Since rice is the main food in Korea, there are no regulations on corn milling yet. Corn is known as one of the world's top three food crops along with wheat and rice, and it is known that 3.5 billion people worldwide use corn for food. In addition, corn mills are not developed or sold in Korea, but the use of corn mills is increasing significantly in many countries in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, as Korea's rice mill import increases, Korea's KAMICO (Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative) and domestic company A agreed to develop a corn mill jointly with PHilMech, an organization affiliated with the Philippine Ministry of Agriculture. However, research on corn milling was very insignificant, so the development was carried out based on the technology of Korea's rice mill. Rice milling is performed by peeling off the skin of rice and producing brown or white rice, so it is carried out by removing the skin and cutting the skin. On the other hand, in the corn mill, the skin of the corn is peeled, pulverized and selected to produce main products suitable for edible use. Therefore, in order to develop a corn mill, processes such as peeling, transfer, grinding, sorting, and by-product separation are required, and suitable parts must be developed. In addition, the performance must be gradually improved through experiments in which corn is repeatedly milled. The Philippines produces 7.98 million tons/year of corn, which is about 100 times that of Korea, and is mostly consumed as a staple food. This is about 10% of the total crop production in the Philippines. In addition, the main cultivation complexes of corn are the mountainous regions of Tarlac or Pangasinan, and the produced corn is 72.4% of the so-called yellow corn called Arabel and Sarangani, and the remaining 27.6% are known as white corn. In this study, it was intended to produce grains of 2.5 mm or less suitable for food for yellow corn and to develop a corn mill for 200 kg per hour. Detailed conditions for development are stipulated as more than 55% of the main product recovery rate, more than 31% of the by-product recovery rate, less than 5% of the raw material loss rate, and more than 80% of the embryo dislocation rate. In this study, to achieve this, the overall process of the corn mill was developed, and the optimal conditions for the corn mill were obtained through the development of parts and empirical tests to improve performance. In addition, it was intended to achieve the development goal by evaluating and analyzing the performance of each part so that it did not conflict.

Air conditioner filters purify the air of indoor environments by removing air pollutants and supporting the efficiency of the unit’s cooling function. However, an air conditioner filter can become a microenvironment in which some fungi can grow as dust continues to accumulate and favorable humidity conditions are formed. Fungal growth in air conditioner filters could lead to fungal allergies or fungal diseases, in addition to emitting a foul odor. In an effort to understand what species causes this malodorous problem, we investigated the diversity of fungi found in air conditioners. Fungi were sampled from the collected air conditioner filters and grown on DG18 agar media. After purification for pure isolates, species identification was undertaken. Colony morphology was observed on PDA, MEA, CYA, and OA media. Microstructures of fruiting body, mycelia, and spores were examined using a light microscope. Molecular identification was performed by PCR and sequencing of PCR amplicons, and molecular phylogenetic analysis of sequenced DNA markers, including the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), the 28S large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA (LSU rDNA), the β-tubulin (BenA) gene, the Calmodulin (CaM) gene, and the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (RPB2) gene. Through this identification process, we found two fungal species, Aspergillus miraensis and Dichotomopilus ramosissimus, which are unrecorded species in Korea. We will now report their morphological and molecular features.

The National R&D Innovation Act emphasizes the improvement of the quality of R&D activities. The research institute is making efforts to improve the quality of research and effectively manage research implementation. KINAC has conducted various R&D projects regarding nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear security, and their scope and scale have been gradually more widened and increased. It consequently becomes important how to successfully manage research projects and ensure their qualification with the growth and complexity of research in KINAC. Unfortunately, no attempt was made to introduce and apply project management methodologies. Therefore, the objective of this study is to introduce project management standards and guidelines as an initial step towards improving the overall research quality of the institute. Project management is the well-organized application of knowledge and techniques to efficiently and effectively initiate, plan, control, and close projects, in order to achieve specific goals and meet success criteria. There are some guidelines regarding project management, including PMBOK (the Project Management Body of Knowledge), PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments), ISO 21500 (Guidance on Project Management), and PMP (Project Management Professionals), etc. They are international standards that consist of processes, guidelines, and best practices for project management. They provide structured processes and approaches to plan, execute, monitor, control, and complete projects. By reviewing the guidelines, the commonly important factors, including schedule, cost, quality, resources, communication, and risk management were introduced to apply to KINAC R&D project implementation. In addition to the management standards, systematic efforts are also continued to enhance the R&D qualities of the institute. These efforts include the implementation of a quality management system (ISO 9001:2015), development of an integrated research achievements management system, regulation development, and distribution of guidebooks for project managers and researchers. These efforts have been evaluated as improving the quality of the research.

