• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.323-329
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• 2006

To more accurately estimate vitamin A and vitamin E intake of Koreans, food composition databases of the tocopherol and carotenoid contents of Korean foods are needed. In this study, the tocopherol $(\alpha-,\;\gamma-,\;and\;\delta-)$ and carotenoid ($\alpha-carotene,\;\beta-carotene,\;\beta-ctyptoxanthin$, lutein, and zeaxanthin) contents of 12 Korean cooked combination foods commonly consumed by children in Kwangju, Republic of Korea, were determined using reversed-phase HPLC. All samples were obtained from 3 different households in Kwangju during summer, 2005. All cooked foods in this study had detectable quantities of $\alpha-tocopherol,\;\gamma-tocopherol$ except for shoegogimugook, and $\delta-tocopherol$ except for myulchibokkeum Doejigogibokkeum had the highest $\alpha-tocopherol$ content (0.64 mg/l00 g edible portion), and $\gamma-tocopherol\;and\;\delta-tocopherol$ contents of gimbab were the highest among the foods (1.01 and 0.26 mg/l00 g edible portion). $\beta-carotene$ was found in all food samples. Gimbab had the highest contents of $\alpha-carotene,\;\beta-carotene$, and lutein among Korean cooked combination foods (158.3, 266.6, and $375.4{\mu}g/100g$ edible portion). Miyukgook contained only $\beta-carotene$ ($2.5{\mu}g/100g$ edible portion). Considerable sample-to-sample variability in tocopherol and carotenoid compositions were observed in several Korean cooked combination foods included in this study. Some of these carotenoids $(\alpha-carotene,\;\beta-carotene,\;and\;\beta-cryptoxanthin)$ are vitamin A precursors. The findings of this study may be valuable for use in Korean databases as well as nutrient consumption research for vitamin A and vitamin E.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.375-379
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• 1995

Contents of ${\beta}-carotene$ and vitamin C in the vegetable(Angelica keiskei) juice were measured as a function of storing temperature$(-18^{\circ}C{\sim}35^{\circ}C)$ and period$(6{\sim}72\;hours)$. Content of ${\beta}-carotene$ was highest in the fresh juice and the degree of destruction of the ${\beta}-carotene$ was significantly increased as the storage temperature increased. Vitamin C in the juice stored at $4^{\circ}C$ decreased less than that of ${\beta}-carotene$. There was no significant difference in fatty acid compositions among in the fresh, freeze-dried juice and juice stored for 72 hours. Antioxidative activities of components extracted from the juice(fresh and stored for 24 hours) followed by incubating for 1 day were higher than that of ${\alpha}-tocopherol$ and then significantly decreased as incubation prolonged.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.389-396
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• 1992

Provitamin A carotenoids($\alpha$- $\beta$-carotene lutein capsanthin) cintents in various red pepper and red pepper products were analyzed by HPLC and UV/VIS spectroscopy. The amounts of $\beta$-carotene and capsanthin were at its highest in powdered red pepper and lutein in red pepper leaves. There are little $\alpha$-carotene present in all samples analyzed. So vitamin A activity was calculated only from $\beta$-carotene content. Capsanthin and $\beta$-carotene contents of red pepper were higher than those of green pepper whereas lutein content of red pepper was lower than that of green pepper. whereas lutein content of red pepper was lower than that of green pepper. Vitamin A activity from colorimetric analysis was higher than that from chromatographic method and results were not generally in accordance with the vitamin A data presented in current food composition tables. Vitamin A activities in retinol equivalent(R. E. ) of green pepper red pepper powdered red pepper fermented red pepper paste and red pepper leaves were 70, 570, 1, 340, 140, 980 R. E respectively.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6011-6016
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• 2012

