This study aimed to identify and characterize lactic acid bacteria strains with antimicrobial activity against Proteus mirabilis, a gram-negative bacterium associated with Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, and nosocomial infections. Among the 987 lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from various sources, strain no. CHK903 showed high antimicrobial activity against P. mirabilis. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and scanning electron microscope analysis identified the selected strain as the rod-shaped Weissella cibaria. The culture supernatants of W. cibaria CHK903 showed antimicrobial activity against some pathogens. Two antimicrobial compounds with molecular weights 189 and 365 Da were partially purified from the culture supernatants of W. cibaria CHK903 using Biogel P2 gel permeation column chromatography. The culture supernatants of W. cibaria CHK903 also showed significant antibiofilm properties, inhibiting biofilm formation by 90% and removing pre-formed biofilms by 60%. These findings suggest the potential therapeutic use of W. cibaria CHK903 as a natural antimicrobial against P. mirabilis-related infections.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of nutrition education on dietary knowledge, dietary attitudes, and dietary behavior of elderly by analyzing changes before and after nutrition education. This study was conducted in Seoul from March 2022 to December 2022 for 50 elderly (6 male, 44 female) who participated in nutrition education for 8 weeks at three senior welfare centers (Seodaemun, Seongbuk, Jongno). A total of 35 responses were used in the final analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon’s signed rank test by age, hypertension, and dislipidemia to find effect of nutrition education on their nutritional knowledge, dietary attitudes, and dietary behavior. Results showed that nutrition education had a significant effect on the elderly. In particular, for those with chronic diseases such as hypertension and dislipidemia, the difference after education was significant, indicating significant changes in dietary habits. This study is expected to provide basic data for the development of a systematic nutrition education program for the elderly in the future.

본 연구는 농식품 소비자패널을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하여 소비자의 소비성향에 따른 저탄소인증농산물의 소비행태를 살펴본다. 소비자의 소비성향을 윤리적 소비성향과 합리적 소비성향으로 구분하여 집단을 구성하였고, 집단 간 소비행태 차이를 분석하였다. 윤리적 소비성향 집단과 합리적 소비성향 집단 간에 저탄소 농산물 인증제의 인지도, 탄소발생 감소를 위한 노력, 탄소중립 개념 인지도 및 저탄소인증농산물에 대한 구매의도 는 유의미한 차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 저탄소인증농산물의 소비활성화를 위해서 합리적 소비성향을 가진 소비자들의 저탄소인증농산물 구매를 유도할 수 있는 방안을 마련할 필요가 있다.

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in serving frequency of elementary school meal before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Number of menus provided in June and July of 2019 and 2020 were compared for 300 elementary schools in Korea. As a result, the serving frequency of la carte and dessert was increased after COVID-19. In addition, frequencies of main dishes such as pork cutlet, chicken, sweet and sour pork, hamburger steak, and so on using processed food were increased after COVID-19. Because of the longer serving time due to staggered serving, cook's working time for serving meals became longer. Therefore, it was judged that the number of servings of processed food was increased rather than the menu with a large amount of preprocessing work. Moreover, among desserts, fruits showed increased serving frequency. Serving frequencies for juice and dairy products were also increased. However, increased servings of juice and dairy products could increase sugar intake. Thus, a careful plan for menu composition is needed to provide balanced nutrients to students under emergency situations such as an infectious disease.

In order to investigate the optimal UVB (ultraviolet B) treatment conditions for vitamin D2 enhancement of freeze-dried ear mushroom, sample size (below 300 μm~whole), UV treatment temperature (30~60℃), treatment density (6.25~50.0 mg/cm2) and the samples mixing frequency (1~32 times) were treated differently. After that, chromaticity, vitamin D2 and ergosterol (vitamin D2 precursor) contents were investigated. As a result of the investigating, effective UVB treatment conditions for vitamin D2 enhancement are as follows. The sample sizes were 2~4 mm and finely crushed pieces. The treatment temperatures were 50℃ and 60℃. The treatment density was 12.5 to 25.0 mg/cm2, and the number of sample mixing was 8 times or more. As the amount of vitamin D2 increased by UVB treatment, the ergosterol content generally tended to decrease. However, under some UVB treatment conditions, the vitamin D2 content was not high despite the decrease of ergosterol content. Under the conditions set in this experiment, it was possible to obtain ear mushrooms with enhanced vitamin D2 up to 26,968.7 μg/100 g. Therefore, it is thought that the ear mushroom is highly likely to be used as a vitamin D source and nutritionally fortified food ingredient.

