• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.502-508
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• 2009

Antimicrobial activity of Sargassum thunbergii was determined by paper disc assay and minimum concentration inhibitor (MIC) test. A water extract of S. thunbergii did not show the antimicrobial activity, but an ethanol extract of S. thunbergii (SHE) inhibited Serratia liquefaciens, Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aerogenosa and all of the tested gram-positive bacteria at 4 mg/mL. Especially, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringens and Listeria monocytogenes were susceptible to SHE. As the results of MIC test, SHE inhibited the growth of B. subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes at concentration of $0.1{\sim}0.3%$, and inhibited C. perfringens at 0.01%. In the thermal and pH stability test for SHE, antibacterial activities of SHE were maintained when the SHE was treated at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 minutes or under pH $2{\sim}8$. SHE was partitioned in the order of n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol. As the results of the MIC test for each obtained fraction, no fraction exhibited higher antibacterial activity than that of the crude SHE. However, a mixture of chloroform, ethylacetate and ethanol fractions showed higher antibacterial activity than SHE.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.1446-1451
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• 2010

Silk sericin protein was hydrolyzed by seven proteolytic enzymes to examine the effectiveness of the hydrolysates to bind iron. The amino acid nitrogen contents of hydrolysates by Flavourzyme were higher than the others enzymes, and its iron binding capacity showed dose-dependent increase. The bioavailability of iron binding peptide from sericin hydolysates was investigated in iron-deficient rats. Three-week-old male rats were fed iron-deficient diet for three weeks. Rats were divided into four groups (DD: no treated group on iron deficient diet, DD+HI: heme-iron treated group, DD+OI: sericin-Fe, and DD+II: inorganic iron ($FeSO_4$) treated group, and then iron supplemented by injection for one week. After oral administration for one week, the iron contents of serum and liver were significantly higher in DD+OI ($4.2\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $80.1\;{\mu}g/mL$) and DD+HI ($3.2\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $70.6\;{\mu}g/mL$) than DD ($2.0\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $47.9\;{\mu}g/mL$). Hemoglobin content of treated groups was significantly higher than DD, but the significant difference among groups was not shown. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels did not show any significant difference among all groups. Binding iron to peptide from sericin hydolysates seems to improve its bioavailability and to hasten the cure of iron deficiency in experimental rat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1419-1425
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the method validation for the determination of eleutherosides (B and E) and ${\beta}$-glucan in Acanthopanax (A.) koreanum. This medicinal plant reportedly mainly included eleutherosides which exhibit the pharmacological effects, and ${\beta}$-glucan substantially enhances the function of the immune system by activating macrophages. The specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD, S/N=3), and limit of quantification (LOQ, S/N=10) were measured by HPLC and enzymatic methods. Our results showed that the coefficient of calibration correlation ($R^2$) for eleutheroside B and E were 0.9997 and 0.9999, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) for eleutheroside B and E were $0.050{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.025{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The recovery rate of eleutheroside B and E were revealed in the high range of 100.66~110.04% and 94.26~111.62%, respectively. The inter-day precision of eleutheroside B and E in the root and stem in A. koreanum were 1.4~5.0% and 1.1~2.5%, respectively. The intra-day precision of eleutheroside B and E in the root and stem in A. koreanum were 2.8~2.9% and 0.4~1.1%, respectively. Furthermore, the inter-day and intra-day precision of ${\beta}$-glucan in the stem, leaf, and fruit of A. koreanum were 1.32~5.67% and 8.01~11.76%, respectively. In conclusion, the methods were validated for the detection of eleutherosides and ${\beta}$-glucan in A. koreanum.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1412-1418
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• 2013

The nutritional components of 14 new cultivars of pak choi (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis) from China were analyzed and compared with 4 cultivars of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) popular in Korea. Leaves were separated into green parts (GP) and white parts (WP) for the analyses. The moisture and ash content in the 14 new cultivars of pak choi were not significantly different from the currently popular cultivars of Chinese cabbage. In addition, the levels of vitamin C and E were very similar between the two kinds of Brassica rapa. In contrast, the overall mineral content was higher in the new pak choi cultivars. Specifically, minerals important for human health, calcium and magnesium, were significantly greater in pak choi cultivars (calcium GP 2.57, WP 2.04; magnesium GP 0.422, WP 0.301 mg/g fresh weight) compared to currently popular cultivars (calcium GP 0.805, WP 0.477; magnesium GP 0.244, WP 0.101 mg/g fresh weight). Although the content of reducing sugars was similar, cellulose content (which correlates with the hardness of plant tissue) was four times higher in the new pak choi cultivars compared to currently popular cultivars. These results demonstrate that the new pak choi cultivars have superb nutritional benefits for human health and could be a good food source as a daily staple vegetable.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1378-1386
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• 2013

