Earticle

Limonene, pinene, and isoprene are abundant and ubiquitous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are found in various natural products and also produced from various manufacture processes. Limonene and pinene are major components of food additives and household products for enrichment of good flavors and elimination of malodors, and isoprene is a basal motif of monoterpenes such as limonene and pinene. They have shown many beneficial effects such as chemopreventive, chemotherapeutic, and antioxidant activities. Upon certain conditions, however, adverse effects of these compounds on human health have also been reported. Although they do not seem to have acute and severe toxicity to human, they can easily generate secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) when they react with oxygen and/or ozone, which have shown certain toxic effects on experimental animal models as well as on humans. Numerous household and scented products containing limonene, pinene, and isoprene are widely used in these days. However, biological consequences upon exposure to these products are largely unknown. The aim of this review is to summarize and analyze the current understanding on the biological effects of VOCs, in particular limonene, pinene, and isoprene, as well as their SOAs.

The effects of dietary supplementation of the unrefined rice bran oil from 'Suwon 415' pigmented black rice (BRBO) on cholesterol metabolism and cellular antioxidant status were investigated in hypercholesterolemic rats. The significant reduction of total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations was observed in the plasma of rats fed BRBO. BRBO also decreased plasma and hepatic oxidative stress as a result of increased levels of hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels associated with the elevations of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities together with increased plasma level of tocopherol. This study indicates that dietary BRBO supplement can leads to the improvement of overall cholesterol metabolism and antioxidant status even more effectively than 'Chuchung' white rice (WRBO). Consumption of BRBO may also protect the liver from oxidative damage caused by lipid peroxidation.

In human beings, it is known that there is a correlation between the occurrence of acne and the ability to suppress sebum. Sebosuppression may be related to the inhibition of sebocyte proliferation, differentiation, and lipogenesis in sebaceous glands. To investigate the skin sebosuppressive activity of green tea extract, the in vivo effects of its flavonoid compounds on the androgen-dependent stimulation of pigmented macules in hamsters and performed in vitro experiments with human primary sebocytes were examined. Our results imply a dual activity of skin sebosuppression by green tea flavonoids; some catechins including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and gallocatechin-3-gallate (GCG) may reduce the differentiation of sebocytes by inhibiting PPAR-γ1 mRNA expression, whereas some flavonol glycosides including kaempferol may inhibit lipogenesis in sebaceous glands by decreasing levels of the mature form of sterol-sensitive response elements binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c). Therefore, green tea is a potentially effective material for use in the development of health foods or cosmetics for skin sebosuppression.

The whole berry, pulp, and seed of sea buckthorn fruit were extracted with supercritical CO2 to produce edible oils. The effects of extraction pressure, temperature, and CO2 flow rate on the oil yield and extraction rate were investigated, and the fatty acid composition, tocopherol, and carotenoid contents of the oils were compared. The results showed that the extraction rate was affected by pressure, temperature, and CO2 flow rate and, in general, the yield increased with a rise in any of the 3 variables. Fatty acids in the whole berry and pulp oil were dominated by monounsaturated fatty acids (>64%), followed by saturated fatty acids (about 30%). In contrast, fatty acids in the seed oil consisted mainly of polyunsaturated (>60%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (>24%). The seed oil had a slightly higher content of tocopherols, but a much lower content of carotenoids, compared with the whole berry or pulp oil.

