• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.213-217
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• 2009

In this study, the effects of processed small black soybeans on the intestinal morphological characteristics of rats were examined. Adult male rats were fed diets containing raw, cooked, or acidified small black soybean powders for 4 weeks. The total short chain fatty acid (SCFA) level was significantly higher in the acidified small black soybean supplemented group than in the raw and cooked soybean diet groups. The major SCFAs found in the experimental groups were acetate, followed by propionate and butyrate. The duodenal villus height and colonic mucosal thickness were also significantly higher in the acidified small black soybean supplemented group than in the raw and cooked soybean diet groups. The acidified small black soybean supplemented group showed the densest colonic mucosa by staining with alcian blue (AB), as compared to the raw and cooked soybean diet groups. The acidified small black soybean supplemented group exhibited strongly stained $CD4^+$ in the mucosal lamina propria, while cooked and acidified diet groups were more strongly stained $CD8^+$ in the submucosal lamina propria than the raw diet group. These results suggest that acidified small black soybeans may help improve intestinal function.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.309-316
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• 2004

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii UTEX 90 was cultivated with continuous supply of 2% $CO_2$ using TAP media at $25^\circ{C}$ and produced biomass 1.18 g of dry cell weight/L for 4 days. C. reinhardtii algal biomass(CAB) was concentrated to 20 times by volume and converted into hydrogen and organic acids by anaerobic fermentation using Clostridium butyricum. Organic acids in the fermentate of CAB were consecutively used to produce hydrogen by Rhodobacter sphaeroides KD 131 under the light condition. Approximately 52% of starch in the concentrated CAB which had 4-5.8, 24-26 and 6-7 g/L of starch, protein and fat, respectively was degraded by Cl. butyricum at $37^\circ{C}$. During this process, hydrogen and some organic acids, such as formate, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, respectively were produced. Further conversion of the organic acids in anaerobic fermentate of CAB by Rb. sphaeroides KD131 produced hydrogen from the anaerobic fermentate under the illumination of 8 klux using halogen lamp at $30^\circ{C}$. The result showed that hydrogen was evolved by the anaerobic conversion using Cl. butyricum and then by the photosynthetic fermentation using Rb. sphaeroides KD131. It indicated that the two-step conversion process produced the maximum amount of hydrogen from algal biomass which contained carbohydrate, protein, and fat via organic acids.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.410-416
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• 2008

합성 및 두부 제조 폐수로부터 혐기 세균 복합체를 이용하여 수소를 생산하였다. 수소생산 혐기 세균 복합체는 하수처리장 농축 소화조에서 발생하는 슬러지를 $90^{\circ}C$에서 20분간 열처리하여 얻었다. 혐기 세균 복합체는 $37^{\circ}C$ 회분식 운전조건에서 1% (w/v) 포도당 함유 PYG (peptone-yeast extract-glucose) 배지로부터 1.15 L-$H_2$/g-균체건조량의 수소를 생산할 수 있었고, 이때 주요 유기산으로 15 mM acetate와 32 mM butyrate가 생성되었다. 같은 발효조건에서 1.4% 전분과 0.07% 환원당을 포함하는 두부 제조 폐수로부터 1.76 L $H_2$/L-두부제조폐수의 수소를 발생하였다. 이와 같은 결과로 부터 포도당과 두부 제조 폐수로부터 혐기세균 복합체에 의한 수소생산 효율은 각각 1.9과 0.9 mol $H_2$/mol 포도당을 나타내었다. 반연속운전(HRT, 12 시간)시 합성폐수를 이용하여 60일 이상 안정적으로 수소를 생산할 수 있었고, 이 때 혐기 세균 복합체는 1.3-2.0 L $H_2$/L-배양액을 발생하였다. PCR-DGGE(polymer chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) 분석결과, 반응기 내 세균 복합체의 주요 미생물은 Clostridium 종이었다. 본 연구는 적절한 열처리를 통해 혐기 소화조 슬러지로부터 고활성 수소생산 세균 복합체를 얻을 수 있으며, 이들 세균 복합체를 이용하여 합성 및 두부제조 폐수로부터 효율적인 수소생산이 가능하다는 것을 나타내고 있다.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.171-180
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• 2016

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most prevalent liver diseases associated with an altered lifestyle, besides genetic factors. The control and management of NAFLD mostly depend on lifestyle modifications, due to the lack of a specific therapeutic approach. In this context, we assessed the effect of carrot juice on the development of high fructose-induced hepatic steatosis. For this purpose, male weanling Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups, fed either a control (Con) or high fructose (HFr) diet of AIN93G composition, with or without carrot juice (CJ) for 8 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, plasma biochemical markers, such as triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, and ${\beta}$-hydroxy butyrate levels were comparable among the 4 groups. Although, the liver injury marker, aspartate aminotransferase, levels in plasma showed a reduction, hepatic triglycerides levels were not significantly reduced by carrot juice ingestion in the HFr diet-fed rats (HFr-CJ). On the other hand, the key triglyceride synthesis pathway enzyme, hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), expression at mRNA level was augmented by carrot juice ingestion, while their protein levels showed a significant reduction, which corroborated with decreased monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), particularly palmitoleic (C16:1) and oleic (C18:1) acids. Notably, it also improved the long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6) content of the liver in HFr-CJ. In conclusion, carrot juice ingestion decreased the SCD1-mediated production of MUFA and improved DHA levels in liver, under high fructose diet-fed conditions. However, these changes did not significantly lower the hepatic triglyceride levels.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.162-170
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• 2016

