Earticle

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has gained widespread acceptance in sample pretreatment due to its solvent-free and easy-to-operate properties. SPME fibers are considered as a key part of SPME technique, since it primarily determinesthe extraction performance of the method including sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility. Generally speaking, targetanalyte with different chemical property requires fiber coating that has the best affinity towards it. Due to the lack of varietiesof commercial fibers available currently, considerable efforts have been recently made to develop tailor-made fibers to fulfillincreasing demands of different analysis. This paper concisely classify some SPME fiber preparation approaches such as sol-gel technology, physical deposition, molecularly imprinted technique, and their respective application in food safety analysis.

Since conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was identified as a principal anticancer component from ground beef in the1980s, CLA research has discovered that CLA has a wide range of biologically beneficial effects. Clinical studies with CLAare on the rise, and it is apparent that CLA may not be as effective in humans as in rodents, in particular its anti-obesity aspect.In addition, research with regard to other conjugated fatty acids as well as CLA metabolites is still in its infancy. Investigationof bioactivities for other conjugated fatty acids and CLA metabolites may help to extend the understanding of CLA and itsmechanisms of actions. This may pose an opportunity to use CLA more efficiently and expand the future use of otherconjugated fatty acids as pharmacological agents to assist current treatments.

The genus Bacillus includes a variety of diverse bacterial species, which are widespread throughout theenvironment due to their ubiquitous nature. A well-known member of the genus, Bacillus cereus, is a food poisoningbacterium causing both emetic and diarrhoeal disease. Other Bacillus species, particularly B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B.pumilus, and B. thuringiensis, have also recently been recognized as causative agents of food poisoning. However, reviewsand research pertaining to bacilli have focused on B. cereus. Here, we review the literature regarding the potentially toxigenicBacillus species and the toxins produced that are associated with food poisoning.

The antioxidative activities of the water solution of crude extract from edible mushroom enokitake Flammulinavelutipes were compared with those of ascorbic acid and ascorbic acid 6-palmitate in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions of codliver oil. Oxidation of the emulsions was carried out at 40 and 50oC in the dark. The antioxidant activities were measured byin vitro assay against oxygen uptake, 2-thiobarbituric acid value, hydroperoxide formation of the oils. Also, residualdocosahexaenoic acid content was measured as indices of lipid oxidation. The cod liver oil in O/W emulsions with addedenokitake crude extract (ECE) was significantly more stable against lipid oxidation than the control emulsions without theextract in terms of any oxidation indices used. Moreover, ECE provided remarkable antioxidative properties toeicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester in emulsion system. These observations demonstrate that F. velutipes can be used as a naturalantioxidant, which effectively prevents oxidation of polyunsaturated oils in emulsion system.

The stability of corn oil-in-water emulsions coated by milk proteins, sodium caseinate (CAS), or whey proteinconcentrate (WPC), was compared under the environmental stress of pH change. Emulsions were prepared at 0.1 of protein:oilbecause the majority of droplets were relatively small (d32=0.34 and 0.35µm, d43=0.65 and 0.37µm for CAS- and WPC-emulsions, respectively) and there was no evidence of depletion flocculation. As the pH of the emulsions was graduallydropped from 7 to 3, there was no significant difference in the electrical charges of the emulsion droplets between the 2 typesof emulsions. However, laser diffraction measurements, microscopy measurements, and creaming stability test indicated thatWPC-emulsions were more stable to droplet aggregation than CAS-emulsions under the same circumstance of pH change. Itimplies that factors other than electrostatic repulsion should contribute to the different magnitude of response to pH change.

Synergistic interactions between xanthan (X) and carob (C) were investigated by studying the linear viscoelasticbehavior of X, C, and X/C mixtures at sol and gel states. At the solution state, storage modulus (G') dominates the linearviscoelastic properties of X/C mixtures. The gelation temperature (52 to 57oC) was weakly dependent on the xanthan fraction(φX) in the mixture. The φX also had a strong effect on G’ until φX=0.5. The elastic active network concentration (EANC) ofX/C gels was estimated from the pseudo-equilibrium modulus. The EANC for systems with φX=0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 at 1%total concentration was 2.3, 4.4, 4.1, and 0.32 (×10–3 mol/m3), respectively. The maximum synergistic effect was observed atabout φX=0.5. The G' at the transition state of X/C mixed gel was proportional to ω3/2 at ω>ωtr (the onset transition frequency)compared to the theoretical limit of ω1/2.

