• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2023

Dairy products are extensively used as carriers of probiotic strains that have potential health benefits. Assessment of the viability of probiotic strains during manufacturing is important to ensure that products meet recommended levels. Hence, the method for accurately quantifying lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in probiotic or dairy products is required. The present study aims to examine the performance of de-Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS), plate count agar with bromocresol purple (PCA with BCP), and glucose blood liver (BL) agars recommended in the Korea Food Code guidelines for counting LAB. Analysis of the performance of culture media containing 19 lactic acid bacterial species commonly encountered in probiotic and dairy products showed no statistically significant difference between 18 reference strains and three culture media (p > 0.01). Furthermore, the suitability of three culture media was verified for the quantitative assessment of LAB in 25 probiotic and dairy products. The number of LAB in three culture media was determined to be more than 10⁷ colony-forming unit (CFU)/ml for fermented milk products and 10⁸ CFU/ml for condensed fermented milk and probiotic products, indicating that they all satisfied the Korea Food Code guidelines. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of LAB counted in all three culture media, suggesting that they can be used to isolate or enumerate LAB in commercial products. Finally, three culture media will be useful for isolating and enumerating LAB from fermented foods as well as gut microflora.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.258-267
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the growth and biogenic amines (BA) formation of Enterobacter aerogenes CIH05 in skim milk and soymilk. Lactobacillus acidophilus GK20, Lactobacillus paracasei GK74, and Lactobacillus plantarum GK81 isolated from mustard kimchi did not produce BA in the decarboxylation broth. L. paracasei GK74 exhibited the highest cell viability and antimicrobial compounds producing ability in fermented skim milk and soymilk samples, while the lowest producer was L. plantarum GK81. The production yield of lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocin was dependent on the species of Lactobacillus and the type of culture medium. As LAB the number of viable cells of E. aerogenes CIH05 were higher in skim milk than in soymilk. When mixed culture with L. acidophilus GK20 and L. paracasei GK74 and treated with bacteriocin solution (300 AU/ml) obtained from these strains in milk media, the cell growth and cadaverine and histamine contents of E. aerogenes CIH05 were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the respective values in control sample.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.856-861
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• 2002

Surface-modified powders were produced by hybridization system using core freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 43121) and enteric coating materials. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface of freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria changed to smooth round shape during surface reforming process, although no significant physical damages affecting the activity of the lactic acid bacteria were observed based on viability and salt-tolerance tests. Signigicant difference was not found in acid tolerance test probably due to the inherent acid tolerance of L. acidophilus ATCC 43121. Significantly improved heat tolerance was obtained by surface modification process. Among the tested coating materials, Sureteric showed a higher surface- reforming ability than Eudragit S100 and L100-55. Core : coating ratio agent of 9 : 1 (w/w) with rotor speed of 15,000 rpm for 3 min were determined to be optimum conditions for the process.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2004

Extract of Eleutherococcus senticosus, Lycium chinensis, Angelica acutiloba and Schizandra chinensis were investigated to determine whether its addition may inflict on growth of lactic acid bacteria, freeze dry and cell viability during the storage. In cultivation with herbal extract, all strains tested did not demonstrate a significant reduction in their cell population, particularly Lactobacillus. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. paracasei. But Schizandra chinensis extract inhibited growth of several strains. Immediately after freeze-drying using the skim milk 10%(w/v), sucrose 5%(w/v) with herbal extract 2.5%(v/v), the percentage viability was about 81.7%, 63.8%, 73.2%, 78.1 % in L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. paracasei, L. casei respectively. The protective effect of herbal extract to cell damage from freeze-drying was weak in comparison with control. During accelerated storage of freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria, those survival rate decrease rapidly, reaching 8 -18% in one month. But addition of Eleutherococcus senticosus extract in freeze dry of L. acidophilus showed a positive activity in storage.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.820-830
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• 2019

Most consumers consider yogurt to be a healthy food because it contains probiotic microorganisms. Although a plethora of commercially produced yogurts exists, nutritional and functional aspects of the commercial yogurts have not been well characterized. In this study, the microbiological and physicochemical properties of popular drinking yogurts in Korea were extensively characterized. The viability of lactic acid bacteria, including lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, varied between yogurt samples. These lactobacilli and bifidobacteria showed effective antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Unlike the titratable acidity and pH, the soluble solids content varied between yogurt samples. All the yogurt samples contained high levels of potassium (average 143.53 mg/100 g) and calcium (average 133.92 mg/100 g), as well as phosphorus and sodium. Lactose, fructose, and glucose were the major sugar components in most yogurt samples, whereas the levels of sucrose and maltose were relatively low. Among several organic acids analyzed in the yogurt samples, lactic acid (average 767.67 mg/100 g) and citric acid (average 170.91 mg/100 g) were the most predominant. Taken together, this study provides preliminary information about the nutritional and functional characteristics of commercially available drinking yogurts.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.792-798
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• 2006