The effects of dietary ${\beta}$-glucan, obtained from bacterial fermentation, on the intestinal mass, short chain fatty acids, lactate production and pH in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were evaluated. SD rats fed with 0% (control group), 1% or 5% ${\beta}$-glucan supplemented diets (w/w) for 3 weeks. The presence of ${\beta}$-glucan in the diets resulted in a significant increase in colonic contents in a dose dependent manner. The amount of short chain fatty acids increased in rats fed ${\beta}$-glucan diets. Rats fed the 5% ${\beta}$-glucan diets had higher levels of acetate, propionate and butyrate by 1.8, 1.7 and 3.0 fold of the control group in the cecum, and 2.2, 2.9 and 3.1 fold of the control group in the colon, respectively. The ${\beta}$-glucan diets also significantly increased the levels of cecal and colonic lactate by 1.4~3.4 fold, when compared to the control diet, indicating that dietary ${\beta}$-glucan stimulated the growth of lactic acid bacteria within the intestine. These results suggest that dietary ${\beta}$-glucan, by providing short chain fatty acids and reducing the cecal and colonic pH, may be beneficial in improving gut health, and provide evidence for the use of ${\beta}$-glucan as a dietary supplement for human consumption.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 1989

A pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacterium, Methylobacterium sp. strain SY1, was isolated from soil through methanol-enrichment culture technique. The isolate was gram-negative, slightly curved rod, and motile by a single polarly inserted flagellum. The colony was smooth, bright pink, and slimy. The guanine plus cytosine content of the KNA was 66%. The cell was obigately aerobic and exhibited both catalase and oxidase activities. Carotenoid pigment and poly-$\beta$-hydroxybutyrate were present. It was found to have three kinds of plasmid with molecular weights 45,000, 38,500 and 23,000. Growth with methanol(0.5%) was fast ($t_{d}$=6.5h) and was optimal at $30^{\circ}C$ and at pH 7.0. The isolate could grow on several sugars, organic acids, amino acids, amines, and alcohols in addition to the methanol. Methanol was found to be assimilated through the serine pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.315-325
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• 2016

A novel esterase gene, est7K, was isolated from a compost metagenomic library. The gene encoded a protein of 411 amino acids and the molecular mass of the Est7K was estimated to be 44,969 Da with no signal peptide. Est7K showed the highest identity of 57% to EstA3, which is an esterase from a drinking water metagenome, when compared with the enzymes with reported properties. Est7K had three motifs, SMTK, YSV, and WGG, which correspond to the typical motifs of family VIII esterases, SxxK, Yxx, and WGG, respectively. Est7K did not have the GxSxG motif in most lipolytic enzymes. Three additional motifs, LxxxPGxxW, PLGMxDTxF, and GGxG, were found to be conserved in family VIII enzymes. The results of the phylogenetic analysis and the alignment study suggest that family VIII enzymes could be classified into two subfamilies, VIII.1 and VIII.2. The purified Est7K was optimally active at 40ºC and pH 10.0. It was activated to exhibit a 2.1-fold higher activity by the presence of 30% methanol. It preferred short-length p-nitrophenyl esters, particularly p-nitrophenyl butyrate, and efficiently hydrolyzed glyceryl tributyrate. It did not hydrolyze β-lactamase substrates, tertiary alcohol esters, glyceryl trioleate, fish oil, and olive oil. Est7K preferred an S-enantiomer, such as (S)-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate, as the substrate. The tolerance to methanol and the substrate specificity may provide potential advantage in the use of the enzyme in pharmaceutical and other biotechnological processes.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2016

Marine bacteria have represented unique physiologies and products which are not discovered from terrestrial organisms. There has been great interest to utilize and develop marine bacteria in many industrial sectors. Recently, we isolated and characterized anaerobic bacteria from various marine environments in Korea to search organic acids fermenting strains. From our enrichment performed under anaerobic condition, 65 strains were isolated and identified by the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Among them, eleven strains were selected for phylogenetical and biochemical analysis. All tested strains were affiliated with Class Clostridia except one with Class Bacteroidia. Most of strains produce acetate (6 strains) with butyrate (2 strains) and/or formate (4 strains). Strain MCWD5 transformed 40% of glucose to extracellular polymeric substances. These results indicate that many novel anaerobic microorganisms which have great potential in commercial application are distributed in the marine environments of Korean Peninsula.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 1990

The growth and fermentation profiles of Clostridium acetobutylicum KCTC 1037 were examined in batch and continuous modes with pH variation and phosphate limitation. Clostridium acetobutylicum KCTC 10 37 grew better at pH 4.5 than at pH 5.5 or 6.5. Acetate and butyrate were produced at pH 5.5, whereas culture at pH 4.5 produced acetone and butanol. Solvent production was increased by the phosphate limitation in a batch culture, but in a phosphate-limited continuous culture for 400 hours steady-state solventogenesis was not observed. The induction and maintenance of solventogenesis presumably require not only acidic condition or phosphate limitation but also favourable bioenergetic condition.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 2004

Pseudomonas sp. MBEL21 was newly isolated from soil samples and found to accumulate medium-chain-length Polyhydroxyalkanoates(MCL-PHAs) using oleic acid as a sole carbon source. Among the various nutrient limiting conditions examined, including nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus, only phosphorus limitation supported the accumulation of MCL-PHAs up to 15 wt％ of dry cell weight in flask cultures. MCL-PHAs produced by Pseudomonas sp. MBEL21 was mainly composed of 3-hydroxy-5-cis-tetradecenoate. Fed-batch culture of Pseudomonas sp. MBEL21 by novel feeding strategies based on cell growth charcteristics was carried out under phosphorus limitation using oleic acid as a sole carbon source. The final cell concentration and PHA content of 82 g/L and 28 wt％, respectively, were obtained. Furthermore, PHA consisted of MCL-hydroxyalkanoates and 3-hydroxybutyrate could be produced using olive oil as a sole carbon source.