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Microencapsulation of flavor was carried out by molecular inclusion process using β-cyclodextrin (βCD). βCD-flavor complex was prepared at various flavor-to-βCD ratios (1:6−1:12) to determine the effect of βCD concentration on theinclusion efficiency. Maximum total oil retention and minimal surface oil content were obtained at flavors to βCD ratio of1:10. The physical properties and controlled release pattern of flavors from βCD-flavor complex were measured andcompared with spray-dried microcapsules prepared using carbohydrate wall system. βCD-flavor complex showed higher totaloil retention and surface oil contents, smaller mean particle size, lower moisture uptake, and higher oxidation stability thanspray-dried microcapsule. Oxidative stability of flavor was correlated with hygroscopicity of wall materials. The controlledrelease mechanism was highly affected by temperature and characteristics of wall materials.

The inhibition effects of an Alpinia officinarum (AO, Zingiberaceae) on the formation of advanced glycation endproducts, aldose reductase, and scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) radical for the prevention and/ortreatment of diabetic complications were investigated. The ethyl acetate fraction of AO was the most effective among allfractions. Through the tests with electron impact-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, two compounds(compound 1 and 2) finally obtained from the ethyl acetate fraction of AO were identified as galangin (1) and kaempferide(2), respectively. In addition, the compound 1 and 2 and the ethyl acetate fraction were compared for the prevention effect onadvanced glycation end products, aldose reductase, and the scavenging effect on DPPH radical. The ethyl acetate fraction wassignificantly more effective than the 2 compounds for those preventive activities.

This study evaluated the effect of biocellulose and the diet formulation on reducing body weight gain of obese ratsinduced by high-fat diet for 10 weeks. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to high-fat diet group (OB-CON), high-fat diet group containing 5% biocellulose (OB-BIO), and high-fat diet group containing 5% dietary formulation(OB-DF). After feeding each diet for additional 10 weeks, body weight gains of OB-BIO and OB-DF groups were lower by3.3 and 4.8%, respectively as compared with that of OB-CON group. Although not significant, measured values of theperirenal and visceral fat pads of OB-BIO and OB-DF groups were lower than those of the OB-CON group. The weight ofinterscapular brown adipose tissue did not show significant difference in all groups. The size of adipocyte in rats was lower inboth OB-BIO and OB-DF groups. Thus, biocelluose and the diet formulation showed the anti-obesity effect.

Drying characteristics of fresh Korean-type rehmannia (jiwhang) noodle was investigated to determine dryingkinetic parameters under the experimental conditions of 5 temperatures (30, 40, 60, 80, and 90oC). Drying curve of the noodleshowed a biphasic pattern of decrease in drying rate with initial rapid drying followed by slow dehydration as the progress indrying. In all drying conditions, only falling drying rate period was observed and the drying rate of the noodle was greatlyinfluenced by the drying temperature. The effective diffusion coefficients (Deff) were determined by the diffusion model andtheir temperature dependency was determined using an Arrhenius equation. The activation energy (Ea) values for the drying ofthe noodle were 19.94 and 21.09 kJ/mol at the initial and the latter stage of dehydration, which were comparable to those ofpasta or Japanese udong dehydration.

Celandine (Chelidonium majus, family Papaveraceae) is an herb used extensively in traditional Korean medicine.To investigate its antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, the methanolic extract of celandine was introduced. Theantioxidant properties of the extract were tested using various in vitro systems, including hydroxyl radical scavenging assay,DNA damage protection assay, 1,1-diphenyll-2-2-pricylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, metal chelatingactivity, and reducing power assay. The extract exhibited stronger antioxidant activity (IC50=7.92 µg/mL) against hydroxylradicals in the Fenton system than butylated hydroxyanisole (IC50=51.46 µg/mL) and α-tocopherol (IC50=67.48µg/mL).Likewise, damage to the plasmid pBR 322 induced by hydroxyl radicals was found to be protected by the extract at aconcentration of 400µg/mL. Cellular proliferation and the induction of apoptosis were also examined by a cellularproliferation assay, flow cytometry, and mRNA expression analysis. Taken together, the extract significantly inhibited thegrowth of HT-29 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and gradually increased both the proportion ofapoptotic cells and the expression of caspase-3. Overall, our research suggests that celandine possesses antioxidant andantiproliferative properties.

