Hair dyeing, hair perming, and daily hair dryer use can substantially damage hair. Consequently, the demand for products containing natural ingredients for the care of damaged hair is growing. Although polyphenols with antioxidant effects are often used for hair conditioning, few studies have focused on hair conditioning, and the potential of Sparassis latifolia mushroom extract for hair improvement has not been evaluated to date. In this study, the antioxidant activity of and polyphenol content in hot water, 70% and 100% ethanol (EtOH), n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and water extracts of S. latifolia were analyzed. A hair treatment containing S. latifolia extract was prepared, and its effect on damaged hair was evaluated. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in the hot water and EtOAc extracts. Moreover, polyphenol analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy confirmed that the EtOAc fraction has relatively high contents of specific polyphenols beneficial for hair. Based on these results, a hair treatment containing S. latifolia extract was applied to damaged hair, and hair improvement was evaluated using hair thickness, tensile strength, and scanning electron microscopy. The hair treatment containing 70% EtOH extract effectively improved hair condition. We postulate that this improvement was caused by the high hydrophobic polyphenol content in the 70% EtOH extract.

In this review, we examine the latest technological developments in the utilization of truffles, a gourmet ingredient reputed to be one of the "world's three greatest delicacies," considering changing global consumption trends. Global demand for truffles is expected to increase steadily, with an average annual growth rate of 8.9% from 2023 to 2030. As truffles are expensive, the demand for truffles is expected to be concentrated in developed countries such as the United States, European countries, and Japan. In Korea, truffles are utilized in various industries, including food, functional foods, and cosmetics. Korean consumer demand for truffles has consistently remained high since 2019, and truffle products have been performing well in the market. Consequently, there exists substantial potential demand for newly developed truffle-related products and technologies. This review aims to provide objective research information through the systematic analysis of patent applications in Korea and internationally, focusing on technologies involving truffles, and can aid in setting directions for research and development.

Mycelium composites and leathers have versatile material properties based on their composition and manufacturing process. To prepare mycelium mat for the production of mushroom leather, several strains were mutated by gamma rays. Some mutant strains, including Lentinula edodes, Ganoderma lucidium, and Schizophyllum commune showed good hyphae growth rate and density on saw-dust media. Irradiation power (Gy), time, and height from the radiation source to the sample were examined. Based on the preliminary data obtained in this study, comprehensive research should be conducted to explore the optimal strains and culture conditions for mycelium-based leather production.

Sparassis latifolia is a fungus abundant in β-glucan and amino acids and is highly valued as a medicinal mushroom. Among amino acids, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a free amino acid and has biological effects, such as increase/decrease of hypertension, improvement of cerebral blood flow, and prevention of dementia. In this study, biological elicitors were used to increase bioactive substances as a biofortification method. Sodium alginate extracted from seaweed (Sargassum horneri, Sargassum fulvellum, Sargassum fusiforme) were used as the elicitor. The levels of β-glucan and GABA in the mycelium and fruiting body grown by adding the elicitor to the medium were investigated. Addition of sodium alginate positively affected GABA production and negatively affected the β-glucan production in these fungi. Sodium alginates extracted from S. fulvellum induced the highest increase in GABA in the mycelium and fruiting bodies. Moreover, we investigated the effects of the extracts from mycelium and fruiting bodies on dendrite development in primary cortical neurons. We found that the extract from the fruiting bodies of sodium alginate treated fungi with increased levels of GABA inhibited the dendrite outgrowth of excitatory neurons, but not inhibitory neurons.

Mushrooms have been valued as a traditional source of natural bioactive compounds for centuries and have recently been exploited for potential components in cosmetics industry. Numerous mushrooms and their ingredients have been known to be beneficial to the skin and hair. The representative ingredients are as follows: phenolics, polyphenolics, terpenoids, selenium, polysaccharides, vitamins and volatile organic compounds. These compounds show excellent antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, skin whitening, and moisturizing effects which make them ideal candidates for cosmetics products. This review provides some perspectives of mushrooms (and/or extracts) and their ingredients presently used, or patented to be used, in both cosmeceuticals for topical administration and nutricosmetics for oral administration. With the small percentage of mushrooms presently identified and utilized, more mushroom species will be discovered, verified, and cultivated in the future, boosting the development of relevant industry. Combining with progress in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and systems pharmacology, mushrooms can find their way into cosmetics with multiple approaches.

실험에서는 꽃송이버섯 (Sparassis crispa, formerly S. crispa) 에탄올 추출물의 소수성 분획을 분리하고 각 분획의 DPPH 항산화 활성과 위암 (AGS), 폐암 (A529), 간암 (HepG2) 세포주를 이용한 항암 활성을 MTT assay 를 통해 확인 하였다. SOCC를 사용하여 총 18개의 fraction으로 분획하였고 TLC와 세포주를 이용한 항암 활 성 확인을 통하여 5개의 fraction으로 압축하였다. 항암 활성이 높은 5개의 fraction은 HPLC-MS를 통해 각 분획 물을 분석한 결과 항산화 활성을 보이지 않았으며 약 181.0의 분자량을 가진 물질이 지표물질로 확인되었으므 로 이 물질의 화학식 동정을 위하여 추가실험이 필요하다. 세포주를 이용한 항암실험 결과 꽃송이버섯 추출물은 위 암 (AGS), 폐암 (A529), 간암 (HepG2) 세포주 모두에서 양성대조군인 paclitaxel보다 낮은 세포 생존율을 보여 주 었으며(IC50 value), 이것은 추후 꽃송이버섯 추출물에 포 함된 항암 물질 분리 연구를 위한 기초연구 결과로서 무 척 의미가 크다고 할 수 있다.

Many educators question the value of explicit grammar instruction in foreign language education and look for alternative ways to enhance the communicative ability. Focusing on Korean leaners’ acquisition of English relative clauses, we examine whether grammar knowledge can result from experiencing English texts without explicit knowledge being provided at the outset of the learning. Our study shows that many grammatical features of English relative clauses can be acquired incidentally without explicit grammar instruction. Further, we found that the knowledge acquired through the implicit incidental learning can be better retained than that through the explicit learning.