A beverage was developed using the Abeliophyllum distichum leaf (AL). The beverage was prepared by adding it to apple juice by concentration, and physicochemical quality, antioxidant activities, and sensory evaluation were measured. Soluble solid and reducing sugar content of the control were 12.57 °Brix and 11.40%, respectively, and there was no difference from the group with addition of the AL extract. However, pH was slightly increased upon addition of AL extract. Lightness and yellowness increased when AL extract was added. Verbascoside content was not detected in the control, but it increased as the concentration of AL extract increased. The contents of ascorbic acid and flavonoids were 5.38 and 20.42 mg%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the groups. However, the content of polyphenols increased as the concentration of the AL extract increased. DPPH radical and metal ion scavenging activity were increased by addition of the AL extract, but there was no difference in the ABTS radical scavenging activity. As a result of the sensory evaluation, there was no difference from the control even wihen the AL extract was added; thus, it was considered that there was no problem with the degree of acceptability when added within about 300 ppm.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant components, elastase inhibition activities, and melanin synthesis rates of Korean traditional Actinidia (Actinidia arguta) fruits and leaves depending on the ethanol extraction concentrations. The total polyphenol content was the highest in the 50% ethanol extract of both fruits and leaves, with values of 634.1 mg GAE/100 g and 3,985.2 mg GAE/100 g, respectively. The total flavonoid content was the highest in the fruit 90% extract and leaf 50% extract at 191.9 mg/100 g and 2655.6 mg/100 g, respectively. The vitamin C content was the highest in the 50% extract of leaves at 2990.3 mg/100 g. Elastase inhibition was the highest at 56.9% in the leaf 50% extract at a concentration of 1,000 μg/mL. Melanin synthesis inhibition showed the highest melanin synthesis inhibitory effect among the extracts, as the leaf 50% extract showed an inhibitory rate of 65% or more. Therefore, the antioxidant components, elastase inhibition activities, and melanin synthesis inhibitory rate were better in leaves than in fruits. The leaf 50% extract was particularly the best among the extracts. Korean traditional Actinidia leaves can be considered as potential sources for new functional materials.

This study investigated the correlation between parents' nutrition quotient (NQ) and the nutrition quotient of Korean preschoolers (NQ-P) of picky eaters (PE) aged five years living in Dobong-gu, Seoul. The questionnaire was conducted online by parents of 187 preschoolers between May 25 and June 5, 2020. PE was defined as an average score of 3 or more on the picky eating questionnaires; non-picky eaters (NPE, n=120) and PE (n=67). The correlation between preschoolers and their parents was assessed using the NQ-P and NQ, respectively. Compared to the NPE, picky eating (p<0.001) was significantly higher, and vegetable preference (p<0.001), NQ-P (p<0.05), moderation dimension (p<0.05), frequency of vegetable intake (p<0.05) of balance dimension, and processed beverages (p<0.01) of moderation dimension were significantly lower in the PE. The correlation between the NQ and NQ-P was related to the diversity (p<0.05), moderation (p<0.05), and environment (p<0.01) of NQ in the NPE and not related to the PE. PEs should increase their frequency of vegetable intake and reduce their intake of processed beverages. To increase the NQ-P of PE, parents should eat a balanced diet. Future studies on the NQ-P of preschoolers aged 3 to 5 are needed.