In order to evaluate the bioactivity of ‘Agakong3’, which was newly bred, quinone reductase (QR) inductiveactivity and antioxidant activity were both assessed. The methanol extract of ‘Agakong3’ showed a significantly stronger QRinductive activity than other soybeans. The methanol extract of ‘Agakong3’ also showed a significantly stronger cytotoxicityon hepa1c1c7 than other soybeans. ‘Agakong3’ exhibited the most potent antioxidant activity in the Trolox equivalentantioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay whereas it showed significantly weak antioxidant in the DPPH assay. In total phenol andflavonoid contents, ‘Agakong3’ showed the highest contents regarding phenol and flavonoid compounds. Major isoflavonessuch as daidzein and genistein were quantitified by high performance liquid chromatography. ‘Agakong3’ also showed thehighest total isoflavone contents. Results of correlation analysis showed that there were high correlation coefficients betweenthe contents of isoflavone and TEAC and the contents of isoflavone and QR inductive activity, respectively. These resultssuggest that ‘Agakong3’ will be a promising and functional food material.

This study was performed to analyze various antioxidants, to evaluate the antioxidative activities, and to measurethe protective effect for gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) to assess the functional potency of the cherry tomato.The ascorbic acid, lycopene, and β-carotene were measured at 503.4±9.6, 39.7±1.5, and 7.4±0.3mg/100g d.w., and α-, β+γ-,δ-tocopherol contents were measured at 8.3±0.1, 1.7±0.0, and 0.1±0.0mg/100g d.w., respectively. Cherry tomato extractusing hexane/acetone/EtOH (2:1:1, CTE) exhibited a ABTS radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 48.83±0.30µg/mL. The cherry tomato protected against the inhibition of GJIC induced by H2O2 in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells, and thereduction in phosphorylated Cx43 was most clearly correlated with the concentration of CTE. These results demonstrated thatthe cherry tomato harbors a wealth of potent antioxidants and might be protect human body against the inhibition of the GJICby toxic components.

The effect of post-cut vanillin treatment at high concentrations on changes of quality and microorganism in fresh-cut apples was studied. Apples (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Fuji) were sliced, treated by dipping in different vanillin solution,0, 40, 80, and 120mM, packed in polyethylene bag, and then stored for up to 3 weeks at 4oC. Changes in total aerobicbacteria, yeast and molds, browning, soluble solids, and titratable acidity during storage were investigated. Growth of totalaerobic bacteria throughout storage was strongly inhibited by vanillin regardless of treatment concentrations. Growth of yeastand molds was inhibited by vanillin of all concentrations until 2 weeks of storage. Levels of browning index, soluble solids,and titratable acidity were not significant difference among the treatment conditions until 2 weeks of storage. However, whenstored for 3 weeks, browning index increased more at 80 or 120mM vanillin, while soluble solids and titratable acidity morebe decreased by 120mM vanillin as compared with other treatment conditions. These results show that the usage of vanillin inprocessing of fresh-cut apples had a limitation for maintaining quality.

A one-step simultaneous immunchromatographic (OS-ICG) assay using colloidal gold-monoclonal antibody(gold-MAb) conjugates was developed for the rapid multianalysis of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in feedsamples. Visual detection limits for AFB1 and OTA were 0.5 and 2.5ng/mL, respectively, and the results were obtainedwithin 15min. Matrix interference from the feed extracts was efficiently reduced by appropriate dilution with buffer. Cut-offvalues of the OS-ICG assay for the feed spiked with AFB1/OTA mixtures (5/5, 10/10, 25/25, 50/55, 100/100µg/kg) were 10and 50µg/kg for AFB1 and OTA. The comparative analyses of 65 feed samples by OS-ICG, enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay (ELISA), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed good agreement. In this study, we confirmedthat simultaneous analysis based on immunoassay is possible and it can be used as an on-site multianalysis of AFB1 and OTAin feed, food, and agricultural products.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of high-carbohydrate (HC) or high-fat (HF) diet with hydroxycitricacid (HCA)-containing Garcinia cambogia in rats. Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 7 groupsand raised with experimental diets containing different HCA levels (0, 1.6, and 3.2%) and calorie sources (carbohydrate, fat)for 8 weeks. Energy intake was significantly reduced in rats fed a HC diet with HCA compared to the HC diet without HCA.Body weight gain was significantly reduced in HCA groups. In the diet groups, plasma total lipid and triglyceride (TG) levelsof the HCA groups were significantly lower than those of the group without HCA. There were no significant differences inenergy intake and plasma lipid profile in HF groups. These results suggest that HC diet with HCA was more effective in thereduction of energy intake, body weight gain, and plasma lipid contents than those of HF diet with HCA.