Methanol extracts of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) pods were chromatographed, which yielded 3 phytochemicals 1-3 including 5,7-dihydroxychromone (1), eriodictyol (2), and 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone (3). To confirm the presence of isolated phytochemicals, the pods extracts were performed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) and a mass spectrometric detector (MSD) with electrospray ionization (ESI). Optimum extraction conditions for phytochemical contents using peanut germplasm were obtained by employing 90% MeOH for 12 hr at room temperature and phytochemicals 1-3 showed significant differences with concentrations of 407.56±23.35, 52.92±5.11, and 2,024.34±134.18㎍/g, respectively. Under this optimal conditions, the contents of phytochemicals 1-3 in peanut pods of 3 Korea cultivars including 'Jakwang', 'Daekwang', and 'Palkwang' exhibited phytochemical 3 was the highest range of 1,338.01±5,162.93㎍/g, followed by phytochemical 1 (509.13-1,382.10㎍/g), and phytochemical 2 (25.12-186.85㎍/g), respectively. Moreover, 'Jakwang' exhibited the highest contents of phytochemical (1:1,362.10±52.49 , 2:186.85±17.69 , and 3:5,162.93±148.64㎍/g , respectively), whereas the lowest contents was found in the 'Daekwang' (1:590.13±22.23 , 2:25.12±2.45 , and 3:1,338.01±62.17㎍/g, respectively). These results suggest that the methanol extracts of peanut pods may possess health related benefits to humans owing to various known biological activities of phytochemicals 1-3.

Foodborne pathogenic bacteria in various food samples in Korea were monitored and the obtained data was statistically analyzed. A total of 1,240 food samples including 280 sashimi, 244 processed frozen products, 258 kimbab (cooked rice wrapped with seaweed), 337 soybean pastes were obtained from 7 cities including Seoul in Korea. Microorganisms tested were Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, and Clostridium perfringens. The contaminated microorganisms in food samples were comprised of 10.55% B. cereus, 2.7% S. aureus, 2.0% V. parahaemolyticus, 0.8% C. perfringens, 0.2% Y. enterocolitica, and 0.1% of L. monocytogenes, respectively. Salmonella spp., C. jejuni, and E. coli O157:H7 were not detected in any of the food samples. Particularly, B. cereus that harbors the enterotoxin gene was detected in various foods and regions in Korea, therefore it should be a given special consideration not to allow the hazardous level of contamination.

In order to develop a potent antidementia β-secretase inhibitor from phytochemicals, β-secretase inhibitory activities of extracts from many medicinal plants and herbs were determined. Water extracts from Rubus coreanus showed the highest β-secretase inhibitory activity of 84.5%. After purification of the β-secretase inhibitor from R. coreanus using systematic solvent extraction, ultrafiltration, Sephadex G-10 column chromatography, and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a purified β-secretase inhibitor with IC50 inhibitory activity of 6.3×10³㎍/mL (1.56×10-6 M) was obtained with a 0.08% solid yield. The molecular mass of the purified β-secretase inhibitor was estimated to be 576 Da by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and β-secretase inhibitor also is a new tetrapeptide with the sequence Gly-Trp-Trp-Glu. The purified β-secretase inhibitory peptide inhibited β-secretase non-competitively and also show less inhibition on trypsin, however no inhibition on other proteases such as β-secretase, chymotrypsin, and elastase.

This study assessed the role of fatty acids on beef preference of 2 consumer groups from South Korea and Australia. Three muscles (longissimus dorsi, triceps brachii, and semimembranosus) were obtained from 36 carcasses (18 Hanwoo steers and 18 Angus steers) and the cooked beef samples were evaluated by 1,080 consumers (720 Korean consumer panels and 360 Australian consumer panels). The cluster analysis showed that the Korean consumers had more significant relationship with fatty acid composition of beef than that of the Australian consumers when evaluated Australian Angus beef Only C20:5(n-3), and C22:5(n-3) affected preference clustering for Australian consumers; while saturated (C16:0 and C 18:0) as well as unsaturated fatty acids [C16:1(n-7), C18:2(n-6), C18:3(n-3), C20:3(n-6), C20:4(n-6), C20:5(n-3), C22:4(n-6), C22:5(n-3)] affected preference clustering for Korean consumers (p<0.05). In the discriminant analysis of Korean consumer's preference clustering, C20:5(n-3) was a significant fatty acid for Australian Angus beef while the C20:4(n-6) and C 18:0 for Korean Hanwoo beef to evaluate the palatability (p<0.05). Therefore, fatty acid compositions impact Korean consumer's preference of beef.

The quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) study of antioxidative anthocyanidins and their glycosides were evaluated using 4 different assays of Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), superoxide radical (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and peroxynitrite radical (ONOO-) scavenging with TSAR software. Four models were developed with significant predictive values (γ² and p value), which indicated that the antioxidant activities were mainly governed by the 3-dimensional structural energy (torsional energy), constitutional properties (the number of hydroxyl and methyl groups), and electrostatic properties (heat of formation, and dipole, quadrupole, and octupole components). This QSAR approach could contribute to a better understanding of structural properties of anthocyanidins and their glycosides that are responsible for their antioxidant activities. It might also be useful in predicting the antioxidant activities of other anthocyanins.

Erythromycin has been used to treat Streptococosis, Edwardsiel1osis, Vibriosis, Bacterial enteritis in the cultured fish. In this study, a rapid and effective erythromycin analysis method with new sample treatment protocol and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) system for fish products was developed. For the erythromycin extraction from fish muscle, the solvent mixture composed of 0.2% meta-phosphoric acid and methanol (6:4) showed good recovery rate, and the optimum extraction solvent volume was 20 mL. Erythromycin detection using LC/MS/MS were carried out under electro spray ionization (ESI) positive condition and erythromycin mass value 576.2 and 157.9. And the detection limit of the established method was 0.005 mg/kg in fish products. The recovery rate of the developed method applied to the fish species were as following, olive flounder, 87.6±5.0%; black rockfish, 87.2±6.4%; eel, 85.2±4.8%; and rainbow trout, 86.0±6.2%. In the established method in this study, the correlation of coefficient values (R²) of erythromycin calibration curve (n=11) was 0.9998.

After overproduction of a recombinant β-galactosidase of Bifidobacterium infantis in Pichia pastoris, a synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) from 36% lactose using the enzyme (170.74 U/mg) was investigated. The transgalactosylation ratio reached up to 25.2% with 83.1% conversion of initial lactose and the maximum yield of GOS was 40.6%. The GOS syrup was composed of a 13.43% galacto-oligosaccharides, 5.06% lactose, and 8.76% monosaccharides. The prebiotic effect of GOS on the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli strains was investigated in vitro. The maximum growth rate of Bifidobacterium breve and Lactobacillus acidophillus in GOS syrup (5%, v/v) media were 0.49 and 0.96/hr that are higher than those in 1%(w/v) galactose and 1%(w/v) lactose containing media. However, there was no significant difference between the specific growth rates of L. acidophillus in 1%(w/v) glucose and 5%(v/v) GOS syrup. Our data showed that GOS definitely promoted the growth of B. breve ATCC 15700T and L. acidophilus ATCC 33323.

To improve the quality of traditional kochujang, strains with high protease and amylase activity were isolated and identified from Sunchang traditional kochujang. Twenty-three strains strongly producing protease and 16 strains strongly producing α- and β-amylase were isolated by using 1% isolated soy protein agar medium and 2% starch agar medium, respectively. Protease activities of the IA7, I5, and IA2 strain were 22.5, 21.2, and 20.6 unit/mL, respectively, and were higher than those of the other strains. Stains with high α-amylase activity included K9 (967.8 unit/mL), K14 (828.3 unit/mL), K13 (662.5 unit/mL), K8 (601.5 unit/mL), and K11 (405.9 unit/mL). The β-amylase activity of the K11 strain was the highest, 34.3 unit/mL, among the isolated strains. Based on morphological, physiological properties, and API 50CHB-kit test for assimilation of 49 carbohydrates, 8 strains selected according to protease, α-amylase, and β-amylase activities were tentatively identified as Bacillus megaterium (IA2), Bacillus subtilis (IA7, 15), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (K8, K9, K11, and K13), and Bacillus stearothermophillus (K14). The IA7, 15, and K11 strains were finally identified as B. subtilis (99% ID) based on 16S rDNA sequencing.