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease characterized by chronic and relapsing inflammatory dermatitis with immunological disturbances. In spite of the continuous increase in the incidence of AD, it is regrettable that till date there is no effective treatment to treat the same. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the possible anti-atopic effects of Castanea crenata inner shell extracts fermented by Lactobacillus bifermentans (FCS) in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) induced AD in NC/Nga mice. Based on the results of HPLC analysis, we found that FCS contains anti-inflammatory factors such as gallic acid (10.18 mg/g) and ellagic acid (2.14 mg/g). The groups that we have used in this study included 0.1%, 1%, 5% fermented Castanea crenata inner shell extracts (FCS 0.1, FCS 1, FCS 5), 1,3-butylene glycol treated control (AD), and normal mice. After topical FCS treatment, we observed that the clinical severity score for AD was lower in both the FCS 1 and FCS 5 groups than the AD group. We also proved beyond doubt that there was improvement of melanin, erythema and skin moisture indices in the FCS 5 group. Spleen index and gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ were significantly decreased in the FCS 5 group compared to the AD group (P<0.05). Further, we also found that the level of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the FCS-treated group was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. The results of our study suggest that FCS can be effectively used as a cosmeceutical ingredient for both the prevention and improvement of AD.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.784-791
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• 2013

Four different yeasts (Fermivin (FM), Saf-instant yeast red (SI), Angest wine active dry yeast (AW) and Angest instant yeast high sugar (AI)) were used for the fermentation of black raspberry wine. The amount of reducing sugars in FM (2.7%) and AI (2.8%) were higher than those in SI (2.4%) and AW (2.5%). The amount of glucose (the major free sugar) was higher in AW (2.57 mg/mL) and AI (2.50 mg/mL) than FM (2.03 mg/mL) and SI (1.75 mg/mL). AW (11.95%) had the highest alcohol content, while SI (11.75%) had the lowest. The pH of FM (pH 3.73) was the lowest, and there were no significant differences in total acidity among the samples. The major organic acid in the wines was citric acid (6.71~8.18 mg/mL) and the amount of organic acids depended on the type of yeasts. The amount of malic acid was highest in SI (2.92 mg/mL), and lowest in AI (1.83 mg/mL). The Hunter color test showed that SI was highest in lightness, redness and yellowness, whereas AI was lowest. There were no differences in turbidity between the samples. There were no significant differences in total phenolic contents (TPC) and total anthocyanin contents (TAC). However, the TPC and TAC of black raspberry wines were higher than those in commercial red wines. The antioxidant activities of wines (determined by ABTS and FRAP) increased in the order of FM, AI, AW and SI. It could not be concluded which yeast is adequate for the fermentation of black raspberry wine because any of the tested yeasts showed the best in all the quality characteristics of the wines.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1351-1356
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• 2013

To enhance the utilization of Allium hookeri (AH) as a food, characteristics of AH roots and leaves cultivated under open field and greenhouse conditions were investigated. The moisture content of the roots and leaves were 81.05 to 84.18% and 88.85 to 90.12%, respectively. The moisture content of AH cultivated in the open field was 2 to 3% lower than the moisture content of AH cultivated in the greenhouse for both roots and leaves. The content of nitrogen-free extract, carbohydrates, was 13.49 to 16.20% in the roots and 7.08 to 7.79% in the leaves. The main mineral generated from both open field and greenhouse cultivation was potassium, at 503.98 to 512.08 mg% in leaves. The free sugar content of roots cultivated in the open field was four times higher than the content in the leaves, and roots cultivated in the greenhouse contained three times lower free sugar than the leaves. In particular, the fructose content of roots cultivated in the open field was about 12 times higher than roots cultivated in the greenhouse. The crude saponin and total polyphenol content was higher in leaves than roots, and was higher in the open field than the greenhouse. The $IC_{50}$ for DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest, 2.74 mg/mL, in 70% MeOH extracts of AH leaves cultivated in the greenhouse. Water and 70% MeOH extracts of AH leaves cultivated in the greenhouse showed no cytotoxicity to RAW 264.7 cells. Water extracts of AH leaves cultivated in the open field markedly inhibited the production of the inflammatory mediator nitric oxide. These results suggest that AH may be used as the material of health functional food.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.1386-1396
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum Platycodon grandiflorum root concentrate (PGRC, $65^{\circ}Brix$), fermented P. grandiflorum root extract by Lactobacillus plantarum (FPGRE, $2^{\circ}Brix$), and cactus Chounnyouncho extract (Cactus-E, $2^{\circ}Brix$) for preparation of PGRC stick product with FPGRE using response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental conditions were designed according to a central composite design with 20 experimental points, including three replicates for three independent variables such as amount of PGRC (8~12 g), FPGRE (0~20 g), and Cactus-E (0~20 g). The experimental data for the sensory evaluation and functional properties based on antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity were fitted with the quadratic model, and accuracy of equations was analyzed by ANOVA. For the responses, sensory and functional properties showed significant correlation with contents of three independent variables. The results indicate that addition of PGRC contributed to increased bitterness and acridity based on the sensory test and antimicrobial activity, addition of FPGRE contributed to increased antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity, and addition of Cactus-E contributed to increased fluidity based on the sensory test, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity. Based on the results of RSM, the optimum formulation of PGRC stick product was calculated as PGRC 8.456 g, FPGRE 20.00 g, and Cactus-Ex 20.00 g with minimal bitterness and acridity, as well as optimized fluidity, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.95-120
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• 1990

