ for lettuce, 4.0 to $7.5log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ for tomato, and 6.6 to $8.6log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ for cucumber. The highest counts were found in cucumber. E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and Y. enterocolitica were not detected from any organically grown vegetable samples. This research suggests that continuous monitoring in organic vegetables is required to improve fresh produce safety.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.896-905
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and perception of adults concerning sprout vegetables. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 516 residents in the Daegu and Gyeonbuk areas. When purchasing sprout vegetables, respondents answered that they considered freshness, eco green, and price. Consumers purchased sprout vegetables to make bibimbap (58.9%) and salad (29.3%). Approximately 81.4% of respondents answered that they purchased sprout vegetables in grocery and department stores. Once or twice per month was the highest purchase frequency for sprout vegetables. Regarding knowledge of sprout vegetables, radish sprout score was the highest (3.14), whereas preference was highest for barley grass (3.00). When asked how much they like sprout vegetable menus, subjects responded that they liked bibimbap (3.79), salad (3.73) and bibim noodles (3.58). As a result, popularization of sprout vegetables was based on product quality factor and sales promotion factor significantly influenced preference for sprout vegetable menus. To increase consumption of sprout vegetables, there is a need for hygiene and safety of sprout products and variations and improvement of quality.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.13-13
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• 2018

Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungal genus, widely distributed in the environment and a range of different habitats. It includes both plant pathogenic and saprophytic species, which can affect crops in the field or cause post-harvest spoilage of plant fruits and kernels. Numerous Alternaria species cause damage to agricultural products including cereal grains, fruits and vegetables, and are responsible for severe economic losses worldwide. Most Alternaria species have the ability to produce a variety of secondary metabolites, which may play important roles in plant pathology as well as food quality and safety. Alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN) and altenuene (ALT) are considered the main Alternaria compounds thought to pose a risk to human health. However, food-borne Alternaria species are able to produce many additional metabolites, whose toxicity has been tested incompletely or not tested at all. Both alternariols are mutagenic and their presence in cereal grain has been associated with high levels of human esophageal cancer in China. TeA exerts cytotoxic and phytotoxic properties, and is acutely toxic in different animal species, causing hemorrhages in several organs. The possible involvement of TA in the etiology of onyalai, a human hematological disorder occurring in Africa, has been suggested. Altertoxins (ALXs) have been found to be more potent mutagens and acutely toxic to mice than AOH and AME. Other metabolites, such as TEN, are reported to be phytotoxins, and their toxicity on animals has not been demonstrated up to now. Vegetable foods infected by Alternaria rot are obviously not suitable for consumption. Thus, whole fresh fruits are not believed to contribute significantly with Alternaria toxins to human exposure. However, processed vegetable products may introduce considerable amounts of these toxins to the human diet if decayed or moldy fruit is not removed before processing. The taxonomy of the genus is not well defined yet, which makes it difficult to establish an accurate relationship between the contaminant species and their associated mycotoxins. Great efforts have been made to organize taxa into subgeneric taxonomic levels, especially for the small-spored, food associated species, which are closely related and constitute the most relevant food pathogens from this genus. Several crops of agricultural value are susceptible to infection by different Alternaria species and can contribute to the entry of Alternaria mycotoxins in the food chain. The distribution of Alternaria species was studied in different commodities grown in Argentina. These food populations were characterized through a polyphasic approach, with special interest in their secondary metabolite profiles, to understand their full chemical potential. Alternaria species associated with tomato, bell pepper, blueberry, apples and wheat cultivated in Argentina showed a surprisingly high metabolomic and mycotoxigenic potential. The natural occurrence of Alternaria toxins in these foods was also investigated. The results here presented will provide background for discussion on regulations for Alternaria toxins in foods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.1562-1568
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• 2011

We studied the amounts of trans fatty acids and saturated fatty acids in child-favored foods. Confectioneries, breads, donuts and hamburgers were included in this study. The total fatty acid content and the amount of each type of fatty acid were determined by gas chromatography with a flame-ionized detector. Confectioneries were shown to have the highest content of crude fat. The mean content was 24.2${\pm}$6.9 (range: 4.6~41.1) g/100 g food. The mean content of crude fat in donuts, bread and hamburgers was 23.9${\pm}$5.8 (range: 14.1~39.5) g/100 g food, 15.7${\pm}$7.9 (range: 1.4~30.0) g/100 g food, and 9.5${\pm}$3.4 (range: 4.5~18.5) g/100 g food, respectively. Bread had the most trans fatty acids at 1.3 g/100 g food. This result inferred that manufacturers have tried to reduce the trans fat content. The mean content of saturated fatty acids in confectioneries, donuts, bread, and hamburgers was 11.6${\pm}$4.8 (range: 2.0~22.7) g/100 g food, 11.2${\pm}$4.0 (range: 4.8~23.2) g/100 g food, 6.9${\pm}$4.1 (range: 0.6~15.4) g/100 g food, 3.0${\pm}$1.0 (range: 1.0~5.8) g/100 g food, respectively. This content depended on crude fat. The composition of fatty acids varied according to the oil and fat used in the manufacturing process of each food, and the natural content. Foods that were fried in vegetable oil tended to be especially low in saturated fat.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.410-418
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• 2010