For preparation of high quality kochujang by the traditional fermentation method, 4 types of kochujang were prepared with brick- or grain-shaped meju fermented with different strains (Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus oryzae+Bacillus subtilis). After 100 days of fermentation at 25℃, the moisture, pH, salt, and ethanol content of kochujang were 40.52-43.20%, 4.71-4.82, 8.7-9.1%, and 0.75-0.94%, respectively, showing slight differences according to the strains and shapes of meju. Titratable acidities were slightly increased for up to 60 days of fermentation. The amino-type nitrogen content of kochujang prepared with brick-shaped meju (A. oryzae+B. subtilis) was the highest (164.20 mg%) among all of the kochujang types. The redness (a) value of kochujang prepared with brick-shaped meju (A. sojae) were higher (19.08) than those of other treatments (18.37-18.59). Sensory evaluation of kochujang prepared with grain-shaped meju (A. sojae) showed the highest scores for color and overall acceptability, 'at 6.43±1.87 and 6.29±1.44, respectively. It was estimated that high quality kochujang could be made by using meju fermented with selected strains.

This study investigated the effects of pretreatment and storage conditions on the properties of stored chestnuts. Effects on chestnuts of refrigerated storage (RNT) and frozen storage (FNT) with no pretreatment, frozen storage after oxalic acid treatment without blanching (FON) and with blanching (FOB) were examined. Water binding capacity, swelling power, solubility, and viscosity of the starch produced from RNT, FNT, and FON were similar to those of the starch produced from control (CON). FOB showed significant differences in these properties from CON. Textural properties of starch gels prepared from stored chestnuts except FOB also were very similar to those of CON starch gels. The sensory characteristics of steamed FON and FNT were similar to those of steamed CON except in brown color and hardness. Steamed FNT tended to have higher brown color and lower hardness than steamed FON. Steamed RNT showed significant differences in all the sensory properties except in hardness and cooked chestnut flavor. Steamed FOB was significantly higher than steamed CON in water release and off-flavor. Among the storage conditions examined, frozen storage with oxalic acid treatment is recommended for the long-term storage of chestnuts.

Sous vide and packaged cook-chilled soybean sprouts were evaluated for physicochemical quality changes and microbial safety during storage for the purposes of shelf-life extension and industrial application. The physicochemical changes assessed were color, texture, and ascorbic acid concentration. The quality of soybean sprouts became worse with increased periods of storage and better in storage temperature of 3℃ more than in 10℃. The concentration of aerobic bacteria decreased from 2.1×10(8) to 6.0×10(2) after pasteurization, but increased during storage. These bacteria are the same shape as anaerobic and hsychrophilic bacteria, but none of these other organisms were detected after heat treatment. The physicochemical qualities of soybean sprouts and microbial safety were better for products stored at 3℃ than at 10℃. In the case of short storage periods, heat treatment at 70℃ for 2 min was most effective for quality and microbial safety.

The detection of carbamate (carbofuran, carbaryl, benfracarb, thiodicarb, and methomil) and organophosphate (diazinon, cadusafos, ethoprofos, parathion-methyl, and chlorpyrifos) pesticide residues with very low detection limits was carried out using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based equipment. The capacity to develop a portable SPR biosensor for food safety was also investigated. The applied ligand for the immunoassays was polyclonal goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin (IgG) peroxidase conjugate. Concentration tests using direct binding assays showed the possibility of quantitative analysis. For ligand fishing to find a proper antibody to respond to each pesticide, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were tested. The reproducibility and precision of SPR measurements were evaluated. With this approach, the limit of detection for pesticide residues was 1 ng/mL and analysis took less than 11 min. Thus, it was demonstrated that detecting multi-class pesticide residues using SPR and IgG antibodies provides enough sensitivity and speed for use in portable SPR biosensors.

The effects of cheonggukjang and doenjang on bone mineral density, trabecular area and cortical thickness of the tibia, and serum osteocalcin level in ovariectomized rats were investigated. After 4 weeks, bone mineral density, bone trabecular area, the cortical thickness index, and serum osteocalcin level were analyzed. The cheonggukjang and doenjang diet groups showed significant prevention of ovariectomized (OVX)-related body weight gain. Whole body bone mineral density of the OVX group was significantly lower than that of the sham group, whereas the cheonggulgang and doenjang diets resulted in complete restoration of bone mineral density. Trabecular area in the proximal diaphysis and cortical thickness in the distal diaphysis of the tibia were increased significantly in the cheonggukjang and doenjang diet fed groups. The cheonggukjang and doenjang diets significantly reduced serum osteocalcin level in the OVX rats. These results suggest that cheonggukjang and doenjang might have inhibitory effects on osteoporosis, by showing accelerated bone formation in OVX rats.

