As an alternative to chemical fumigation using reagents such as methyl bromide, sweet persimmon was treated with γ-irradiation with the aim of extending the export of persimmon to countries with strict quarantine requirements. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) was also employed to prevent the loss of persimmon quality, as treatment by γ-irradiation can cause changes in the firmness and color of the fruit, in addition to physiological injuries. The persimmon quality was assessed at 25℃ over a defined period of retail display following long term cold storage for 60 and 90 day. The persimmon firmness was significantly (p<0.05) decreased following γ-irradiation and display at 25℃ over 2 day, but was dramatically reduced after 3 day display and 60 day cold storage. Although irradiation increased the respiration rate of persimmon after long term storage, it was not significantly (p>0.05) altered at the doses employed herein. In contrast, 1-MCP treatment significantly (p<0.05) improved the persimmon firmness from 1.1 N to 6.0-20.6 N after γ-irradiation treatment and 3 day display and little change in the skin color was observed compared to the untreated samples. The rate of flesh softening was also significantly reduced following 1-MCP treatment.
The main goal of this work was to investigate changes in microbiological quality and dominant bacterial communities present in minimally processed Platycodi radix (Doraji) under vacuum packaging during cold storage using matirix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry fingerprinting. Microbiological analysis of raw Platycodi radix throughout the manufacturing process highlighted the presence of high numbers of total viable cells both before and after storage. Further, the dominant bacterial communities changed during processing and storage, with greater richness detected in Enterobacteriaceae; specifically, Serratia fonticola and Rahnella aquatilis became abundant in Platycodi radix after processing. During storage at 5 and 15℃, the quality diminished and the relative abundance of Leuconostoc spp. increased; Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides and Leuconostoc citreum were the main bacterial communities in decayed Platycodi radix at the end of storage. Microorganisms present in Platycodi radix products during processing and storage are potentially involved in deterioration. The identification of dominant bacteria can be helpful in the effective establishment of packaging and storage conditions to prolong the freshness of minimally processed Platycodi radix products.
Persimmon is a plant that is native to the Republic of Korea. It leaves are rich in antioxidants and minerals. This study set out to investigate the moisture, color, vitamin C, and mineral contents of five of the most common Korean persimmon leaves (‘Sangju-dungsi’, ‘Sangam-dungsi’, ‘Cheongdobansi’, ‘Gabjubaekmok,’ and ‘Suhong’), and how they varied with the applied drying technique (freeze-drying or hot-air drying at 100℃ for 30 min) and harvesting time (late May or late June). Persimmon leaves were first collected, and then blanched and dried. Our results revealed that freeze-drying was the most effective method in terms of the mineral content, while no significant difference in the vitamin C content was observed regardless of the drying method. The concentration of Mg, Ca, K, and Mn increased from May to June, while the opposite trend was observed for Na, Fe, Cu, and Zn. Persimmon leaves collected in late May had a higher vitamin C content than those harvested in late June. Ultimately, the ‘Sangam-dungsi’ persimmon leaf was found to have the highest mineral content, whereas ‘Gabjubaekmok’ leaves were richer in color (lightness, redness, and yellowness) and had the highest vitamin C content among the analyzed cultivars.
Gummy jellies are popular desserts or snacks and widely consumed by various age groups around the world. Consumers' new needs and desire for a healthy food have promoted supplementation of the functional food ingredient to snack foods. As corn concentrate (CC) possesses diverse functional activities, it may be beneficial to increase its consumption via supplementation into snack foods such as jelly. There has been a scarcity of reports on antioxidant potential of CC and how much level is enhanced which occurs upon making CC incorporated jellies. This prompted us to undertake the present investigation with the objective to evaluate the physical, sensory, and antioxidant characteristics of jellies containing various levels of CC (3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%). The pH level (6.98 to 6.45), moisture content (89.34 to 80.06%, w.b.), and lightness (L*) (20.79 to 16.50) decreased significantly while total soluble solids (1.04 to 2.48 °Brix), hardness (3.47 to 5.57 N), redness (a*) (-0.45 to 4.95), and yellowness (b*) (4.76 to 7.70) increased significantly with increasing levels of added CC (p<0.05). In addition, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (0.62 to 3.45%) and 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (0.22 to 1.88%) radical scavenging activities significantly increased (p<0.05), and they were well-correlated. Consumer acceptance test indicated that addition of 6% CC had a favorable effect on consumer preferences for most attributes. Based on our study, jelly with 6% CC is recommended for developing CC-added jellies with improved overall qualities without sacrificing consumer acceptability while taking advantage of the functional properties of CC.
The nutritional properties of mackerel are strongly influenced by different cooking methods that can change its nutritional contents. In this study, we investigated the effects of two types of cooking method (i.e. baking and frying) on water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, niacin, and folic acid), fat-soluble vitamins (A and E), cholesterol, β-carotene, and minerals (K, P, Mg, Se, and Zn) and on the proximate composition of mackerel. Compared to the baked fish, contents of vitamins A and B1 and cholesterol were reduced by 56.52%, 59.93%, and 33.40% (p<0.05), respectively, in the fried fish. On the other hand, vitamin E and folic acid contents in the fried fish were significantly higher than those in the baked fish (p<0.05). Furthermore, niacin was detected only in the baked fish and β-carotene was found in neither the baked fish nor the fried fish. There was also no significant difference in moisture content between baked and fried fish samples. The fat, carbohydrate, and crude ash contents in fried fish were higher than those in baked fish; however, protein content in fried fish was about 3.73% lower than that in baked fish. Since different cooking methods have different effects on the nutrients of mackerel, nutritional value of mackerel could be enhanced by selecting the suitable cooking method.