Introduction: Epidemiological studies suggest a protective role for ${\beta}$-carotene with several malignancies. Esophageal adenocarcinoma frequently arises from Barrett's esophagus (BE). We postulated that ${\beta}$-carotene therapy maybe protective in BE. Materials and Method: We conducted a prospective study in which 25 mg of ${\beta}$-carotene was administered daily for six-months to six patients. Each patient underwent upper endoscopy before and after therapy and multiple mucosal biopsies were obtained. Additionally, patients completed a gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms questionnaire before and after therapy and severity score was calculated. To study the effect of ${\beta}$-carotene at molecular level, tissue extracts of the esophageal mucosal biopsy were subjected to assessment of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70). Results: A significant (p<0.05) reduction in mean GERD symptoms severity score from $7.0{\pm}2.4$ to $2.7{\pm}1.7$ following ${\beta}$-carotene therapy was noted. Measurement of Barrett's segment also revealed a significant reduction in mean length after therapy. In fact, two patients had complete disappearance of intestinal metaplasia. Furthermore, marked enhancement of HSP70 expression was demonstrated in biopsy specimens from Barrett's epithelium in four cases that were tested. Conclusions: Long-term ${\beta}$-carotene therapy realizes amelioration of GERD symptoms along with restitution of the histological and molecular changes in esophageal mucosa of patients with BE, associated with concurrent increase in mucosal HSP70 expression.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.23 no.4 s.100
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• pp.423-432
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the seasonal variations in water, protein, lipid, ascorbic acid, and ${\beta}-carotene$ contents of 17 vegetables and 4 fruits that are available all the year round and frequently consumed by Koreans. The water contents of the fruits ranged from 83-89%, and the vegetables contained more water than the fruits. The apples and pears had more water in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter. The tangerines showed a high water content in the winter, whereas the strawberries contained more water in the fall. The vegetables also showed seasonal variations in water content. The protein contents of the fruits were lower than 1%; the cucumbers contained 0.1% protein, which was the lowest level, but spinach, lettuce, bean sprouts, sesame leaves, and mushrooms had more than 1% protein. The ascorbic acid and ${\beta}-carotene$ contents of the apples, pears, and tangerines were higher in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer. The vegetables, in general, contained more ascorbic acid than the fruits. The cabbage and radishes showed higher ascorbic acid contents in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer, indicating that vegetables as well as fruits are more nutritious during their harvest season. The zucchini, spinaches, and green peppers had higher ${\beta}-carotene$ contents in the winter than in the other seasons. The above results show that there were seasonal differences in the ascorbic acid and ${\beta}-carotene$ contents of the fruits and vegetables. In addition, the fruits and vegetables had a tendency to contain more ascorbic acid and ${\beta}-carotene$ in the season they were harvested. Therefore, we recommend the consumption of those fruits and vegetables during their harvest season.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2015

Commercial greenhouse plant factories are highly efficient for controlling external factors such as floods, drought, insects, air pollution etc. However, they require substantial startup & maintenance investments and experimental research to optimize production. These facilities are especially useful for urban farming where high efficiency in small spaces is required. In this study, we investigated whether light emitting diode (LED) lights with mixed dominant wavelengths (650 nm : 550 nm : 445 nm=8:1:1, 650 nm : 445 nm=6:4) can increase the growth rate and bio-active compound content of carrots in comparison to that of fluorescent light (FL). LED with mixed wavelength (650 nm : 550 nm : 445 nm=8:1:1) increased the total weight and root circumference of carrots compared to FL. However, ${\beta}$-carotene contents were not significant in LED (650 nm : 550 nm : 445 nm=8:1:1). However, LED (650 nm : 445 nm=6:4) increased the ${\beta}$-carotene (FL: 7.27, LED: 10.48 mg/g ${\beta}$-carotene dried weight). These results suggested that using LED light at the ideal wavelength, at the antithesis color of the plant, might enhance plant growth and bio-active compound contents.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.240-245
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• 2009

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied to determine the carotenoid composition of carrots during storage and cooking. Analyses were conducted immediately after harvest and 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after harvest. During the course of the storage, the carotenoid levels generally decreased, and this decrease was found to be greater during the first week for $\beta$-carotene (all-trans-$\beta$-carotene) and lutein, and during the second week for $\alpha$-carotene. Additionally, the amount of the $\alpha-$ and $\beta$-carotenes in carrot leaves changed slightly within the first 2 weeks of harvest when stored at $4^{\circ}C$. Specifically, the level of lutein, the main component of carrot leaves, increased from 233.8$\pm$11.7 to $346.2\pm26.7{\mu}g$/g DW during the first 2 weeks. In addition, the change in carotenoid contents was observed during the home-processing of one Korean cultivar. Carrots fried in oil showed the highest amount of $\beta$-carotene ($164.3\pm6.6{\mu}g$/g DW) and $\alpha$-carotene ($50.1\pm0.4{\mu}g$/g DW), while carrots that were prepared by sauteing, pressure-cooking in water and microwaving had the second highest levels. The greatest loss of in carotenoids occurred in response to boiling in water containing 1% NaCl, braising and baking. The content of lutein increased slightly after boiling in water containing 1% NaCl ($9.3\pm0.4{\mu}g$/g DW), while a loss in lutein occurred after preparation using other home-processing methods. A cis-isomer of all-trans-$\beta$-carotene, 13-cis-$\beta$-carotene, was present in detectable amounts in all processed samples, but not in raw roots. Another isomer, 9-cis-$\beta$-carotene, was detected in carrots that were prepared by boiling, frying and pressure-cooking.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.267-272
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• 2011