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major pathogens that can cause staphylococcal infection and food poisoning. In this study, we compared conventional culture methods and real-time PCR for detection of S. aureus in artificially inoculated milk, sausage, raw pork, and vegetable salad. The performance of a coagulase test for confirming S. aureus was also compared with a colony PCR test. Bulk food samples (500 g each) were artificially inoculated with S. aureus and divided into 20 samples (25 g or mL each). All samples were added to tryptic soy broth (225 mL/sample) with 10% NaCl and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. After the enrichment, broth cultures were streaked onto Baird-Parker (BP) agar with egg yolk tellulite, and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. In addition, 1 mL of broth cultures was collected to perform real-time PCR. Two suspicious colonies from the BP agar were picked up and plated on nutrient agar and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h followed, by a coagulase confirmation test and a colony PCR analysis. There were no statistical differences between culture methods and realtime PCR in food samples with low background microflora, such as milk and sausage. However, a significant statistical difference was found between the culture methods and real-time PCR for raw pork and vegetable salad. Furthermore, the colony PCR test of the presumptive colonies on BP agar for confirming S. aureus is more accurate and efficient than the coagulase test for unprocessed foods.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.268-276
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study is to estimate total sugar intake and identify major food sources of total sugar intake in the diet of the Korean population. Methods: Dietary intake data of 33,745 subjects aged one year and over from the KNHANES 2008-2011 were used in the analysis. Information on dietary intake was obtained by one day 24-hour recall method in KNHANES. A database for total sugar content of foods reported in the KNHANES was established using Release 25 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, a total sugar database from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and information from nutrition labeling of processed foods. With this database, total sugar intake of each subject was estimated from dietary intake data using SAS. Results: Mean total sugar intake of Koreans was 61.4 g/person/day, corresponding to 12.8% of total daily energy intake. More than half of this amount (35.0 g/day, 7.1% of daily energy intake) was from processed foods. The top five processed food sources of total sugar intake for Koreans were granulated sugar, carbonated beverages, coffee, breads, and fruit and vegetable drinks. Compared to other age groups, total sugar intake of adolescents and young adults was much higher (12 to 18 yrs, 69.6 g/day and 19 to 29 yrs, 68.4 g/day) with higher beverage intake that beverage-driven sugar amounted up to 25% of total sugar intake. Conclusion: This study revealed that more elaborated and customized measures are needed for control of sugar intake of different subpopulation groups, even though current total sugar intake of Koreans was within the range (10-20% of daily energy intake) recommended by Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans. In addition, development of a more reliable database on total sugar and added sugar content of foods commonly consumed by Koreans is warranted.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.114-122
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• 2017

N-nitrosamines can be produced in the process of heating, processing, storage and packaging. Migration specifications for N-nitrosamines exist only for rubber baby bottle nipples, which are regulated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). There is no regulation for other food contact substances (FCS) and studies on N-nitrosamines migration from FCS are rather limited. A pilot study showed an increase in N-nitrosamines contents when cooking instant noodles. Thus, the migration from the packaging was suspected and it was necessary to monitor the migration of N-nitrosamines from food packaging materials and to examine the change in N-nitrosamines contents when cooking instant foods. Three N-nitrosamines, NDMA (N-nitrosodimethtlamine), NDEA (N-nitrosodiethylamine), NDBA (N-nitrosodibutylamine), were analyzed in migration test solutions from plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene, papers and aluminium containers. In all test solutions, N-nitrosamines were detected less than method quantitation limits (MQLs). Food samples were also investigated to ensure that there is no effect from food contact substances when cooking instant foods. In retort sauces such as curry, black soybean sauce and tomato sauce, NDMA concentration was ranged from 0.54 to $3.81{\mu}g/kg$, but there were no significant differences between unheated and heated samples. However, the NDMA contents were significantly increased in most of the instant noodle samples tested when cooked (p < 0.05). No effects from the food contact substances or cooking water was observed. Only when the seasoning powder and noodles were cooked together was NDMA detected. Individual components (noodle, seasoning powder or dried vegetable) or other combinations such as noodles and dried vegetables did not generate N-nitrosamines. Therefore, it is speculated that NDMA may be formed from the precursors in noodles and seasoning powders when they are solubilized in a medium of water.