A QuEChERS method was developed for the analysis of diazinon, chlorfenapyr, and lufenuron in Napa cabbage. These pesticides represent three different chemical classes and are commonly used in cabbage production in Korea. The objective of the proposed method is a fast, inexpensive, and easy extraction of pesticides, followed by rapid analysis. The proposed method involves a microscale extraction using acetonitrile and dispersive solid phase extraction (SPE), allowing for time and materials savings. The pesticides were separated and quantified using reversed-phase HPLC-UV at 220 nm. The calibration curves showed good linearity (R2>0.97), and the limits of detection and quantification were ≤0.05 and 1 mg/kg, respectively. Intraday and interday recoveries were in the range 97-116% and 101-112% with RSD% ≤9% for concentrations between 0.5-5 mg/kg. Abnormal recoveries and a substantial matrix effect were initially observed for lufenuron, signaling that optimization of lufenuron recovery requires a slight modification of the method. The proposed method was tested on cabbage samples sold at local markets, which showed no detectable residues of the target pesticides. The proposed method could thus be used for monitoring these pesticides in cabbage and similar vegetables.
This study investigated the effects of pressurized steam-treated Corni Frutus (PSC) extract on osteoblast differentiation and osteoclast formation. The osteoblast differentiation effect of the extract was evaluated by measuring cellular alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, cell matrix ALP staining, alizarin Red S staining and von Kossa staining on proliferating MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells. The results confirmed that ALP activity, cell matrix ALP staining, alizarin Red S staining and von Kossa staining were all increased as proliferation increased from 1 to 14 days, without cytotoxicity. The osteoclast formation effect of the PSC extract was evaluated by measuring the cellular tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity and cell matrix TRAP staining on receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-induced RAW264.7 osteoclast cells. Treating RAW264.7 cells with RANKL for 7 days increased matrix staining for TRAP and cellular TRAP activity. The PSC extract decreased these changes in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, PSC is expected to be a natural source for developing health functional foods and medicinal agents to prevent bone-related diseases, such as osteoporosis, by increasing osteoblast differentiation and reducing osteoclast activity.
This study aimed to produce fermented soy-powder milk (FSPM) with Lactobacillus plantarum P1201 and to evaluate its anti-obesity activity. Isoflavone and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) of unfermented soy-powder milk (UFSPM) and FSPM and were analyzed via high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). Their inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase were assayed. Their anti-obesity activities were evaluated on the basis of their inhibitory effects on adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells, and the expression of mRNAs associated with adipogenesis and lipid metabolism were analyzed via real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR). FSPM with L. plantarum P1201 increased the isoflavone aglycones (daidzein, glycitein, and genistein) content and produced CLA in soy-powder milk (SPM), both of which possessed bio-activity. Both UFSPM and FSPM showed dose-dependent inhibitory activity for α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase. FSPM, but not UFSPM, suppressed adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells and reduced their triglyceride content by 23.1% after treatment with 1,000 μg/mL of FSPM, compared with the control group. The anti-obesity effect of FSPM can be attributed to CLA and isoflavone aglycones, which targeted CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBP-α) and down-regulated lipoprotein lipase (LPL), adiponectin, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (aP2), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA. Furthermore, FSPM enhanced the inhibitory activity of glucosidase and pancreatic enzymes and anti-obesity activity. Further studies are required to investigate whether the anti-obesity effect of FSPM persists in an in vivo mouse model of diet-induced obesity.
Dendropanax morbifera Léveille (Araliaceae) is an endemic species growing in the south-western part of South Korea and has been used in folk medicine and health functional food. Several studies have indicated that extract of D. morbifera (DP) has cytotoxic activities on a number of human cancers, such as, breast cancer, lung cancer, hepatoma, and chorioepithelioma. Recently, polyacetylene and triterpene compounds have been isolated from the DP and showed to have anti-complement activity. β-Amyrin, α-amyrin, dendropanoxide, and β-sitosterol are isolated from DP. However, its biological activities in cancer have not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer activity of isolated triterpenoids from the DP leaves by measuring the levels of cytotoxicity against MCF-7 human breast cancer and A549 human lung cancer cells. Six triterpenoids were isolated from the n-hexane fraction of DP leaves along with the known compounds. β-amyrin (1), α-amyrin (2), olean-12-en-3,24 β-diol (3), dendropanoxide (4), β-sitosterol (5), and stigmasterol (6). Compound 3 and 6 were isolated from DP for the first time. Cytotoxic activities of six compounds were evaluated against two human cancer cell lines by using the MTT in vitro assay. Among them, five compounds (1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) showed moderate cytotoxic activities toward the tested cell lines, and were safe to normal cells. Western blot analysis showed a decreased expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and increased levels of pro-apoptotic protein Bax in MCF-7 and A549 cells treated by β-amyrin and α-amyrin. Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that five compounds (1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) treatment increased populations of sub-G1 (apoptosis) phase. The results of the present study revealed that triterpenoids from DP have the potential for further development as anticancer agents.
The purpose of this study was to develop a functional and valuable dairy product with high conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content through a fermentation method utilizing vegetable oil and probiotic lactic acid bacteria. Bifidobacterium breve KCTC 3419 was selected as a standard strain for high efficiency conversion of the CLA c9,t11. This standard strain was mixed in a definite ratio of 4:3:3 with Lactobacillus sakei LJ011 isolated from kimchi and the commercially available YF-L812 culture to generate a high-efficiency CLA conversion starter stock for use in fermented milk production. CLA conversion by safflower seed oil fermentation by the starter stock yielded the highest CLA containing fermented milk. The pH level, titratable acidity, and number of lactic acid bacteria in the fermented milk were altered to suitable levels during the fermented milk production process. The CLA content of CLA-fermented milk was maintained at 0.1% of the total CLA content during the storage period of 2 weeks.