The probiotic characteristics of a total of 137 lactic acid bacterial strains isolated from soybean paste were investigated. Among those tested, the D37 strain was selected as a probiotic bacteria due to its acid and bile tolerance, and its strong anti-cancer and antibacterial activities. The D37 strain showed highly stable viability at acidic pH for 2 hr, and was very stable in 10% bovine bile. The viability of human colon cancer HT-29 cells was inhibited more than 60% at a $200\;{\mu}/mL$ concentration of D37 cell-free culture supernatant, and the degree of inhibition was concentration-dependent. The D37 strain showed a wide range of antibacterial activities against food-borne pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157, Listeria spp., Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. According to phenotypic characteristics and the utilization of various sugars, the D37 strain was identified as Lactobacillus cellobiosus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1583-1588
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• 2022

In this study, we investigated the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains used as starters for kimchi fermentation, namely Lactococcus lactis WiKim0124, Companilactobacillus allii WiKim39, Leuconostoc mesenteroides WiKim0121Leuconostoc mesenteroides WiKim33, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides WiKim32, on the intestinal epithelial tight junctions (TJs). These LAB strains were not cytotoxic to Caco-2 cells at 500 ㎍/ml concentration. In addition, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) decreased Caco-2 viability, but the LAB strains protected the cells against H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity. We also found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) promoted Caco-2 proliferation; however, no specific changes were observed upon treatment with LAB strains and LPS. Our evaluation of the permeability in the Caco-2 monolayer model confirmed its increase by both LPS and H₂O₂. The LAB strains inhibited the increase in permeability by protecting TJs, which we evaluated by measuring TJ proteins such as zonula occludens-1 and occludin, and analyzing them by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Our findings show that LAB strains used for kimchi fermentation can suppress the increase in intestinal permeability due to LPS and H₂O₂ by protecting TJs. Therefore, these results suggest the possibility of enhancing the functionality of kimchi through its fermentation using functional LAB strains.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.509-516
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• 2007

Starters of lactic acid bacteria(LAB) were isolated from the commercial yoghurt products and the four isolates have been studied on their identification and some physiological characteristics. For the purpose of identification, microscopic examination, API test, and 16s rRNA gene sequencing were conducted. Isolate A from a yogurt product of local dairy company A was shown to be Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium. All strains isolated were turned out to be as Lactobacillus paracasei by using a API 50 CHL kit. In contrast, isolate A was identified as a strain of Lactobacillus helveticus based on the 16S rRNA sequencing data, and L. casei ssp. casei for both B and D and L. paracasei for C. All the isolates survived the simulated gastric juice, pH 2.0 within 3 hours and sharply decreased in viability so that no viable cell was observed after 4.5 hours incubation. In addition, the four isolated strains were almost identical in antibiotic susceptibility to six different kinds of antibiotics including erythromycin ($15\;{\mu}g$), ampicillin ($10\;{\mu}g$), gentamycin ($10\;{\mu}g$), neomycin ($30\;{\mu}g$), but rather resistant to colistin ($10\;{\mu}g$) and streptomycin ($10\;{\mu}g$). It was noteworthy that four isolates were confirmed to produce antibacterial substance against foodborne pathogens of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli 0157:H7 as test organisms based on the inhibitory zones on an MRS soft agar medium. At presence, the inhibitory factor is unknown so that further studies are required to ascertain the active factor responsible for the inhibitory activities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2023

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kimchi (a traditional Korean dish typically made of fermented cabbage) can provide various health benefits, including anti-obesity, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial effects. In this study, we examined the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WiKim0125 cultured in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) medium containing vegetable waste. Live bacterial cells were eliminated via supernatant filtration or heat treatment. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) obtained from culture broth containing kimchi cabbage waste (KCW), cabbage waste (CW), or onion waste (OW) showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity against skin pathogens (Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus) and foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium), with inhibition zones ranging between 4.4 and 8.5 mm, compared to that in conventional MRS medium (4.0-7.3 mm). In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, both supernatant and heat-inactivated Lb. plantarum WiKim0125 from culture media containing KCW and CW suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines (72.8% and 49.6%, respectively) and nitric oxide (62.2% and 66.7%, respectively) without affecting cell viability. These results indicate that vegetable waste can potentially increase the antimicrobial and immunoregulatory potency of LAB while presenting a molecular basis for applying postbiotics to health products.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.425-431
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• 2009

Antimicrobial coating on chicken carcasses may reduce the effects of cross-contamination and improve product shelf-life and safety. Thyme oil was mixed at 0.5%(v/v) with a pre-gelatinized pea starch coating solution. The coating solution was spread on chicken breast meat after inoculation with selected spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. After inoculation, the chicken meats were packaged in plastic bags and stored at $4^{\circ}C$. During 12 day storage, total aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and inoculated organisms were counted at 4 day intervals. Thyme oil treatments reduced the viability of Salmonella as well as the growth of Listeria and Pseudomonas by 2 log CFU/g, and appeared to eliminate inoculated Campylobacter during storage. The addition of thyme oil increased the viscosity of the pre-gelatinized pea starch solution. The results suggested that thyme oil inclusion in an edible starch coating may be a satisfactory delivery system to enhance the safety of processed fresh meat.