Centella asiatica (C. asiatica) has been widely used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industry as a functional material. In a previous study, we have investigated not only pharmacological effects such as antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, but also analyzed various functional ingredients. In this study, triterpenoids were analyzed using HPLC-DAD to determine marker compounds among functional ingredients. When triterpenoids were analyzed, asiaticoside from C. asiatica was determined as an optimal marker compound. Next, specificity, linearity, limited of detection (LOD), limited of quantification (LOQ), precision, accuracy, and range were evaluated using HPLC-DAD to determine asiaticoside contents in C. asiatica juice and extracts. The specificity was elucidated by chromatogram and retention time using an established analytical method. The coefficient of correlation obtained was 0.9996. LOD was 4.99 μg/mL and LOQ was 15.12 μg/mL. Intra- and inter-day precision of asiaticoside were determined to be 0.48~1.68% and 0.08~1.09%, respectively. Furthermore, the recovery rate of asiaticoside was 98.88% and the analytical range of Field-70E was determined to be 0.625~10 mg/mL. As a results of evaluating ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP antioxidative effect, Field-70E showed potent antioxidant activities. Results of this study could be used as basic data for quality standardization of C. astiatica juice and extracts.

Isoflavones found in soybeans are present as glycosides and aglycones, which differ according to their chemical structure. The absorption rate and bioavailability of aglycones are greater than those of glycosides. It is known that aglycone isoflavones in soybean was converted from glycoside isoflavones by activating of endogenous β-glucosidase under drying (40~60℃) conditions after soaking. In this study, we compared and analyzed the proximate composition and isoflavone contents of soybean powders prepared under dried after soaking were analyzed. In the comparison of the proximate compositions, the moisture contents of white soybean powder dried after soaking (WSPDS) and black soybean powder dried after soaking (BSPDS) were decreased as compared with those of the control white soybean powder (CWSP) and control black soybean powder (CBSP). Whereas the contents of other proximate compositions were increased. The aglycone isoflavone contents were higher in WSPDS than in CWSP. Whereas the aglycone isoflavone contents of BSPDS had a similar content those of CBSP because of the component characteristics of black soybean. In conclusion, we believe that it is appropriate to identify and utilize the component characteristics of soybean varieties in order to induce an increase in the functional component content of soybeans under drying conditions after soaking.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of enzymatically modified stevia (EMS) on C2C12 cell-based model of dexamethasone (DEX)-induced muscle atrophy to provide baseline data for utilizing EMS in functional health products. C2C12 cells with DEX-induced muscle atrophy were treated with EMS (10, 50, and 100 μg/mL) for 24 h. C2C12 cells were treated with EMS and DEX to test their effects on cell viability and myotube formation (myotube diameter and fusion index), and analyze the expression of muscle strengthening or degrading protein markers. Schisandra chinensis Extract, a common functional ingredient, was used as a positive control. EMS did not show any cytotoxic effect at all treatment concentrations. Moreover, it exerted protective effects on C2C12 cell-based model of DEX-induced muscle atrophy at all concentrations. In addition, the positive effect of EMS on myotube formation was confirmed based on the measurement and comparison of the fusion index and myotube diameter when compared with myotubes treated with DEX alone. EMS treatment reduced the expression of muscle cell degradation-related proteins Fbx32 and MuRF1, and increased the expression of muscle strengthening and synthesis related proteins SIRT1 and p- Akt/Akt. Thus, EMS is a potential ingredient for developing functional health foods and should be further evaluated in preclinical models.