Biotechnological phytase preparations are commercially available and are currently used in animal feeding.However, thermostability constraints, low yields, and the high cost of the enzyme have limited its use. This study represents anew perspective for the food enzyme market. The research screened thermostable yeast strains for their ability to producephytase. The screening was carried out with a gradual increase in temperature (30-48oC). Sixteen strains (1 strain identified asSaccharomyces cerevisiae) maintained the ability to produce phytase at 48oC and their phytase activity was confirmed using 2phytase assay methodologies. The yeast strains tested in this study seem to be potential efficient producers of phytase,indicating a possible new source of thermostable phytase of commercial interest, particularly that from S. cerevisiae.

The heat tolerance and the inactivation kinetics of peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in pineapples(Ananas comosus) were studied in the temperature range 45-95oC. The kinetic parameters, such as deactivation rate constant(k), activation energy (Ea), and decimal reduction rate (D) of the thermal inactivation process, were determined. POD inpineapples showed biphasic inactivation behavior at temperatures range 45-75oC but was monophasic at 85-95oC. Thisindicate that POD has 2 isozymes, namely heat labile and heat resistant, with Ea of 68.79 and 93.23 kJ/mol, respectively. Onthe other hand, the heat denaturation of pineapple PPO could be described as simple monophasic first-order behavior with Eaof 80.15 kJ/mol. Thus, the results of this study is useful in blanching technology where it shows a shortened time with highertemperature can be applied. The determination of the heat tolerance and inactivation POD and PPO, at different temperaturerange as done in the present work, was very important to improve the blanching process. This also will help to optimize thepineapple canning process which is one of the most important food industries in many tropical regions.

Extract of water-soluble polysaccharide (CFWx), showing inhibiting activity on α-glucosidase, was prepared fromthe fruiting bodies of Cordyceps militaris by hot-water extraction, and ethanol precipitation. Chemical characteristics of CFWxwere as follows: carbohydrate content 30% including 16% of uronic acid; 51% protein content; monosaccharide composition,Man:Glu:Gal (30:43:27); molecular weight 3-5×104. CFWx was further purified by ion-exchange, gel-permeation, and affinitychromatography and CFWx-AH-α fraction was isolated. Fundamental structure of CFWx-AH-α was deduced as α-(1→4)-D-glucan with α-(1→3)- and/or α-(1→6)-D-glycosidic side chains based on methylation analysis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activities of enzymatic digests from citrus by-products(CBPs) prepared by high speed drying (HSD). HSD needs a short time (60 min) for drying and can be used in a commercialscale. Enzymatic digests were prepared from the CBPs using 6 enzymes such as aminoglucosidase (AMG), celluclast,pectinex, termamyl, ultraflo, and viscozyme. Antioxidant activities of AMG digest from CBPs were evaluated by different invitro models such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, alkyl, H2O2 scavenging, metal chelating, lipid peroxidation,and comet assays, and exhibited strong activities. The antioxidant compounds were detected by an high performance liquidchromatography (HPLC) coupled on-line to an 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS+) scavengingdetection system, and found that hesperidin was the key compound. Therefore, the results obtained in this study suggest thatHSD is an effective method to transform wet CBPs into dried form, and CBPs are potential source of natural antioxidant.

Changes in lipophillic pigments concentration and its relation to color of fresh green tea liquor during heattreatment were studied. The results showed liquor greenness decreased markedly with extension of incubation time at 55oC,while the brightness and yellowness changed a little. Significant increase in ‘a’ and ‘b’ values of tea liquor was observed at95oC. Color change of liquor at 55oC was accompanied by a decrease in the level of chlorophylls, lutein and neoxanthin, andan increase in the pheophytins and β-carotene levels. However, all pigments except β-carotene decreased with time extensionat 95oC. Significant correlation was found between pigments and color difference index. The browning of fresh green tealiquor was attributed to vicissitudes of lipophillic pigments during heat treatment, especially to the change of chlorophylls/pheophytins ratio. Result also showed addition of Zn2+ at 1.6µmol/L could partially alleviate the decrease in greenness duringheat treatment.