To prevent weakly flocculating characters of bottom brewing yeast during first fermentation, various technical investigations were carried out using strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It appeared that the propagation at 10℃ promoted the molecular structure and biochemical composition of cell wall in favor of flocculation. The yeast grown at 20℃ by addition of zinc ion also had a stimulating effect on flocculation behavior during first fermentation cycle. The zinc ion did not influence directly on the changes of cell wall in favor of stronger flocculence. The increased fermentation activity of yeast due to addition zinc ion was rather responsible for the intensified flocculation capacity. It was concluded that the weakly flocculating characters of bottom brewing yeast during first fermentation can be solved by using yeast propagated at 10℃ or by means of yeast by addition of zinc ion during propagation.

The effects of sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) on bioaccessibility and uptake of mercury from fish were investigated using an in vitro digestion coupled with a Caco-2 cell. Fish along with SCC was subjected to a simulated in vitro digestion, which simulates both the gastric and small intestinal phase in vivo. Mercury bioaccessibility, the amount of mercury released from fish to aqueous phase following a digestion, was measured. Various amounts of SCC (0.1-25 mg) significantly reduced mercury bioaccessibility in a dose dependent manner by 49-89% compared to the negative control (fish without SCC) (p<0.05). Mercury bioaccessibility in varying molar ratios of mercury to positive control, 2,3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonate (DMPS) was between 24 and 52%. Mercury uptake by Caco-2 cells from test media containing aqueous phase following in vitro digestion was measured after 6 hr incubation at 37℃. Cellular mercury uptake with increasing amount of SCC ranged from 0.352 to 0.052㎍ mercury/mg protein, while those in DMPS treatment were between 0.14 and 0.27㎍ mercury/mg protein. Our study suggests that SCC can reduce mercury absorption following fish consumption and may be efficient as a synthetic chelating agent for long term chronic mercury exposure in fish eating populations.

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed to simultaneously detect 3 events of genetically modified (GM) maize. The event-specific primers were used to discriminate the following 3 events of GM maize (DAS-59122-7, TC6275, and MIR604) using multiplex PCR method. The zein gene was used as an endogenous maize reference gene in the multiplex PCR detection. The primer pair Zein-FIR producing a 99 bp amplicon was used to amplify the zein gene. The primer JI-Das-F1/R1 for DAS-59122-7, JI-TC6275-F3/R3 for TC6275, and JI-MIR F1/R1 for MIR604 yielded an amplicon of 130, 162, and 197 bp, respectively. The detection limit of multiplex PCR was 1% for DAS-59122-7, TC6275, and MIR604 for one reaction.

¹H-Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry was applied to the quantitative analysis of coumarins in the roots of Angelica gigas without any chromatographic purification. The experiment was performed by the analysis of each singlet germinal methyl, which was well separated in the range of 1.0-2.0 ppm in the ¹H-NMR spectrum. The quantity of the compounds was calculated by the ratio of the intensity of each compound to the known amount of internal standard (dimethyl terephthalate). These results were compared with the conventional gas chromatography (GC) method. The contents of decursin and decursinol angelate in A. gigas were determined 1.98±0.07, 1.13±0.08% in quantitative ¹H-NMR method and 2.06±0.24, 1.17±0.24% in GC method, respectively. The advantages of quantitative ¹H-NMR analysis are that can be analyzed to identify and quantify, and no reference compounds required for calibration curves. Besides, it allows rapid and simple quantification for coumarins with an analysis time for only 10 min without any preprocessing.