ISO 9001:2005 is the international standard for implementing a Quality Management System (QMS), which provides a framework and principles for managing an organization’s quality management. The aim is to ensure that the organization continuously provides products and services that satisfy regulatory requirements. The “process approach” in ISO 9001 is defined as a systematic method of achieving organizational goals by comprehending and managing the interconnected processes as a cohesive system. Recently, KINAC has decided to develop standard processes in the field of R&D and performance management based on the framework of the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system. The objective of this study is to establish standardized processes for conducting research and development, as well as managing the outputs and performance of R&D activities. It involves identifying, designing, implementing, monitoring, and continually improving processes to ensure consistency, efficiency, and effective management of KINAC R&D and its achievements. Firstly, R&D and the research performance management process were defined, and the processes were categorized by function according to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015. Second, the ISO 9001 requirements were compared to the institute’s existing regulations and documents in order to identify any additional processes and procedures needed to meet the quality management requirements. Finally, the lists of quality documentation were determined for the institute’s QMS. As a result, a total of 30 QMS documents were listed, including 1 manual, 12 quality processes and procedures, and 17 quality instructions. The documents can be categorized into four process groups: the management and planning process group, the R&D and achievements management process group, the analysis and improvement process group, and the support process group. All input and output information of each process are connected and interrelated. The implementation of quality management standards and procedures for R&D in KINAC could lead to improved research practices, more reliable data collection and analysis, and increased efficiency in conducting R&D activities. For further study, it is planned to create detailed, high-quality documents that adhere to standard requirements and guidelines.

As the consumption of corn increases, the production of by-products is also increasing. In this study, functional substances and antioxidant activities of corn by-products were investigated to determine their applicability as functional materials. Total polyphenol, flavonoid contents, and ABTS antioxidant activity were the highest in leaves. The total phenolic acid content was the highest in cobs; p-coumaric and ferulic acid were the main components. Phytosterol content in leaves and stems was high at 64 and 50 days after sowing, 261.4 and 274.7 mg/100 g, respectively. β-sitosterol of the leaves and stems was the highest, 149.2 and 138.7 mg/100 g. The total phytosterol content of grains and by-products harvested 106 days after sowing was in the order of: corn silk, husk, grain, leaf, stem, and cob. Among the phytosterols, β-sitosterol was the highest, followed by stigmasterol and campesterol, and the composition was different depending on part. The total phytosterol content was the highest in husk and corn silk, but the stems and leaves, which account for 50% of the total corn biomass, also contained high phytosterol content. Therefore, corn leaves and stems are expected to be used as functional raw materials for the development of functional materials in the future.

This study was aimed to isolate bacterial inoculants producing chitinase and evaluate their application effects on corn silage. Four corn silages were collected from four beef cattle farms to serve as the sources of bacterial inoculants. All isolates were tested against Fusarium graminearum head blight fungus MHGNU F132 to confirm their antifungal effects. The enzyme activities (carboxylesterase and chitinase) were also measured to isolate the bacterial inoculant. Based on the activities of anti-head blight fungus, carboxylesterase, and chitinase, L. buchneri L11-1 and L. paracasei L9-3 were subjected to silage production. Corn forage (cv. Gwangpyeongok) was ensiled into a 10 L mini silo (5 kg) in quadruplication for 90 days. A 2 × 2 factorial design consists of F. graminearum contamination at 1.0104 cfu/g (UCT (no contamination) vs. CT (contamination)) and inoculant application at 2.1 × 105 cfu/g (CON (no inoculant) vs. INO (inoculant)) used in this study. After 90 days of ensiling, the contents of CP, NDF, and ADF increased (p<0.05) by F. graminearum contamination, while IVDMD, acetate, and aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05). Meanwhile, aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05) by inoculant application. There were interaction effects (p<0.05) on IVNDFD, NH3-N, LAB, and yeast, which were highest in UCT-INO, UCT-CON, CT-INO, and CT-CON & INO, respectively. In conclusion, this study found that mold contamination could negatively impact silage quality, but isolated inoculants had limited effects on IVNDFD and yeast.

The Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) is the national accreditation body responsible for providing accreditation services to testing and calibration laboratories. The primary objective of KOLAS is to promote the quality and reliability of laboratory testing by providing nationally and internationally recognized accreditation services. Laboratories accredited by KOLAS are required to meet rigorous international standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and are subject to regular assessments to ensure ongoing compliance with the standards. KOLAS accreditation is highly regarded both domestically and internationally, and is recognized for providing high-quality and reliable testing services. The nuclear analysis laboratory at KINAC has been working to establish a quality management system to ensure the external reliability of analytical results and to secure its position as an authorized testing agency. To achieve this, a detailed manual and procedure for nuclear material analysis were developed to conform to the international standards of ISO/IEC 17025. This study presents the preparation process for establishing the management system, focusing on meeting technical and quality requirements for the implementation of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard in the KINAC nuclear analysis laboratory, specifically in the field of chemical testing (dosimetry, radioactive, and neutron measurement subcategories). The preparation process involved two tracks. The first track focused on satisfying technical requirements, with Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TIMS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) selected as the major equipment for analysis. Analytical methods for determining isotope ratios and concentrations of nuclear materials were determined, and technical qualification was ensured through participation in proficiency test programs, inter-experimenter comparison tests, and uncertainty reports. The second track focused on developing the quality system, including quality manuals, procedures, and guidelines based on the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Various implementation documents were produced during the six-month pilot period, in accordance with the three levels of documents required by the standard. Implementation of ISO/IEC 17025 is expected to have a systematic quality management process for the analysis lab’s operations and to increase confidence in KINAC’s nuclear analysis.

Since the National R&D Innovation Act was enacted in 2022, it became a crucial issue how to qualify or improve R&D activities and disseminate their outcomes. Many organizations have referred to various quality management standards such as the American National Standards Institute/American Society for Quality (ANSI/ASQ) Z1.13, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 (ASME NQA-1), as a means to set up their own quality system. ISO is the international standard for implementing a quality management system (QMS), which provides a framework and principles for managing an organization’s QMS, with the aim of ensuring that the organization consistently provide products or services that meet regulatory requirements. ISO 9001 can cover all aspects of an organization’s operations, and it can also be expanded to include R&D areas. The introduction of ISO 9001 to R&D aims to improve R&D practices and establish a standardized process framework for conducting R&D. ANSI/ASQ Z1.13 provides quality guidelines for research and consists of 10 sections covering various aspects of research quality, emphasizing ethical conduct, clear objectives, reliable data collection, and analysis. ASME NQA-1 is one of quality assurance standards for nuclear facility applications, but it has been extended and applied to R&D activities in the nuclear fields. It just focuses on planning, procedures, documentation, competence, equipment, and material control. KINAC has conducted extensive research on verifying and regulating nuclear activities while providing support for national nonproliferation technologies and policies. In addition to the quantitative growth achieved so far, efforts are being made to establish a qualitative and integrated management system. As a first step to achieve this goal, this study reviewed international standards and methodologies for research quality and derived the key components for R&D quality management. Moreover, the appropriate outline of quality management system framework was proposed for R&D as a regulatory support process, based on the ISO 9001. The implementation of quality management standards and procedures for R&D in KINAC, which could lead to improved research practices, more reliable data collection and analysis and increased efficiency in conducting R&D activities.

With the introduction and implementation of the National Research and Development Innovation Act in 2021, researchers are required to have a greater understanding of research ethics and to comply more strictly. The range of misconduct in research and the standards for sanctions have been expanded with the introduction of the National Research and Development Innovation Act. In addition, researchperforming institutions and specialized agencies have been obligated to establish their own research management systems and standards according to the changed criteria. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC), a nuclear regulatory authority that is conducting national R&D in related fields, has sought to strengthen research ethics by revising related regulations, introducing a plagiarism detection system, and expanding related education in accordance with these policies. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of the plagiarism detection system as a basic quality control measure for research results and a tool for enhancing research ethics, which was introduced. KINAC did not simply introduce a plagiarism detection program but established institutional improvements and other regulatory measures to support it, with the aim of more effectively managing research results. To analyze the effectiveness of this system, we calculated the plagiarism rate by sampling 30 papers each year for the three years before the introduction of the plagiarism detection system. When comparing the plagiarism rates before and after the introduction of the plagiarism detection system, no exceptional cases of high plagiarism rates were found in papers published after the introduction of the system. Although most of the papers before the introduction of the system showed a satisfactory plagiarism rate, some cases showed high plagiarism rates. We analyzed the cause of such cases in detail. Some exceptional cases were also found to be included in the range of misconduct regulated by the National Research and Development Innovation Act. As no such cases were found after the introduction of the system, we could infer that the system is effectively functioning as a tool for basic quality control and enhancing research ethics. In the future, we plan to expand the sample qualitatively and quantitatively by including other forms of outcomes published by the institution, not just papers, and conduct a more detailed analysis. Based on the results, we will develop various improvement plans for enhancing the quality and research ethics of the institution’s research results.

