Two unrecorded alien plants, Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. and M. indicus (L.) All. (Leguminosae) were found in Korea. M. officinalis is native to Eurasia and widely distributed in agricultural regions throughout the world. M. indicus is native to Mediterranean and Southwestern Europe, and naturalized in temperate regions all over the world. These species are morphologically similar to M. suaveolens (Jeon-dong-ssa-ri). However, M. officinalis is distinguished from M. suaveolens by transverse nerved legumes, definite ovary stalks, and five to eight number of ovules in ovary. M. indicus is also distinguished from M. suaveolens by smaller size of flowers, broadly triangular calyx teeth, globose legumes, and minutely papillose seeds. The local name of M. officinalis and M. indicus were given as “Ju-reumjeon- dong-ssa-ri” and “Jom-jeon-dong-ssa-ri” based on transverse nerved legumes and overall smaller size than M. suaveolens, respectively. The descriptions on morphological characters and photographs at the habitat of M. officinalis and M. indicus are provided.

야콘 분말의 이상적인 저장조건을 규명하기 위한 기초자료로서 저장상대습도(11-75%) 및 온도(25℃, 35℃, 45℃)에 따른 생 및 데친 야콘 분말의 흡습에 미치는 영향을 조사하고 그 특성을 모델링하였다. 생 및 데친 야콘 분말의 등온흡습곡선은 type III 곡선을 나타내었으며, 데친 시료의 평형수분함량은 생 시료에 비해 낮은 것으로 나타났다. GAB식으로부터 예측한 대부분의 단분자층 수분함량은 BET식으로부터 예측한 값보다 낮은 것으로 나타났으며, 생 및 데친 시료의 값은 유사하거나 일정한 패턴의 차이는 발견되지 않았다. 실험이 수행된 조건하에서 GAB와 Halsey 모델이 생 및 데친 야콘 분말의 흡습특성을 가장 잘 예측할 수 있는 것으로 확인되었다. 이러한 실험결과는 야콘의 건조가공 및 저장의 최적조건을 도출하기 위한 중요한 자료로 사용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

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.

Purpose - With the worldwide aging problem and the development of globalization, customers prefer to seek affordable medical services with the higher quality overseas. This new trend has urged some destination countries to improve their services for the more competitive advantages over other countries. Literature research indicate that medical quality and cost may be the key factors influencing global patients’ decisions. In the international environment, however, medical tourism destinations are selected due to cultural similarity between the hosting country and the customers’ own country. The more similarity perceived between the two countries leads foreign patients to choose the considering country as the destination for medical tourism. However, little research has been conducted on this topic. Thus, we empirically investigate how cultural similarity influences Chinese medical customers’ choice of the destinations. We also consider the factors related to medical competency and travel attribute which might affect customers’ decisions along with some moderating roles of disease types. Research design, data, and methodology – We proposed a research model in order to confirm the relations among different variables of cultural similarity, medical competency, travel attractiveness, disease types, and destination choice. The questionnaire survey is processed in the more economically developed regions of China such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu. Conditional logit regression is applied to analyze the data of 881. Results - Results indicate that cultural similarity is the important predictor of Chinese customers’ decision to select a medical country. However, the effects of cultural similarity vary according to the disease types. We also find that medical competency and travel attractiveness influence their decisions with the moderating role of disease types. Conclusions – Cultural similarity is the important factor that influences Chinese potential medical tourists’ decisions to select a destination. Marketing managers should consider the effects of cultural similarity when developing strategies for attracting Chinese medical tourists. Since medical competency and travel attractiveness are still the critical key elements for them to evaluate the destination countries, it is necessary to continuously improve medical service quality and facilities. The results also recommend that medical managers should sharpen their marketing strategies by segmenting Chinese potential customers in terms of disease types.

Burdock powder (BP) has shown diverse functional activities; thus, it seems a good way to increase its consumption by incorporating BP into suitable food products such as cookies. Studies were carried out on cookies prepared by incorporating BP (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) into wheat flour. The cookie dough and cookies were evaluated for their physical, chemical, and sensory characteristics. The pH and density of cookie doughs ranged from 6.70-6.85 and 1.19-1.21, respectively, with no remarkable differences. Moisture content and spread factor of cookies appeared to increase with higher content of BP in the formulation but did not show significant differences (p>0.05). For color values of cookie surface, L*, a*, and b*-values significantly decreased as a result of BP substitution (p<0.05). The cookies became crispier as indicated by the reduction in the breaking strength value from 26.71 to 17.83 N. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities were significantly increased (p<0.05) with higher substitution of BP, and they were well correlated. Hedonic sensory results indicated that cookies supplemented with 2% BP received the most favorable acceptance scores for all sensory attributes evaluated. Overall, cookies with BP could be developed with improved physicochemical qualities as well as consumer acceptability.