Germination is well-known to enhance the digestibility, functionality, and palatability of plant seeds. To examinethe functionality of germinated-safflower seed (GSS), proliferative and differentiative effects of GSS extract on the mousecalvarial bone cells were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolinbromide (MTT) assay and alkalinephosphatase activity, respectively. Water extract of GSS increased dose-dependently proliferative and differentiative effects oncalvarial bone cell, and its effects were stronger than those of ungerminated-safflower seeds (UGSS) extract. One majorcomponent was isolated from GSS extract by a series of purification procedure of solvent fractionation, Diaion HP-20, andSephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. Its chemical structure was identified as trachelogenin (TC) by nuclear magneticresonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) spectral analysis. Trachelogenin showed significant proliferative (125.7%) anddifferentiative (132.1%) effects on calvarial bone cells at 10−8 M, and its effects were significantly higher than those of 17β-estradiol (E2). TC was found to be a major active compound responsible for high proliferative and differentative effects of thewater extract of GSS. Therefore, these results suggest that TC in GSS may be useful as potential therapeutic agent for theprevention and treatment of bone loss.

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed for the detection of 4 events of geneticallymodified (GM) soybean. The event-specific primers were designed from 4 events of GM soybean (RRS, A2704-12,DP356043-5, and MON89788). The lectin was used as an endogenous reference gene of soybean in the PCR detection. Theprimer pair YjLec-4-F/R producing 100bp amplicon was used to amplify the lectin gene and no amplified product wasobserved in any of the 9 different plants used as templates. This multiplex PCR method allowed for the detection of event-specific targets in a genomic DNA mixture of up to 1% GM soybean mixture containing RRS, A2704-12, DP356043-5, andMON89788. In this study, 20 soybean products obtained from commercial food markets were analyzed by the multiplex PCR.As a result, 6 samples contained RRS. These results indicate that this multiplex PCR method could be a useful tool formonitoring GM soybean.

In this study, the volatile compounds in 9 commercial fermented soybean pastes were extracted and analyzed byheadspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Atotal of 63 volatile components, including 21 esters, 7 alcohols, 7 acids, 8 pyrazines, 5 volatile phenols, 3 ketones, 6aldehydes, and 6 miscellaneous compounds, were identified. Esters, acids, and pyrazines were the largest groups among thequantified volatiles. About 50% of the total quantified volatile material was contributed by 5 compounds in 9 soybean pastesamples; ethyl hexadecanoate, acetic acid, butanoic acid, 2/3-methyl butanoic acid, and tetramethyl-pyrazine. Three samples(CJW, SIN, and HAE) made by Aspergillus oryzae inoculation showed similar volatile patterns as shown in principalcomponent analyses to GC-MS data sets, which showed higher levels in ethyl esters and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol. Traditionalfermented soybean pastes showed overall higher levels in pyrazines and acids contents.

Lysozyme was treated with digestive enzymes and the production of interleukin 8 (IL-8) was measured in Caco-2cell with the peptides from lysozyme upon stimulating with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to investigate the overall anti-inflammatory activity of lysozyme when it is in digestive tracts. Lysozyme reduced IL-8 production, and the peptides frompepsin hydrolysis of lysozyme had the similar effect. The products of trypsin digestion of lysozyme had no effect on thereduction of IL-8 production while those of pepsin-trypsin hydrolysis did. The effectiveness of lowering IL-8 production wasnot different by time of the peptide addition. When Caco-2 cells were pre-incubated with peptides for 24 hr, the reductioneffects were observed from the peptides from pepsin hydrolysis, indicating that some of the peptides are still remaining in thecells. Therefore, it can be concluded that the IL-8 reduction effect of lysozyme against LPS still remained even after thepepsin and trypsin hydrolysis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of sea tangle (Laminariajaponica) on the blood glucose and lipid metabolism in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley ratswere divided into 3 groups fed control, sea tangle powder (15%, w/w), or sea tangle water extract (4%, w/w) diet. Diabeteswas induced by a single injection of STZ (60mg/kg, i.p.) in citrate buffer. The animals were fed each of the experimental dietfor 13 weeks. Serum insulin was increased by dietary supplementation of sea tangle in diabetic rats. Dietary sea tanglereduced blood glucose level of diabetic rats compared to the diabetic rats fed control diet. Dietary sea tangle also reduced theserum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, and triglyceridein the diabetic rats. While hepatic lipidswere reduced, fecal excretion of lipids was increased by supplementation with dietary sea tangle in the diabetic rats. Theseresults indicate that dietary sea tangle decreased blood glucose andimproved lipid metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic ratsand this effect might be exerted by increases in serum insulin and fecal excretion of lipids.