Phytochemicals study from the leaves of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], one of Korean edible plant materials were investigated through various chromatographic procedures. The methanolic leaves extracts of soybean yielded 16 phytochemicals, including 5 isoflavones 1-5, 3 flavones 6-8, 1 flavonol 9, 2 pterocarpans 10 and 11, 2 phenolic compounds 12 and 13, 2 phytosterols 14 and 15, and 1 sugar alcohol 16. The structures were fully characterized by analysis of physical and spectral data and were defined clearly as 4,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone (1), 4,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 4,7-dihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone (3), 4,7-dihydroxyisoflavone (4), 4,7-dihydroxyisoflavone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), 5,7,4'-trihydroxyflavone (6), 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone (7), 3',4',5-trihydroxyflavone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavonol (9), coumestrol (10), glyceofuran (11), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (12), methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate (13), soyasapogenol B (14), stigmasterol (15), and D-mannitol (16), respectively. Among them, phytochemicals 7-16 were reported for the first time on the isolation and confirmation from the leaves of this species. These results suggest that the leaves extracts of soybean may possess possible health related benefits to human due to the isolated phytochemicals 1-16 which have been well known potential effects on various chronic diseases.

Microbial exopolysaccharide (EPS) is a biothickener that can be added to a wide variety of food products, where it serves as a viscosifying, stabilizing, emulsifying, and gelling agent. The objective of this study was to investigate the optimum conditions of pH, incubation temperature, and whey protein concentration (WPC) for EPS production by Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 9595. We found that maximal EPS production was achieved at a pH of 5.5 and temperature of 37℃. At the same fermentation conditions, EPS production was affected by the addition of L. rhamnosus GG (a weak-EPS producer). After growth for 24 hr, total EPS production was 583±15.4㎎/L in the single culture system, and 865±22.6㎎/L in the co-culture system with L. rhamnosus GG. Based on the presence of WPC, EPS production dramatically increased from 583±15.4㎎/L (under no WPC supplementation) to 1,011±14.7㎎/L (under supplementation with 1.0% WPC). These results suggest that WPC supplementation and the co-culture systems coupled with small portions of weak-EPS producing strain can play an important role in the enhancement of EPS production.

Natural products have been used to treat many neurological illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, the effects of the water extract of smoke-dried skipjack tuna (WSST), which is used as a traditional seasoning in Japan, as well as its fractions on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition in vitro and on memory in scopolamine-induced amnesia mice in vivo were evaluated. Bio-Rad P-2 gel permeation chromatography revealed the presence of 7 peaks and AChE significantly inhibited peak 3 and 5. When in vivo behavioral studies were conducted, a passive avoidance test revealed that treatment with 50 and 100 mg/kg WSST as well as with fraction 3 and 5 improved the loss in memory retention induced by scopolamine. These results suggest that skipjack tuna extract and its fractions improve memory deficits and that these substances are suitable for use in healthy foods designed to improve memory deficits induced by aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Concentrated catfish Silurus asotus bile (SAB) containing high amounts of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and taurocholic acid may have immunosuppressive properties. To investigate the putative immunosuppressive properties of SAB, the anti-proliferation and suppression of early T cell activation markers, and the inhibition of cytokines induced by T cells in response to anti-CD3 mAb activation in mouse splenocytes were examined. The suppression of these activation repertoires are the main properties of calcineurin inhibitors. It was found that SAB effectively suppressed the activation of T cells, and cytokines from T cell activation, at levels similar to cyclosporine A, a calcineurin inhibitor. Although the mechanism in which suppression occurs is not clear, we speculate that SAB from Silurus asotus, which has been known to switch their intake habits to zoophagy during an early adult stage, may explain the suppressive effect of SAB as a result of high amounts of functional UDCA in bile. Our results suggest that the treatment or intake of SAB, either in therapy or as a food supplement, may act as an adjuvant therapy for the prevention of transplant rejection, although further investigation is required before this treatment can be applied clinically.