This study aimed to investigate the biological activities, including polyphenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities, of various cultivars of Korean perilla leaves. The results indicated that among nine cultivars (Namcheon dlggae, Saedora, Nulbora, Donggel 1, Donggell 2, Soim, Sangyeop, Somirang, and Saebom) of perilla leaves, the total polyphenolic content (gallic acid equivalent mg/g, GAE) was the highest in “Nulbora,” while it was lowest in Namcheon dlggae. Moreover, flavonoid content in the extracts of nine cultivars leaves was in the range of 132.93~268.50 mg catechin equivalent/g sample. The antioxidant effects of the perilla leaves were determined using two different in vitro bioassays measuring DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities. The results revealed that antioxidant activity was also higher in “Nulbora” compared with other cultivars. Xanthin-oxidase-inhibition activity ranged from 65.65% to 80.58%, with “Nulbora” exhibiting the highest activity, although the difference with other cultivars was not significant. “Nulbora” extracts reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory genes and several cytokines, including IL-6 activation induced by LPS in macrophages in the range of 100–50 μg/mL. These results suggest that extracts from perilla leaves can be used as bioactive and functional materials that could be important in industrial applications in the future.

Recently, consumers’ awareness of the importance of the intestinal action of lactic acid bacteria and intestinal microbes is increasing, as well as interest in yogurt. In this study, yogurt was prepared with three mixed strains (lactic acid bacteria combination, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp., and Bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilussei, 1:1:1) by adding oats flour, and the quality characteristics of yogurt were investigated, while stored at a storage temperature of 4℃ for 12 days. According to the storage period, the control as wel as the oat yogurt showed slight decrease in pH, and no significant change in acidity. Sugar content slightly increased. and brightness decreased, in the control and the oat yogurt. Visible cell numbers increased during storage, and decreased on the 12th day. Viscosity in the oat yogurt was 7,580 cP, which was approximately eight times higher than that of the control group, and decreased gradually according to the storage period. Antioxidant activity (DPPH) was approximately two times higher in the oat-added yogurt, and slightly increased with the storage period, decreased on the 12th day of storage, and β-glucan was detected only in oat-added yogurt.

Since the National Research and Development Innovation Act. was enacted, evaluation and management of research outputs become more important. The research output is defined as all types of information resources produced from the scientific research activities in each research phase, such as learning, proposing, performing, and publishing. Among them, research outputs mainly from the publishing phase have been systematically managed, including articles, books, technical reports, patents, and software. KINAC, like other Korean R&D institutions, has also achieved growth in research outputs, through continuously increased investment in R&D projects. However, R&D productivity, technology transfer, and commercialization remain low level. The importance of R&D performance diffusion has been emphasized. It’s because the creation of economic value through the utilization of research results has been emerging as a key issue in R&D policy. Therefore, various policies are being nationally pursued to promote the utilization of research achievements, but the results are not being effectively utilized and disseminated. In the field of nuclear nonproliferation and security, it is also difficult to diffuse the R&D performance. In this study, the research outputs of KINAC from 2010 to 2021 were analyzed. A number of research outputs have been made and managed, but the R&D performances have not been analyzed and identified yet. In addition, supportive methods were suggested for efficient performance management toward diffusion. For this purpose, some policies of Korea and other countries concerning performance diffusion -related policies were reviewed. The best practices of performance management and applications were also reviewed and compared to the KINAC cases. As a result, the number of research output has dramatically increased during the last 10 years, showing an average annual total output of 84 and year-on-year increase of 18%. The biggest change was in the conference papers and journals, whereas, there were no trends by year in the case of the technical reports and patents. Of course, it was proportional to the size of the organization, the number of research projects, and its budget. Because many studies highlight the importance of institutional resources, capabilities, and processes for performance management as factors affecting efficient diffusion, the current status of our process was also identified. This study is expected to be applied to the improvement of the performance management of the institute, leading to the enhancement of the R&D performance application.