In this study, the effects of processed small black soybeans on the intestinal morphological characteristics of ratswere examined. Adult male rats were fed diets containing raw, cooked, or acidified small black soybean powders for 4 weeks.The total short chain fatty acid (SCFA) level was significantly higher in the acidified small black soybean supplemented groupthan in the raw and cooked soybean diet groups. The major SCFAs found in the experimental groups were acetate, followedby propionate and butyrate. The duodenal villus height and colonic mucosal thickness were also significantly higher in theacidified small black soybean supplemented group than in the raw and cooked soybean diet groups. The acidified small blacksoybean supplemented group showed the densest colonic mucosa by staining with alcian blue (AB), as compared to the rawand cooked soybean diet groups. The acidified small black soybean supplemented group exhibited strongly stained CD4+ inthe mucosal lamina propria, while cooked and acidified diet groups were more strongly stained CD8+ in the submucosallamina propria than the raw diet group. These results suggest that acidified small black soybeans may help improve intestinalfunction.

Ability of water extract from Prunella vulgaris Labiatae to stimulate immune system and inhibit tumor metastasisin mice was assessed. In experimental lung metastasis, prophylactic intravenous (i.v.) administration of water extract from P.vulgaris significantly inhibited lung metastasis in a dose-dependant manner. Peritoneal macrophages stimulated with P.vulgaris produced various cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interlukin (IL)-12 as well as inducedtumoricidal activity. In an assay for natural killer (NK) cell activity, i.v. administration of P. vulgaris significantly augmentedNK cytotoxicity. The depletion of NK cells by injection of rabbit anti-asialo GM1 serum abolished the inhibitory effect of P.vulgaris on lung metastasis of colon26-M3.1 cells. These data demonstrate that P. vulgaris activate innate immune system toinhibit the growth of foreign materials including tumor cells in mice.

The fruits of Cornus kousa Burg. were extracted with 80% aqueous methanol (MeOH) and the concentratedextract was partitioned with ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and H2O. From the EtOAc fraction, 5 triterpenoidswere isolated through repeated silica gel (SiO2), octadecyl silica gel (ODS), and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography(c.c.). These compounds were determined to be ursolic acid (1), corosolic acid (2), taraxasterol (3), betulinic acid (4), andbetulinic aldehyde (5) on the basis of their spectroscopic data including electronic ionization mass spectrometry, ultravioletspectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance. This is the first reported isolation of these compoundsfrom this plant. Also, compounds 1, 3, 4, and 5 show a relatively high inhibitory activity against human acyl-CoA: cholesterolacyltransferase-1 (hACAT-1) with inhibition values of 52.8±0.7, 91.1±0.4, 93.0±0.7, and 96.2±0.2% at a concentration of100µM, respectively.

This study was conducted to examine the changes in the molecular structure and physiological activities of silkfibroin by gamma irradiation. The results of gel permeation chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis showed that the molecular weight of fibroin was increased depending upon the irradiation dose. Secondarystructure of fibroin determined by using circular dichroism revealed that the ratio of α-helix was increased up to 10 kGy andthen decreased depending upon the irradiation dose. Whereas, the ratio of β-sheet, β-turn, and random coil were decreased andthen increased with an alteration in the α-helix secondary conformation. The 2.2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) radicalscavenging activity of fibroin was increased by gamma irradiation at 5 kGy, but was decreased above 10 kGy depending uponthe irradiation dose. Also, the inhibition activities of tyrosinase and melanin synthesis of fibroin were increased by gammairradiation. These results indicated that gamma irradiation could be used as an efficient method to make fibroin more suitablefor the development of functional foods and cosmetics.

