Earticle

Heated onion juice was partitioned using the solvents hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the strongest scavenging effect on the ABTS radical. The antioxidant activities of the ethyl acetate fraction from raw and heated onion (120, 130, and 140℃) were evaluated using radical scavenging assays. Radical and nitrite scavenging activities were higher in heated onion than raw onion, and the higher the temperature of heat treatment, the greater the radical and nitrite scavenging activities. Heated onion (140℃, 2 hr) was more effective than raw onion, having higher DPPH radical scavenging (5.7-fold), hydroxyl radical scavenging (6.4-fold), superoxide radical scavenging (2.3-fold), hydrogen peroxide scavenging (11.8-fold), and nitrite scavenging (4.3-fold) activities. Onion increased its physiologically active materials after heating, and in this regard, heated onion can be used as biological material for the manufacture of health foods and supplements.

To investigate the growth promoting effects of an herbal medicine formulation (HM-10), Sprague Dawley (SD) male rats (3 weeks old) were divided into 3 groups (8 rats/group). The control group was given a daily oral administration of saline, and the treatment groups, HM-1 and HM-2, were given daily administrations of HM-10 (500 and 1,000 mg/kg BW, respectively). The cumulative tibial bone growth of the HM-1 and HM-2 groups (22.5 and 20.8 mm, respectively), and their cumulative femur bone growth (19.4 and 18.2 mm, respectively), were significantly different compared to the control group (7.5 mm of tibial growth and 7.7 mm of femur growth) (p<0.05). Lastly, the growth hormone levels of the HM-1 and HM-2 groups (1.70 and 1.79 ng/mL, respectively), as well as their insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels (165.1 and 171.7 ng/mL, respectively) showed significant differences compared to the control (0.93 ng/mL of growth hormone and 125.6 ng/mL of IGF-1) (p<0.05).

An edible wild perennial plant with extremely potent antimicrobial activity was found and identified as apiifolia Virgin's Bower (Clematis apiifolia DC) which is easily found around wet wildernesses. Fresh fruit extract of C. apiifolia exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in the vicinity of 0.1% against various yeasts and of less than or equal to 0.4% for non-lactic acid bacteria. MICs against lactic acid bacteria were about 2.0%. The antimicrobial activity of C. apiifolia fruit was even more potent than that of garlic which has been known for its potent antimicrobial activity. The principal antimicrobial compound of fruit extract of C. apiifolia was isolated and identified by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography as protoanemonin (a gamma lactone of 4-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienoic acid). The antimicrobial activity of C. apiifolia was stable at high temperatures, and the activity was maintained after heating at 121℃ for 10 min. The antimicrobial compound of C. apiifolia was supposed to inhibit microorganisms by reacting with sulfhydryl groups of cellular proteins.

Two monoterpene glucosides, paeoniflorin and albiflorin, in peony (Paeonia lactiflora) were purified from 70% ethanol extract of Paeoniae Radix by diethyl ether washing and n-butanol partition, acetone dissolution, and gradient preparative HPLC. After the whole course of purification, yield of paeoniflorin, albiflorin, and the sum of them were 75.0, 38.8, and 68.7%, respectively, together with the corresponding purity of 96.2, 93.8, and 96.0%.

The antioxidative activity of Alpinia oxyphylla was investigated through measuring the radical scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and inhibitory activity for linoleic acid peroxidation. Two antioxidative diarylheptanoids, yakuchinone A (1) and oxyphyllacinol (2), were isolated from the fruits of A. oxyphylla using thin layer chromatography (TLC) autographic assays. The DPPH scavenging activities of the compounds (IC50=1, 57±2.1 uM; 2, 89±3.1 uM) were lower than vitamin C(IC50=51±1.1 uM), but higher than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT,IC50=99±2.2 uM ). Also, inhibitory activities for linoleic acid peroxidation of the compounds (IC50=1, 0.19±0.011 mM, ; 2, 2, 0.31±0.009 mM ) were higher than those of vitamin C (IC50=0.59±0.017 mM) and BHT (IC50=0.52±0.014 mM). In addition the 13C-NMR data of oxyphyllacinol (2) have been first reported in this paper.

