This study evaluated the quality characteristics and antioxidant activities of cookies after adding black ginseng powder at ratios of 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%, and the potential of black ginseng as a functional food. The moisture content increased with an increase in the black ginseng powder content while the pH decreased. The L value d ec reased with increase in the black ginseng powder content while the a and b values increased. The hardness decreased with increase in the black ginseng powder content. Notably, antioxidant activities, such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2-2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging showed the highest increases in cookies containing 7% black ginseng powder. The total phenol and flavonoid contents significantly increased according to the amount of black ginseng powder added. These results suggest that black ginseng powder can be applied to cookies to achieve high quality and antioxidant activity.

This study examined the effects of drying methods of Aronia melanocarpa on contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids, antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory activity. As a result, freeze-dried aronia extract (FDAE) significantly exhibited higher contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids (155.76 mg GAE/g and 105.70 mg QE/g) than hot-air dried aronia extract (HDAE) (134.93 mg GAE/g and 82.29 mg QE/g). Also, FDAE showed greater antioxidant activity than HDAE in both DPPH and ABTS. For anti-inflammatory activity, NO production from lipopolysaccharide activated RAW264.7 cell reduced at a dose-dependent manner in both FDAE and HDAE. However, reduction rate of NO production is higher in FDAE (62.7%) than in HDAE (33.5%). These results suggest that comparatively, freezedrying is a better method for preserving the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and of aronia.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of macaroons prepared using natural color materials (Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (Re-N), mulberry leaf (Gr-N), pumpkin (Ye-N), and cocoa powder (Br-N)) and corresponding artificial food colorants (red (Re-A), yellow (Ye-A), green (Gr-A) and brown (Br-A)). The moisture content of macaroons prepared using natural color material was higher compared to the macaroons prepared using artificial food colorant. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity was similar in both types of macaroons. Lightness and redness of Re-N, Gr-N, Ye-N, and Br-N macaroons were lower than Re-A, Gr-A, Ye-A and Br-A macaroons. Yellowness of Re-N was higher because of the browning reaction. The texture profile analysis revealed lower hardness when natural color powder was employed. In the sensory evaluation, overall acceptability was not significantly different between natural colored and artificial colored macaroons. As a result, macaroons with the natural color material were softer and showed higher antioxidative activity, however, organoleptic properties were not much different when compared with macaroons with artificial colors. Apparently, it is stated that more studies on the development of macaroons with more enhanced physical functionality and good taste using natural materials should be performed.

Caesalpinia sappan L. is an oriental medicinal plant distributed in the Asia Pacific region including India, Malaysia, and China. The dried heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan has been traditionally used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug. In this study, the effects of extract methods of C. sappan on contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxic activity were evaluated. As a result, hot water extract from C. sappan (CSWE) significantly exhibited contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids (22.6 mg GAE/g and 14.5 mg QE/g) higher than 70% ethanol extract (CSEE) (17.6 mg GAE/g and 13.2 mg QE/g). However, CSEE showed greater antioxidant activity than CSWE in both DPPH and ABTS. Also, the cytotoxicity of C. sappan against three kinds of cancer cell lines was higher in CSEE than in CSWE. These results show that ethanol extract is a better extract method than hot water method to maintain antioxidant and anti-cancer activities.

Ganoderma lucidum has been traditionally used as a medicine for treatment of bronchitis, arthritis, and high blood pressure, and it has been reported to display many biological activities including anticancer and immune activities. Since mushroom mycelium is known to have excellent biological activities together with mushroom fruiting body, studies on biological activities of mushroom mycelium have been actively conducted. Thus, the present study compared the biological activities before and after the cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium on Atractylodes rhizoma. When the radical scavenging activity was assessed by the DPPH assay, ARGL (ethanol extract of Atractylodes rhizoma mycelium fermented with Ganoderma lucidum) showed radical scavenging activity of 5.58~82.56% at concentrations of 10~500 μg/assay, while AR (ethanol extract of Atractylodes rhizoma) showed radical scavenging activity of 5.27~72.08% at the same concentrations. When measured by using the ABTS assay, ARGL showed higher radical scavenging activity than AR, which was consistent with the result obtained by the DPPH assay. In the MTT assay, the cytotoxicity of ARGL against all cell lines was higher than that of AR. In particular, the cytotoxicities of AR and ARGL against Hep3B at a concentration of 400 μg/assay were 71.81% and 86.40%, respectively. In addition, the result obtained by the SRB assay was consistent with the result obtained by the MTT assay. According to the results mentioned above, there is a high probability that medicinal herb cultures using mycelium can be used as sources of functional foods since the cytotoxicities against cancer cells and antioxidant activities increased when the mycelium was fermented with Atractylodes rhizoma.

LaFeO3 powders were synthesized using a method involving solution combustion, and the surfaceproperties of these powders were examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As the amount of fuelincreased during the synthesis, the LaFeO3 powders became amorphous with a large plate-like shape. It wasfound that the O 1s spectra were composed of two types of photoelectrons by deconvolutioning the spectra.Photoelectrons with higher binding energy come from adsorbed oxygen (O−) whereas those with lower energycome from lattice oxygen (O2−). The ratio of adsorbed and lattice oxygen increased as the ratio of the fuel andnitrate (Φ) increased. The binding energy of both types of oxygen increased as Φ increased due to the formationof carbonates.