Effects of ginseng on in vivo antioxidant capacities with age were studied in rats. All rats were reared in theconventional system. Ginseng-treated rats were supplied with ginseng water extracts (25mg/kg/day) continuously from 6weeks of age to spontaneous death. None of the rats showed any discernible adverse effects of treatment with ginseng-containing water. There was no significant difference in body weight (BW) gains with age between treated and control groups.However, ginseng extracts did cause a decrease in the level of serum low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, glucose, andthiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the treated rats. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase,and glutathione peroxidase in liver cytosol decreased with age in the control group. However, these enzyme activities werewell maintained in the ginseng-treated rats and, especially, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were consistentlyhigher than in control rats. The levels of total sulfhydryl group (T-SH) and glutathione reductase (GR) were unchanged, andglutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity gradually decreased with age in both groups. There were no differences in T-SH, GR,or GST between the control and treatment groups. These results indicate that long-term administration of ginseng retards age-related deterioration in some biochemical parameters such as cholesterol, glucose, and lactate dehydrogenase in serum and ithas an enhancing effect on antioxidant capacity in the liver.

In the current study, inhibitory activity of 8 selected Korean edible plants of Lamiaceae family against α-glucosidases, prepared from rat small intestine acetone powder was evaluated. Total flavonoids and oxygen radical absorbancecapacity (ORAC) were also investigated. Methyl alcohol extracts of Scutellaria indica (SI) had the highest α-glucosidaseinhibitory activity relevant for potentially managing hyperglycemia, followed by Clinopodium gracile (CG) and Thymusquinquecostatus (TQ). These 3 species also showed significant antioxidant activity in ORAC system. The α-glucosidaseinhibitory activity of the extracts was compared to selected phenolics. Among the standard phenolics tested quercetin whichwas major flavonoid in the extracts had the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. CG, TQ, and SI which had high quercetincontent and ORAC values also exhibited significant sucrase inhibitory activity. Results suggested that selected 3 KoreanLamiaceae species have the potential development of effective dietary strategy for postprandial hyperglycemia and oxidativestress-linked diabetes complications.

Present study was investigated the hepatic effects of equol on the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced enzymatic activity and expression of CYP1Al and CYP1B1 in mice. Equol was administered orally at 5 and 25mg/kg BW for 4 weeks. Subsequently, mice pretreated with equol received DMBA intragastrically twice a week for 2 weeks.DMBA induced CYP1 activity as well as the expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1. Each of these effects was significantlyreduced by equol in dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). Equol also reduced the relative AhR mRNA expression, similar to itseffect on CYP1A1. These results suggest that equol modulates the CYP1A1 through a reduction of AhR expression in micetreated with DMBA.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was employed to assess the thermo-tolerance characteristics ofBifidobacterium infantis ATCC 27920 to mild heat adaptation. When exposed to various heat levels, pH, and hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) stress conditions, B. infantis ATCC 27920 exhibited high level of stress resistance. Under mild-heat treatment (46oC), nosignificant change in viability level was observed after 2 hr. Interestingly, improved viability was observed in mild-heat adapted(46oC for 1 hr) cultures exposed to 55oC, in comparison to control experiments. Viability was not affected by pH, bile, and H2O2stress conditions. 2-DE analysis revealed those mild-heat adaptation up-regulated 4 proteins and down-regulated 3 proteins.Among these protein spots, isopropylmalate dehydratase (leuD), glycosyltransferase (glgA), and ribosomal protein L5 (rplE) wereidentified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS).

The purpose of the study was to develop a new process to manufacture ginseng extract containing saponin aglyconof high concentration. The process to transform saponin glycosides to saponin aglycon was analyzed by high performanceliquid chromatography (HPLC). GCK-1 (open cultured mixture for 1 day at 42oC) had the highest content of protopanaxadiol(0.662%). However, other mixtures (GCK-2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) had less than 0.152% in the content of protopanaxadiol. In case offermentation by inoculation of Bacillus natto, BNG-5 (B. natto inoculated mixture for 5 days at 42oC) showed the highestcontent of protopanaxadiol (0.364%). Other mixtures (BNG-1, 2, 3, 4, and 6) also showed the high content of more than 0.2%in protopanaxadiol. B. natto inoculation or open culture fermentation with soybean transformed ginseng saponin glycosidesinto saponin aglycon.