Sprouts have various health benefits. Specifically, wheat sprouts are rich in bioactive compounds, such as vitamins and polyphenols. Elicitation induces and enhances secondary metabolite biosynthesis in plants. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) treatments on the growth profile, free amino acid content, and antioxidant activity of germinated wheat (Triticum aestivum). Wheat seeds were germinated at 20℃ for 10 days and treated with 0, 2, 4, 7.5, and 10 mM of NaCl 10 days before harvesting. Treating the soil bed with NaCl increased the nutritional component amounts, such as free amino acids and γ- aminobutyric acid. The chlorophyll a and b concentrations were the highest in the hydroponic system treated with 7.5 mM NaCl. In addition, the polyphenol and flavonoid contents of sprouts treated with 2 and 7.5 mM NaCl were 1.94 and 1.34 times higher than that of the control sprouts (0 mM NaCl, water only), respectively. These results suggest that 2 to 4 mM NaCl treatments improve the nutritional and food quality of wheat sprouts more than water only.

In this study, we investigated the effects of adding oat and lactic acid bacteria on the quality and functionality of yogurt. Yogurt was fermented with various lactic acid bacteria,; Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA), Lactobacillus delbrueckii sub. bulgaricus (LB), and Streptococcus thermophilussei (ST) and quality properties, β-glucan content, antioxidant activity were estimated. The quality of control and oat added yogurt (OY) showed significant differences depending on the type of strain and combination. The addition of oats significantly accelerated the lactic acid bacteria production, decreased the pH, and increased the titratable acidity and count of the viable cells compared to the control. Acid production was highest in ST, with the complex strains containing ST and LALBST showing high quality characteristics. The viscosity of oat yogurt was higher than that of the control group, and LALBST was also significantly higher than that of the control group. The β-glucan content of OY was 0.14-0.2%, and the organic acid content and antioxidant activity were also significantly increased by the addition of oats. As a result, it is thought that the addition of oats and a combination of lactic acid bacteria can be used for improving the quality and functionality of yogurt.

In this study, the antioxidant activity of methanol extracts of wheat sprouts grown in wild fields and cultivated fields and harvested at various times were analyzed to compare the quality characteristics of the wheat sprouts as a function of their cultivation and harvest time, as well as for the development of functional materials. The total polyphenolic and flavonoid content, as well as antioxidant activity of the wheat extracts, were subsequently analyzed. The ABTS radical scavenging activity of the wheat extract increased from 16.97 mg TEAC/g sample on cultivation day three in cultivated field wheat sprouts to 25.99 mg TEAC/g sample after seven days of wild field cultivation. The total polyphenol content increased from 17.08 mg GA eq/100 g in cultivated field wheat sprouts grown for three days to 28.70 mg GA eq/100 g after seven days of wild field cultivation. In addition, the flavonoid content increased from 7.02 mg catechin eq/100 g (7 days) to 8.47 mg/g after 12 days of wild field cultivation. Notably, the activity subsequently decreased. These results suggest that the wheat sprouts with higher biological activity were those produced from the wild field after 20 days.

Barley’s nutritional value as a health food is increasing due to its excellent nutritional functionality. In this study, the levels of β-glucan, total polyphenols, and total flavonoids were analyzed in the ethanol extracts of different barley cultivars (Hinchalssal, Heuksoojeongchal, Betaone, Ganghochung, and Saechalssal). Also, the free radical scavenging abilities of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzo-thiaxoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) were measured to determine their antioxidant activity. The results confirmed that Betaone extract contained highly activefunctional components and exhibitedantioxidant activity. Next, we evaluated the hepatoprotective and inhibitory effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by barley ethanol extracts after inducing oxidative stress with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) in HepG2 cells. Hinchalssal and Saechalssal extracts showed the most significant cytoprotective effect and also reduced ROS production significantly. These results suggest that Hinchalssal, Saechalssal, and Betaone represent potential natural antioxidant and hepatoprotective agents.