• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.413-416
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• 2009

The sap of the white birch is one of the most widely used herbal medicines to treat gastrointestinal tract, jaundice, and various periodontal diseases. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of white birch sap on in vivo immune agents in mice. The treatment of white birch sap on the forced swimming test has been used as a screening model for new immune enhancement agents. The hematological examination was significantly different in neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts between treatment and control groups. Moreover the white birch sap changed the phagocytic index, immobility duration time, and leukocyte counts in mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.143-148
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• 2012

This study evaluated the quality characteristics of white birch (Betula platyphylla var. japonica) sap with different collection times. The changes of browning index, turbidity, pH, total acidity, organic acid, free sugar, crude protein, crude ash, and mineral content were investigated. The browning index and turbidity increased from 0.076 to 0.222 and from 0.048 to 0.138, respectively, with increasing collection time. The pH decreased from 6.09 to 4.72, while total acidity increased with increasing collection time. Citric and malic acids were detected and malic acid increased with increasing collection time. Glucose and fructose as free sugars were detected and their contents were 0.364~0.433% and 0.497~0.664%, respectively. Crude protein and crude ash contents remarkably increased from 3.40 to 32.37 mg% and from 0.01% to 0.04%, respectively, with increasing collection time. Cu, Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, and K were detected, and increased with increasing collection time. Particularly, K increased remarkably from 5.25 to 37.27 mg/L over time. These results indicate that the optimum processing method to improve the quality of white birch sap is necessary, because the quality of sap decreased as collection time increased, but nutritional value increased.