Thermal degradation characteristics of sucrose was investigated. A 20% sucrose solution was heated totemperatures of 110-150oC for 1-5hr. Chromaticity, pH, organic acids, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), free sugars, electrondonating ability (EDA), and ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity (AEAC) of the heated sucrose solutions wereevaluated. With increasing temperatures and times, the L-, a-, and b-values decreased; however, total color difference (∆Eab)increased. The pH and sucrose contents decreased, and fructose and glucose contents increased with increasing heatingtemperature and time. Organic acids, such as formic acid, lactic acid, and levulinic acid, and HMF contents increased withincreasing heating temperatures and times. EDA (%) and the AEAC of the heated sucrose solutions increased with increasingheating temperature and time. The heated sucrose solution was more effective than unheated sucrose solution, having higherEDA (90 fold), and AEAC (13 fold).

Anthocyanins are considered one of the main color determinants in aged red wine. The anthocyanins in aged redwine made from ‘Cabernet Gernischet’ (Vitis vinifera L. cv.) grape were investigated by high performance liquidchromatography- electronic spray ionization- mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) and their color presented in aqueoussolution were evaluated using partial least square regression (PLS). The results showed that there were 37 anthocyaninsidentified in this wine, including 22 pyranoanthocyanins. The analysis of PLS indicated that different anthocyanins showeddistinct color values: malvidin 3-O-(6-O-acetyl)-glucoside-4-vinylguaiacol (Mv3-acet-glu-vg) presented the highest colorvalues, while malvidin 3-O-glucoside (Mv3-glu) showed least. Among the free non-acylated anthocyanins, peonidin 3-O-glucoside (Pn3-glu) showed the highest color values; the coumarylated anthocyanins presented higher color values than theircorresponding acetylated anthocyanins and parent anthocyanins; pyranoanthocyanins presented also higher color values thantheir original anthocyanins; the color of anthocyanins depended on their structure. This work will be helpful to revealevolution in aged red wine.

An acidic polygalacturonase (PG) from Aspergillus kawachii was produced by solid state fermentation employinga polyurethane foam support. The conditions used for the production of acidic PG were particle size of support (0.6 or 500mm3) and fermentation time. From the factors studied, the particle size had important influence on enzyme production. Thebest conditions for acidic PG production were 0.6mm3 particle size, 18 hr at 30oC and initial pH of 5.0. In addition, pectinwas extracted from citrus pomaces (grapefruit, lime, and tangerine) by acidic PG at 50oC for 24 hr with citric acid solution.Infrared spectroscopy showed that lime pomace had more high-methoxylated (65%) endogenous pectin than was obtainedthan from grapefruit or tangerine pomaces. The enzymatically extracted pectin yield in dry basis (d.b.) for grapefruit and limepectins were 6.95 and 4.25%, respectively. The citric acid solution alone also contributed to pectin extraction from citruspomaces (7-9%, d.b.). Limited pectin extraction by acidic PG from tangerine pomace was most likely due to the presence oflow-methoxylated endogenous pectin. The enzymatic method for pectin extraction using acidic PG from A. kawachii is apromising technique for releasing highly polymerized pectic substances from high-methoxylated lime or grapefruit pomaces.

This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic action of administration of Nigella sativa (NS) and Peganum harmala(PH) oils in diabetes and hepatic toxicity. Results show that treatment of diabetic rats with NS oil or PH oil amelioratehyperglycaemia induced stress oxidative and hepatic dysfunction in diabetic rats. Administration of NS or PH oil to diabeticrats caused an anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities by the decrease in plasmatic glucose level and increase in hepaticsuperoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, reduced glutathione (GSH) andglycogen contents compared to untreated diabetic rats. Besides, NS and PH oils protect the hepatic function observed bydecrease of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TCh), and increase of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-Ch) levels inserum and hepatic tissues. Moreover, a diminution in the bilirubin, transaminase glutanic pyruvic (TGP), and transaminasepyruvic oxaloacetic (TPO) contents in serum and the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances levels (TBARs) in hepatic tissuesare also detected.