Several reports indicated that astaxanthin and zeaxanthin have more active anticancer activity than pro-vitamin A carotenes. ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase is a key enzyme to synthesize zeaxanthin and astaxanthin in carotenoids biosynthesis pathway. We isolated the ChyB gene encoding ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase from tomato leaves. The ChyB gene (1.5Kbp) fragment was cloned into the binary vector and designated to pIG121-ChyB-tom. Agrobacterium-mediated infiltration was used for transient assay in Nicotiana benthamiana. Leaf samples were collected 0, 1, 2, 3 days after infiltration (DAI). RT-PCR result showed that the expression of ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase transcripts was not detected in control (0DAI), but its expression was detected after 1 DPI and increased later on. When the activity of ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase was measured, the 1,1-diphenyl-pricryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (27%) at 2 DAI was significantly higher than that (21%) at 0 DAI. These results indicated that anti-oxidant activity dramatically increased at 2 DAI in tobacco leaves was due to over expression of tomato ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase. These results can be the foundation to develop tomato cultivars with high oxy-carotenoids content using the ChyB gene transformation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1911-1918
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• 2013

This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between intake of carotenoids and risk of esophageal cancer. A systematic search using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, and CBM (updated to 6 May 2012) identified ten articles meeting the inclusion criteria with 1,958 cases of esophageal cancer and 4,529 controls. Higher intake of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin reduced esophageal cancer risk with pooled ORs of 0.58 (95% CI 0.44, 0.77), 0.81 (95% CI 0.70, 0.94), 0.75 (95% CI 0.64, 0.86), 0.80 (95% CI 0.66, 0.97), and 0.71 (95% CI 0.59, 0.87), respectively. In subgroup analyses, beta-carotene showed protective effects against esophageal adenocarcinoma in studies located in Europe and North America. Alpha-carotene, lycopene, and beta-cryptoxanthin showed protection against esophageal squamous cell cancer. This meta-analysis suggested that higher intake of carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin) is associated with lower risk of esophageal cancer. Further research with large-sample studies need to be conducted to better clarify the potentially protective mechanisms of carotenoid associations risk of different types of esophageal cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2005

Skin is continously exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the major cause of skin disorders including skin aging. Chlorophylls were well known as photosensitizer initiating subsequent chemical reactions such as photooxidative deterioration of cellular structures. This experiment was designed to elucidate the effects of $\beta$-carotene and ascorbic acid with chlorophylls on UVB-induced photooxidation in linoleic acid emulsion model system and skin homogenate of ICR mouse. In linoleic acid emulsion model system, the addition of chlorophyll and $\beta$-carotene accelerated the photooxidation, while high concentration of ascorbic acid prevented. The combination of chlorophylls, $\beta$-carotene and ascorbic acid, which concentrations are simplified from mustard leaf kimchi, prevented UVB-induced photooxidation. Although single treatment of $\beta$-caretene accelerated photooxidaiton, $\beta$-caretene acted as antioxidant in the combination with ascorbic acid. Similarly the addition of individual chlorophylls and $\beta$-carotene accelerated the UVB-induced photooxidation in skin homogenate of ICR mouse. 50 ppm of ascorbic acid did not show the any preventive effect, however 500 ppm of ascorbic acid effectively prevented the oxidation. Photooxidation was prevented in the combination of chlorophylls and $\beta$-carotene with 500 ppm of ascorbic acid and concentration rate of ascorbic acid plays an important role in the prevention of UVB-induced photooxidation.