Thirteen commercial antimicrobial products were examined to assess the sporicidal activity against Bacillus cereus spores at room temperature, 60 and 85℃. Neither the antimicrobials showed detectable antimicrobial activity against the B. cereus spores nor induced spore germination after the treatment at 0.5 or 1.0%(w/v, v/v) commercial antimicrobial agents at room temperature for 0.5 to 4 hr. However, when the antimicrobials such as chitosan, lactic acid, fermented pollen, grapefruit extract were applied with heat at 85℃ for 30 min, more than 1 log CFU/mL spores were additionally inactivated compared to only heat treatment without antimicrobials. Imposition of 60℃ to B. cereus spores with the higher concentration of 5.0%(v/v) lactic acid or 2.5%(w/v) thiamine dilaurylsulfate for the longer time incubation of 24 hr resulted in 3 log CFU/mL spore inactivation. This work showed that low concentrations of commercial antimicrobials by themselves did not inactivate B. cereus spores. However, when physical processes such as heat were combined together, antimicrobials showed a synergistic effect against B. cereus spores.

In Korea and China, cherry elaeagnus (Elaeagnus multiflora Thunb.) has been used traditionally to treat cough, diarrhea, itching, and foul sores. Therefore, in this study, the ethanol and water extracts of cherry elaeagnus leaves were examined for their antioxidant activities. The ethanol extract of the cherry elaeagnus leaves contained more phenolics than the water extract. All the cherry elaeagnus leaf extracts had higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability than ascorbic acid at concentrations of 250-1,000㎍/mL. The ethanol extract also showed higher superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity compared to the water extract. Furthermore, the SOD-like activity of the ethanol extract amounted to 89% of that of ascorbic acid at a concentration of 500㎍/mL. The nitrite scavenging ability and xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XOI) activity of the ethanol extract were higher than those of the water extract. In particular, the ethanol extract had higher XOI activity than ascorbic acid at a concentration of 1,000㎍/mL.

Cancer chemopreventive effects can be exerted through the induction of phase II detoxification enzymes and the inhibition of inflammatory responses. In this study, the cancer chemopreventive effects and anti-inflammatory responses of 30 seaweed extracts were examined. The extracts of Dictyota coriacea and Cutleria cylindrica exhibited the high chemoprevention index, having 4.36 and 4.66, respectively. They also activated antioxidant response element at 100㎍/mL by about 3-fold while did not activate xenobiotic response element. Seven seaweed extracts, Ishige okamurae, Desmarestia ligulata, Desmarestia viridis, Dictyopteris divaricata, D. coriacea, Sargassum horneri, and Sargassum yezoense, showed significant inhibition on nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in a dose-dependant manner in 5-20㎍/mL. These seaweed extracts could be used as food materials for cancer chemoprevention. D. coriacea could contain potential chemopreventive agents not only that regulate genes via an ARE-dependent mechanism but also prevent the inflammation through inhibition of NO and PGE2 production.

A non-instrumental immunochromatographic (ICG) strip-test and direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DC-ELISA) for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) determination were developed and optimized. The detection limits of ICG strip-test and DC-ELISA were 0.5 and 0.004 ng/mL, respectively, and these methods possessed a cross-reaction to aflatoxins. The results of spiked samples by both methods were coincided with the amount spiked AFB1 and the comparative analyses of 172 real samples by 2 immunoassays and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed a good agreement. Especially, the ICG strip-test is easier to perform and quicker, but less sensitivity than DC-ELISA. Both methods could analyze a high sample throughput with short time, but the sample throughput of ICG strip-test was better. Therefore, the ICG strip-test can be used as a simple, easy, non-instrumental, and fast screening technique for AFB1 determination.

Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus (ADA) have been shown to have various levels of activity such as antioxidant, anticancer, antivirus, and immunostimulatory effects. However, little is known about its mechanism related to the modulation of immune activities. In this study, a water extract of ADA leaves were used to treat human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC) to determine the underlying mechanisms for the immunostimulatory effects. To characterize its immunomodulatory activity, the secretion level of various cytokines including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Treatment of hPBMC with ADA leaf extract in an in vitro experiment induced various Th1 cytokines in a dose-dependent manner. A significant increase of IL-2, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α secretion was observed in the presence of ADA leaf extract. In contrast, Th2 cytokines including IL-4 and IL-6 were suppressed. There was no significant change in IL-10 release. Our results showed an increase in Th1 and a decrease in Th2 cytokine secretion which suggests that ADA may influence the immune response towards a predominance of Th1 cytokines in the immune system.