Sensory quality variations of jajang sauce were monitored by the X-chart and capability analysis based onspecifications of each sensory attributes. For sensory quality control (QC) of the sauce which has a strong sweetness andsourness, the ratio of sourness/sweetness was examined as a necessary QC factor to maintain the balance of sweetness andsourness. For the sensory QC factors, all the sensory data were divided into individual sensory score of reference which was apack of sauce manufactured a week ago. The ratio form of sensory data was useful for decreasing individual variations and forincreasing normality of data measured by category scale. The overall proportion of out-spec products under normalmanufacturing conditions was obtained by capability analysis of sensory data with normal distribution. Out-spec samples weremonitored by the -chart of each sensory attributes.

The polysaccharide (BB-pol) extracted from Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 showed growth inhibitory effects onseveral colon cancer cell lines such as HT-29 and HCT-116. To increase the yield of polysaccharide, B. bifidum BGN4 wascultured in various culture media with different compositions. When B. bifidum BGN4 was cultured in modified MRS brothcontaining phytic acid, the cells showed increased branch formation and enlarged morphology. The content of totalcarbohydrate and the ability of adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells were also increased by phytic acid. The polysaccharideobtained from the cells grown in the presence of phytic acid inhibited the proliferation of cancer cell lines such as HT-29 andMCF-7 cells but not normal colon cell line, FHC. Taken together, Bifidobacterium grown in the presence of phytic acid mayconfer enhanced beneficial function for the host.

The growth-inhibiting activities of persimmon roots-derived materials against intestinal bacteria were evaluatedand compared with that of 1,4-naphthoquinone as a positive control. The active constituent isolated from persimmon roots wascharacterized as 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone using various spectroscopic analyses. Treatment with 1,4-naphthoquinone at a dose of 1.0 mg/disc strongly inhibited the growth of 6 intestinal bacteria. Furthermore, when thestructure-activity relationships of 1,4-naphthoquinone’s derivatives were evaluated, 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinoneand 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone were found to strongly inhibit the growth of Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens,and Escherichia coli without adversely affecting the growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium longum, andLactobacillus acidophilus. Additionally, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone and 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone strongly inhibitedthe growth of C. difficile and C. perfringens, but did not inhibit the growth of E. coli. Taken together, these results indicate thatpersimmon roots-derived materials and some of 1,4-naphthoquinone’s derivatives could be useful preventive agents againstdiseases caused by harmful intestinal bacteria.

The effects of probiotic bacteria on the functional properties of squid by-products were investigated duringfermentation. Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillusparacasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Pediococcus acidilactici were used to ferment the squid by-products for 96 hr at37oC. The numbers of all probiotics increased to 107-108 CFU/g after 96hr fermentation. No substantial pH changes wereobserved. L. rhamnosus and P. acidilactici showed the highest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities.Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secreted from B cells increased after adding the extracts ofprobiotic-fermented squid by-products. The human NK cells were grown well in the B cell-growing broth cultured with theextracts of squid by-products fermented by L. rhamnosus and P. acidilactici. Trimethylamine (TMA) and dimethylamine(DMA) contents were significantly decreased after probiotic-fermentation. Therefore, L. rhamnosus GG and P. acidilactici canbe used for the fermentation of squid by-products and their use would provide benefits in functional food products.

Hot water extracts of Camellia japonica flower buds were found to have the higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging activity than the other solvent extracts. Five phenolic compounds were isolated and purified fromthe ethyl acetate soluble-neutral fraction of hot water extracts by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and octadecylsilane-high performance liquid chromatography using the guided assay of DPPH radical scavenging. Based on massspectrometer and nuclear magnetic resonance, the isolated compounds were identified as p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), vanillin(2), dehydroxysynapyl alcohol (3), 7S,7'S,8R,8'R-icariol A2 (4), and (-)-epicatechin (5). Four compounds (1-4) except for 5were newly identified in this plant. Their DPPH radical scavenging activities as 50% scavenging concentration decreased inorder to 5 (20µM)>α-tocopherol (29µM)>4 (67µM)>3 (72µM)>1=2 (>250µM). These results indicate that theantioxidant effect of the hot water extract of C. japonica flower buds may partially due to 5 isolated phenolic compounds.