The underpricing of new shares of a firm that are offered to the public for the first time (initial offerings) is well known and has puzzled financial economists for a long time since it seems at odds with the optimal behavior of the owners of issuing firms. Past attempts by financial economists to explain this phenomenon have not been successful in the sense that the explanations given by them are either inconsistent with the equilibrium theory or implausible. Approaches by such authors as Welch or Allen and Faulhaber are no exceptions. In this paper, we develop a signalling model of capital investment to explain the underpricing phenomenon and also analyze the efficiency of investment. The model focuses on the information asymmetry between the owners of issuing firms and general investors. We consider a firm that has been owned and operated by a single owner and that has a profitable project but has no capital to develop it. The profit from the project depends on the capital invested in the project as well as a profitability parameter. The model also assumes that the financial market is represented by a single investor who maximizes the expected wealth. The owner has superior information as to the value of the firm to investors in the sense that it knows the true value of the parameter while investors have only a probability distribution about the parameter. The owner offers the representative investor a fraction of the ownership of the firm in return for a certain amount of investment in the firm. This offer condition is equivalent to the usual offer condition consisting of the number of issues to sell and the unit price of a share. Thus, the model is a signalling game. Using Kreps' criterion as the solution concept, we obtained an essentially unique separating equilibrium offer condition. Analysis of this separating equilibrium shows that the owner of the firm with high profitability chooses an offer condition that raises an amount of capital that is short of the amount that maximizes the potential profit from the project. It also reveals that the fraction of the ownership of the firm that the representative investor receives from the owner of the highly profitable firm in return for its investment has a value that exceeds the investment. In other words, the initial offering in the model is underpriced when the profitability of the firm is high. The source of underpricing and underinvestment is the signalling activity by the owner of the highly profitable firm who attempts to convince investors that his firm has a highly profitable project by choosing an offer condition that cannot be imitated by the owner of a firm with low profitability. Thus, we obtained two main results. First, underpricing is a result of a signalling activity by the owner of a firm with high profitability when there exists information asymmetry between the owner of the issuing firm and investors. Second, such information asymmetry also leads to underinvestment in a highly profitable project. Those results clearly show the underpricing entails underinvestment and that information asymmetry leads to a social cost as well as a private cost. The above results are quite general in the sense that they are based upon a neoclassical profit function and full rationality of economic agents. We believe that the results of this paper can be used as a basis for further research on the capital investment process. For instance, one can view the results of this paper as a subgame equilibrium in a larger game in which a firm chooses among diverse ways to raise capital. In addition, the method used in this paper can be used in analyzing a wide range of problems arising from information asymmetry that the Korean financial market faces.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.305-311
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• 2012

To investigate the influence electrical conductivity (EC) of nutrient solution and light intensity on growth of red leafy lettuce, fresh and dry weights, number of leave, chlorophyll concentration and production efficiency were evaluated through nutrient film technique system. The levels of EC were 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, and $6.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, and those of light intensity were 120, 150, and $180{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. Under photoperiod of 16 h/day, the temperature was maintained in the range of $20{\sim}25^{\circ}C$. Planting density was $10{\times}10cm$ (100 plants/$m^2$). When red leafy lettuce were grown in the EC range of $0.5{\sim}1.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, the fresh and dry weights decreased as the EC levels and light intensity were lowered, however, Hunter's a value showed no significant differences among the treatments of EC and light intensity levels (Ex. 1). The fresh and dry weights and production efficiency ($g{\cdot}FW/kw$) were the highest in the treatment of $3.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and $180{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ when crops were grown under the EC range of EC $1.5{\sim}6.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ (Ex. 2). But the fresh and dry weights, number of leaves, and production efficiency of $2.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ were the highest when the light intensity was $180{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ (Ex. 3). The SPAD value increased gradually as EC levels were elevated. From the above results, we concluded that optimum levels of EC and light intensity were $2.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and $180{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$, respectively, for production as well as production efficiency of red leaf lettuce in plant factory.