본 연구에서는 영지버섯 균사 배양 시 헛개나무 추출물의 첨가가 영지버섯의 가나도마난디올의 생합성에 미치는 영향을 분석하기 위하여 수행하였다. 가나도마난디올은 트리터페노이드 계열의 물질이며 영지버섯의 주 요한 생리효능을 가지는 물질 중의 하나이다. 이와 관련하여, 본 연구자들은 선행연구를 통하여 가나도마난디올 이 B16F10 멜라노마 세포의 티로시나제 저해 활성 및 멜라닌 생합성 저해능에 우수한 효과가 있는 것을 확인하 였다. 본 연구에서 영지버섯 균사 배양 시 15% (v/v)의 헛개나무 추출물 첨가하면 영지버섯의 가나도마난디올 생합성이 첨가하지 않은 대조군에 비해 유의적으로 증가함을 HPLC분석을 통하여 확인하였다. 또한, 15% (v/v)의 헛개나무 추출물을 첨가한 영지균사 배양추출물의 B16F10 멜라노마 세포에 대한 멜라닌 생합성 억제 능이 첨가하지 않은 대조군에 비해 유의적으로 증가함을 확인하였다. 또한, 영지버섯 균사 배양 시 헛개나무 추출물 첨가가 미백활성을 가지는 가나도마난디올 생합성 증가뿐 아니라, 액체 및 고체 배양시 균사의 생장도 촉진하는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과들은 헛개나무가 영지버섯균사의 미백활성 물질인 가나도마난디올 생 합성의 증가를 유도하고 이로 인한 영지버섯 균사의 미백 활성이 증가하는 유용한 소재로 사용될 수 있다는 것을 시사한다.

Hovenia dulcis fruit powder (HFP) has shown diverse functional activities; thus, it is rational to incorporate HFP into suitable food products with enhanced nutritional and functional quality, and their incorporation into bakery products such as cookies could be a good alternative for the increase of consumption. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of HFP addition on the quality characteristics of cookies. The pH of cookie doughs ranged from 5.80-6.34, with no remarkable differences by HFP addition. Density of cookie doughs significantly decreased upon addition of HFP (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences among samples added with HFP (p>0.05). Moisture content and spread factor of cookies significantly increased with higher content of HFP in the formulation (p<0.05). For color values of cookie surface, L* and b*-values decreased while a*-value increased as a result of HFP substitution (p<0.05). 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6- sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities were significantly increased (p<0.05) with higher substitution of HFP, showing a positive correlation. Hedonic sensory results indicated that cookies supplemented with 4% HFP received the most favorable acceptance scores for sensory attributes. Overall, HFP-added cookies could be developed with improved physicochemical qualities without sacrificing consumer acceptability.

Water vapor adsorption kinetics of vacuum-dried jujube powder were investigated in temperature and relative humidity ranges of 10 to 40℃ and 32 to 75%, respectively. Water vapor was initially adsorbed rapidly and then reached equilibrium condition slowly. Reaction rate constant for water vapor adsorption of vacuum-dried jujube powder increased with an increase in temperature. The temperature dependency of water activity followed the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The net isosteric heat of sorption increased with an increase in water activity. Good straight lines were obtained with plotting of 1/(m-m0) vs. 1/t. It was found that water vapor adsorption kinetics of vacuum-dried jujube powder was accurately described by a simple empirical model, and temperature dependency of the reaction rate constant followed the Arrhenius-type equation. The activation energy ranged from 50.90 to 56.00 kJ/mol depending on relative humidity. Arrhenius kinetic parameters (Ea and k0) for water vapor adsorption by vacuum-dried jujube powder showed an effect between the parameters with the isokinetic temperature of 302.51 K. The information on water vapor adsorption kinetics of vacuum-dried jujube powder can be used to establish the optimum condition for storage and processing of jujube.

Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng) is an important medicinal tree found in northeast Asia. In this study, we analyzed the genome-wide distribution of microsatellites in E. senticosus. By sequencing 711 clones from an SSR-enriched genomic DNA library, we obtained 12 polymorphic SSR markers, which also revealed successful amplicons in E. senticosus accessions. Using the developed SSR markers, we estimated genetic diversity and population structure among 131 E. senticosus accessions in Korea and China. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 11, with an average of 7.4 alleles. The mean values of observed heterozygosity (HO) and expected heterozygosity (HE) were 0.59 and 0.56, respectively. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.51 in all 131 E. senticosus accessions. E. senticosus accessions in Korea and China showed a close genetic similarity. Significantly low pairwise genetic divergence was observed between the two regions, suggesting a relatively narrow level of genetic basis among E. senticosus accessions. Our results not only provide molecular tools for genetic studies in E. senticosus but are also helpful for conservation and E. senticosus breeding programs.

Background : Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJ) is a perennial herb with a wide distribution in East Asia including Korea, China, and Japan, and it is mainly used as a medicinal plant. In Korea, AJ has been widely used to control pain and improve symptoms in OA patients. AJ contains several important phytochemicals such as saponins, inokosterone, ecdysterone, and oleanolic acid bisdesmoside. Methods and Results : The aim of this work was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of fermented and ethanol extracts of Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJ). The extracts showed strong reductive power and nitrite scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, and DNA damage prevention activities. Treatment of RAW 264.7 macrophages with AJ inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO secretion and iNOS expression without affecting cell viability. AJ also inhibited cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression, leading to the suppression of COX-2-derived prostaglandin E2 production. These inhibitory effects of AJ were accompanied by reduced production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukins (IL)-1β, -6, and -10. Furthermore, AJ suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38. Moreover, AJ inhibited malondialdehyde production and myeloperoxidase activity in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusion : The antioxidant activity of plants is closely related to their medicinal properties and is widely used as a parameter to determine the bioavailability of medicinal plants. The antioxidant and biological activities of AJ extracts might be due to the synergistic actions of multiple bioactive compounds. It can be concluded that AJ extracts are a potential source of biologically important drug candidates.

Background : ROS produced by oxidative stress damaged endothelial cells, and cause a variety of vascular complications. In diabetic hyperglycemia state, ROS increase. The polyol pathway occur in diabetic complications, the excess glucose is absorbed into the polyol pathway when aldose reductase increased, NADPH changes it to sorbitol. Glutathione (GSH) removes ROS. GSH level is reduced by glutathione reductase, using NADPH as an electron donor. Activation of the polyol pathway decrease NADPH, and GSH also reduced. As a result, ROS is increased. In diabetic hyperglycemia state, Glycolysis increases. Effects of increased glycolysis, protein kinase C (PKC) is increased. NAD(P)H oxidase, stimulated by PKC-dependent pathway, increases ROS in the cell. In this study, we measured the ROS scavenging activity of 5 natural products (Lycii fructus, Astragalus membranaceus, Cassia Tora, Polygonatum odoratum, Rubus Coreanus), to confirm the efficacy as diabetic antioxidants. Methods and Results : We extracted 5 natural product by distilled water and ethanol. DPPH radical scavenging activity was significantly higher in Lycii fructus, Rubus coreanus. ABTS radical scavenging activity was better Rubus coreanus, Lycii fructus, Cassia Tora. In addition to, Rubus coreanus, Cassia Tora, Lycii fructus was comparatively higher reducing power activity than other natural products. And total phenolic and flavonoid contents were much higher in Rubus coreanus compared with other extracts. Conclusion : These results suggest that Lycii fructus, Rubus coreanus can be applied as diabetic antioxidant that prevent vascular complications caused by ROS.

Background : Dioscorea quinqueloba(DQ) is a medicinal herb that is used as an alternative therapy for cardiovascular disease and various medical conditions. The objective of this study was to characterize the antioxidant activities of DQ. Methods and Results : The samples were extracted with Distilled water and analyzed for total flavonoid contents, polyphenol contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ABTS radical scavenging activity. H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells were subjected to H2O2, to study the protective effect of DQ on cell viability, and ROS production. The total amounts of polyphenols and flavonoids, which indicate the antioxidant capabillity of water extracts from DQ were 27.21mg/g and 22.95mg/g, respectively. The DQ water extract showed highest antioxidant activity by DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities. The DQ water extract was protected cells against H₂O₂-induced cell death without any cytotoxicity, as determined by the MTT assay. The DQ water extract also was inhibiting production of intracellular ROS. Conclusion : These observations suggest that DQ can use potentially good natural antioxidant in daily life for possible health benefits.