In this study, we analyzed the effect of storage conditions on the survival of fungi in red pepper powder. Red pepper powder was inoculated with a total of six fungal species, namely Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus microsporus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus ochraceus at a final cell count of 4–6 log CFU/g. After inoculating the sterilized red pepper powder with fungi, we dried the powder on a clean bench and packaged it in zipper bags. Following drying, the water activity was 0.502±0.001. Subsequently, the red pepper powder inoculated with fungi was stored at -20oC, 5oC, 15oC, and 25oC. All six species of fungi perished the quickest at 25oC and survived for the longest (168 days) at -20oC. In summary, this study showed that fungi survive for an extended period in red pepper powder at -20oC and 5oC compared to 15oC and 25oC. Therefore, to prevent fungal contamination, red pepper powder should have a water activity below 0.6 and be stored in a zipper bag at room temperature.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a coating agent on pork storage. Pork was coated with a coating agent containing sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and mandarin peel powder (M). The treatments were divided into control, a 0.1% CMC treatment, and a 0.1% CMC +5% M treatment, and pH, color, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), and the number of viable cell counts were measured. In the case of redness (a), it was found that the reduction over the storage period was less in the 0.1% CMC + 5% M treatment than in the control and the 1% CMC treatment. When stored at 4oC and 25oC, TBARS of pork tended to increase during the storage period, followed by control, 0.1% CMC treatment, and 0.1% CMC + 5% M treatment, indicating that lipid oxidation was most suppressed in pork coated with mandarin peel powder. As a result of measuring the VBN of pork stored at 4oC and 25oC, the 0.1% CMC + 5% M treatment showed lower values than the control and 0.1% CMC treatment. When the film-coated pork was stored at 4oC, the number of viable cell counts in the 0.1% CMC +5% M treatment area was 7.13±0.96 log CFU/g on the 12th day of storage, delaying the growth of viable cell counts for approximately 3 d more than other treatments. Therefore, coating pork with a film containing CMC and mandarin peel powder has been confirmed to delay the increase in the number of viable cell counts while reducing the quality change during pork storage, which is an effective alternative to improving the storage of fresh food as an edible film.

In this study, we examined the residual amounts of formaldehyde in hygiene products to determine the safety of these products in Gyeonggi-do. Formaldehyde is among the harmful substances that may remain within certain hygiene products. On the basis of an analysis of formaldehyde in a total of 222 items (6 disposable paper straws, 9 disposable paper napkins, 21 toilet papers, 13 disposable dishcloths, 16 disposable paper towels, 32 wet wipes for food service restaurants, 25 disposable cotton swabs, and 100 disposable diapers), we detected traces in three wet wipes for food service restaurants (1.87 to 4.45 mg/kg), which is approximately 9% to 22% of the standard level (20 mg/kg). We established that all the hygiene products assessed in the study met the individual standards for formaldehyde, thereby confirming that safe products are being distributed. In the standards and specifications for hygiene products, the formaldehyde test method is regulated for application with respect to three categories based on the type of product. The samples used in this study were of types for which method 1 or method 2 is applied, and the limits of detection, limits of quantification, linearity, and recovery rates were reviewed to verify the validity of each test method. When method 2 was applied, we experienced interference when performing analysis at a wavelength of 412 nm, which was associated with the influence of impurities in some samples of disposable cotton swabs and disposable diapers. Consequently, in these cases, the results were compared after analysis using method 1. By comparing the results obtained using method 2 with those obtained using method 1, the latter of which were unaffected by the interference of impurities, we were able to detect formaldehyde at low concentrations. These findings accordingly highlight the necessity to standardize the formaldehyde test method for future analyses.

The surge in food delivery systems during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic necessitated this study of heavy metal migration from food contact materials (FCMs). A total of 104 samples of FCMs, comprising 51 polypropylene (PP), 21 polyethylene (PE), and 32 polystyrene (PS) samples of six different types of FCMs (containers, covers, table utensils, cups, pouches, and wrappers) used for food delivery distributed in Korea, were collected and investigated for migration of three heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and As) using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine whether they complied with Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages. Acetic acid (4%, v/v) was used as the food simulant, and tests were performed at 100oC (in harsh conditions) for 30 min. Linearity of Pb, Cd, and As showed acceptable results with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.9999. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of Pb, Cd, and As were 0.001, 0.001, and 0.001 μg/L and 0.002, 0.003, and 0.003 μg/L, respectively. Accuracy and precision results complied with the criteria presented in the European Commission Joint Research Centre guidelines. The average concentration of Pb, Cd, and As migration detected in a total of 104 samples was 0.009–0.260 μg/L, which was very low compared with the migration specification set in the Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages. The maximum level of Pb corresponded to 0.23% of the migration limit. There were no samples exceeding the limit. Thus, this study confirmed that the heavy metal contents of FCMs used for delivery food distributed in Korea were safely managed. The data from this study represent an invaluable source for science-based safety management of hazardous heavy metals migrating from FCMs used in the food delivery industry.