We evaluated the effect of soybean dongchunghacho [SD, cultivated dongchunghacho fungus (Paecilomyces tenuipes) on soybeans] on dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress in male F344 rats. The animals were divided into 3 groups and fed a casein-based high-fat, low fiber diet without (DMH group) or with 13%(w/w) of soybean (DMH+S group), or SD (DMH+SD group). One week after beginning the diets, rats were treated weekly with DMH (30 mg/kg, s.c.) for 6 weeks; dietary treatments were continued for the entire experiment and endpoints measured at 9 weeks after the first DMH injection. SD supplementation reduced DMH-induced DNA damage in colon cells and reduced plasma lipid peroxidation. Thus, SD may have therapeutic potential for early-stage colon carcinogenesis.

The frequency independent critical concentration (Cc) of xanthan and carob (X/C) mixed gel was determined based on the Winter-Chambon's theory. X/C mixed (X/C=1:1 ratio) gels were prepared from 0.1 to 1% of concentration. The linear viscoelastic properties, i.e., storage and loss modulus, of X/C mixed gel at 20℃ were measured by frequency sweep tests. The frequency independence of tangent function of phase angle (tan ? of X/C mixed gels was graphically determined from the intersection of the plot of phase angle against concentration at varied frequencies. The intersection (C=0.43%) was considered to be Cc of X/C mixed gel.

Bacterial endospores, especially those of Bacillus and Clostridium genera, are the target of sterilization in various foods. We used Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 spores to screen novel antimicrobial substances against spores from medicinal plants. We collected 79 types of plant samples, comprising 42 types of herbs and spices and 37 types of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Korea and China. At a concentration of 1%(w/v), only 14 of the ethanol extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against B. subtilis spores of at least 90%. Crude extracts of Torilis japonica, Gardenia jasminoides, Plantago asiatica, Fritllaria, and Arctium lappa showed particularly high sporicidal activities, reducing the spore count by about 99%. Consideration of several factors, including antimicrobial activity, extraction yields, and costs of raw materials, resulted in the selection of T. japonica, G. jasminoides, A. lappa, and Coriandrum sativum for the final screening of novel antimicrobial substances. Verification tests repeated 10 times over a 4-month period showed that the ethanol extract of T. japonica fruit reduced aerobic plate counts of B. subtilis spores the most, from 107 to 104 CFU/mL (99.9%) and with a standard deviation of 0.21%, indicating that this fruit is the most suitable for developing a novel antimicrobial substance for inactivating B. subtilis spores.

The in vitro digestive properties of 6 domestic noodle products (spaghetti, somyeon, ramyeon, dangmyeon, naengmyeon, and jjolmyeon) were compared after cooking under the manufacture's recommended cooking conditions. The kinetic constant (k), representing the rate of hydrolysis at the initial digestion stage, was highest in the somyeon noodles (0.1151), followed by naengmyeon (0.0954), and was lowest in the spaghetti (0.0421). However, the concentration of starch (C?) hydrolyzed over 2 hr was not different between the spaghetti (96.22) and the somyeon (96.40), indicating that different digestion behaviors occurred in each type of noodle, even though the amounts of digested starch were similar. The ramyeon, dangmyeon, and naengmyeon noodles showed relatively lower C? values than the spaghetti and the somyeon noodles. The spaghetti had the highest amount of slowly digestible starch (SDS, 43%) and the lowest glycemic index (GI, 87.8), whereas the somyeon had the lowest SDS value (9.6%) and the highest or (93.0). The digestibility differences among the noodles were attributed to differences in their flour compositions and manufacturing processes.

Ultra-high temperature (UHT) processed full fat milk inoculated with Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Bacillus stearothermophilus was exposed to 30-60 kV/cm square wave pulsed electric field (PEF) with 1 usec pulse width, and 26-210 usec treatment time in a continuous PEF treatment system. Eight log reduction was obtained for E. coli and P. fluorescens and 3 logs reduced for B. stearothermophilus under PEF treatment conditions of 210 usec treatment time, 60 kV/cm pulse intensity at 50℃. There was no significant change in pH and titration acidity of milk after PEF treatment. The electrical energy required to achieve 8 log reduction for E. coli and P. fluorescens was estimated to be about 0.74 kJ/L.