• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.978-984
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• 2016

Osteoporosis is a disease that often occurs in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to examine the positive effects of Cheongukjang powder containing menaquinone-7 (MK-7) on bone health circulation in postmenopausal women. Fifty-six postmenopausal women were recruited into a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups. For 12 weeks, one group received $800{\mu}g$ MK-7 in the form of Cheongukjang packs (CMK-7), and the other group received the same amount of identical-looking placebo packs containing barley meal for 12 weeks. Femoral bone mineral density (BMD), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP), deoxypyridinoline (DPD), osteocalcin (OSC), serum Ca, and serum P were measured at baseline (0 weeks) and 12 weeks. After 12 weeks in the CMK-7 group, it was found that BMD, serum Ca, and serum P had increased above the baseline (p<0.0001, p=0.0028, p<0.0001), whereas bone-specific ALP, DPD, and OSC had decreased below the baseline (p=0.0003, p<0.0001, p<0.0001). Therefore, MK-7 taken as Cheongukjang is expected to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.29
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• pp.43-53
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• 2011

The possibility of making Cheongukjang by the use of soy-powder and pill type re-made from soy-powder was investigated. Some of experimental results obtained are summarized as follows; 1. Regardless of three different types for the source material of Cheonggukjang, soybean seed, soy-power, and pill, the dry weight of fermented Cheonggukjang showed continuously decreasing trends along with the time of fermentation applied. 2. In all type of source materials, the length of viscous substance during fermentation was increased along with the time of fermentation, and the rate of elongation was much reduced after 48hr of fermentation. Out of four soybean varieties tested, Taekwangkong produced longest viscous substance fermented in the type of soybean seed. No viscous substance was formed when the depth of soy-powder in the fermentation box was shallow, one centimeter. 3. Not much difference was observed in the number of microbes, Bacillus licheniformis B1, in all soybean varieties. The number was proportionally increased in the type of powder but it increased rapidly from 12 hour to 24 hour with low rate of increase thereafter in the pill type. 4. Along with the time of fermentation in all types, the color of Cheonggukjang changed from yellow to dull. At the same time, the tone of color and chroma changed into reddish and yellow, respectively. 5. Along with the time of fermentation in all types, pH of Cheonggukjang changed in alkali. 6. Along with the time of fermentation, the content of isoflavone in Cheonggukjang increased by 48hr but decreased thereafter. 7. In general, the quality of Cheonggukjang fermented in types of soy-powder and pill re-made from soy-powder was lower than that of soybean seed. More study is seemed to be needed to produce high quality Cheonggukjang by the use of soy-power.