In this study, the correlation between color of redness and L-carnitine content in meats was investigated usingmicroplate enzymatic assays. The L-carnitine levels and its storage stabilities of domestic and imported livestock products inKorean markets were also studied. The results showed a high correlation (r=0.9764) between L-carnitine content and rednessvalues of homogenized meat solution. Korean native cattle (‘Hanwoo’) meat showed the highest L-carnitine content(3.64±0.14µmol/g) in meat samples analyzed in this study. The L-carnitine level of the meats decreases during periods of storagein cold and freezing conditions, and the level of decrease was more significant at 4oC than at −20oC, which suggests that thestorage stability of L-carnitine is related to its storage temperature. This study gives reliable data about correlation between meatcolor of redness and L-carnitine content, and gives useful information to determine the characteristics of ‘Hanwoo’.

To evaluate the anticolitic effect of red ginseng (RG, the steamed root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, Araliaceae),RG and its representative constituents, ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2, were orally administered to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitic mice and inflammatory markers investigated. RG and its constituents, ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2, inhibitedcolon shortening and myeloperoxidase activity induced by DSS. The ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2 inhibited mRNA expressionof interleukin (IL)-1β as well as protein levels of IL-1β and IL-6. These ginsenosides also inhibited the activation of atranscription nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Ginsenoside Rh2 was a more potent inhibitor than ginsenoside Rg3. The anticoliticeffects of these ginsenosides were comparable with sulfasalazine.

Naringenin is a bioactive flavanone containing antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties.The inhibitory effects on hyaluronidase of naringenin and its novel derivatives were evaluated. Among these flavonoids at 200µM concentration, 7-O-butyl naringenin had the highest inhibitory effect on hyaluronidase with 44.84%. In addition, Fornaringenin at concentrations of 0, 150, and 190µM, the apparent Michaelis constants (appKm) were calculated to be 0.60±0.02,0.43±0.02, and 0.41±0.01mg/mL of substrate, respectively; for 7-O-butyl naringenin at 0, 20, and 30µM concentrations,those were 0.44±0.03 and 0.27±0.03 mg/mL, respectively. The Vmax values at 150 and 190µM naringenin were 0.59±0.02and 0.56±0.01 mg/mL/min, respectively; and those at 20 and 30µM 7-O-butyl naringenin were 0.50±0.02 and 0.33±0.02mg/mL/min, respectively. However, the slopes of each inhibitory reaction were not significantly different. Therefore,naringenin and 7-O-butyl naringenin were shown to be uncompetitive inhibitors. These results demonstrate the potential use of7-O-butyl naringenin as an anti-inflammatory substance.

Cereal β-glucans, linked essentially by mixed β-(1,4/1,3) glycosidic bonds, were extracted, purified, andstructurally identified. Previously chemical structure of barley β-glucans was characterized from 3 varieties of ‘Gang’, ‘Ohl’,and ‘Gwangan’, and the (1,4)/(1,3) linkage ratio of the β-glucans was identical. In this study, β-glucans from 1 barley (‘Chal’)and 3 oat (‘Ohl’, ‘Samhan’, and ‘Donghan’) varieties were structurally scrutinized, and the linkage pattern of total 7 cereal β-glucans was compared. The amount of 2 major 3-O-β-cellobiosyl-D-glucose (DP3) and 3-O-β-cellotriosyl-D-glucose (DP4)from barley and oat accounted for only 66.6-73.3 and 68.12-81.89% of water-extractable β-glucan fractions, and the (1,4)/(1,3) linkage ratios of both barley and oat β-glucans were within very narrow range of 2.27-2.31 and 2.38-2.39, respectively,among the cultivars tested. Structural difference in the cereal β-glucans was evident when DP3:DP4 ratio in the β-glucanstructure was compared. As a result, this ratio was significantly greater for barley β-glucan (2.26-2.74) than for oat (1.54-1.66). Chal-B had the greatest DP3 to DP4 ratio among the samples, which in turn reflected the least amount of (1,4)-linkages.

Swimming enhancing effects of ssanghwatang fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisae in mice were investigated,and then the blood biochemical parameters related to fatigue were measured. Compared to the control group, the swimmingtime was significantly increased in fermented ssanghwatang (FST) group from day 4 (29.27±4.73 vs. 50.27±9.05min,p<0.05). The lactate level, an important indicator of fatigue, was drastically lower in FST group than in control group(2.13±0.13 vs. 1.40±0.12 mmole/L, p<0.01). These results suggest that FST possesses stimulatory effects which can enhanceexercise performance and reduce fatigue.