• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.132-143
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• 2015

Water is an essential resource for humans, but fresh water becomes scarce due to population growth and contamination of limited resources. Membrane technology has been widely used for water treatment, and forward osmosis is a process which does not need high hydraulic pressure for the operation. However, there are needs for (1) development of novel draw solutes causing low internal concentration polarization and reverse salt flux for high water flux, and (2) development of economic recovery method of the draw solutes in the diluted draw solution. Previous researches on the draw solute include $NaHCO_3$ which can be regenerated by about $60^{\circ}C$ heating, sucrose which can make potable water without additional process, and magnetic nanoparticles which can be regenerated by external magnetic field. Using the principles of forward osmosis process, sea water desalination, wastewater treatment, refinement of proteins, energy generation using pressure retarded osmosis process, preparation of diluted fertilizer, and growing algae for biofuel can be conducted. This paper summarizes characteristics of ideal draw solutes, recovery method of the draw solutes, and various application examples.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.394-399
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• 2004

The effects of gamma irradiation to improve the hygienic quality and microbiological shelf stability of whole baked egg were investigated by comparison with autoclaving process. The contamination levels of coliform, total aerobic bacteria and fungal group in a fresh egg were 10$^{5}$ CFU/g, 10$^{2}$ CFU/g and 10$^{1}$ CFU/g, respectively. After baking process, total aerobic bacteria and fungi were not exceeded to 10$^{1}$ CFU/g. Also, coliform was not detected under the aseptic process. However, cell counts of the baked egg after packaging reached to 10$^{4}$ CFU/g of total aerobic bacteria, 10$^{1}$ CFU/g of coliform, and 10$^{2}$ CFU/g of fungi. Therefore, it was assumed that microbial contamination of baked and packaged egg was mainly originated from an environmental uptake during packaging process. Microbiological shelf stability of the non sterilized control was about a week. Whereas, the baked eggs irradiated at more than 5 kGy were stable over 12 weeks at ambient condition as like those being autoclaved. Analytical texture profIle was stable within 10 kGy, but it became hardened in the sample treated with autoclaving. About 67$\%$ of panelists identified a sensory difference between non-irradiated and 10 kGy-irradiated sample. The baked egg irradiated at 10 kGy and autoclaved had lower acceptability than the control or samples irradiated lower than 5 kGy. Therefore, it was considered that optimal irradiation dose for radiation sterilization of baked and packaged egg was 5 kGy. At that point, it was recommended that appropriate microbiological shelf-life was 12 weeks at ambient condition.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.486-491
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate microbial distribution in the processing steps and to estimate quality index and shelf life of packaged Tofu (soybean curd). Sanitation and safety of Tofu were analysed in aspects of total viable counts (TVCs) and coliforms. Organoleptic deterioration was observed from some packaged Tofu when their TVCs were over $10^6\;CFU/g$. The controlled simply packaged Tofu and sterilized Tofu with TVCs of under $10^5\;CFU/g$ were 32.0% and 86.9% of the total samples, respectively. Also, the controlled simply packaged Tofu and sterilized Tofu with negative coliforms were 12.0% and 83.7% of the total samples, respectively. TVCs and coliforms increased in some processing steps, which include washing and soaking of raw soybeans, and formation and 1st cooling of packaged Tofu. Increases of TVCs and coliforms in the washing and soaking step were due to contamination from the soaking tank and airborne bacteria, whereas increases of TVCs and coliforms in the grinding step were due to contaminations from the grinder, line and reserving tank. TVCs and coliforms increased in the formation and 1st cooling step of packaged Tofu due to contaminations from filter wools, trays, employee's hands, cooling water, formed products and filter wools.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.248-255
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• 2017

Many rivers and seas have been affected by environmental contamination. Therefore, city water supplies often require a high-degree purification treatment to provide safe drinking water. However, in order to achieve a high-degree purification treatment, a large amount of chlorine has to be added to sterilize city drinking water. The added chlorine reacts chemically with water and forms hypochlorous and chlorine ions. The hypochlorous ionizes with hypochlorous ions and hydrogen ions. As a result, the city water contains a large amount of chlorine ion. As such, when city water is used with domestic boilers, many kinds of heat exchangers, and the engines of vehicle and ships, there are often corrosion problems. In this study, alkali water was electrochemically made by electrolysis of city water, and corrosion properties between alkali and city water were investigated with an electrochemical method. Most of the chlorine ions are thought to not be contained in the alkali water because the alkali water is created in the cathodic chamber with an electrolysis process. In other words, the chlorine ion can be mostly removed by its migration from a cathodic chamber to an anodic chamber. Moreover, the alkali water also contains a large amount of hydroxide ion. The alkali water indicated relatively good corrosion resistance compared to the city water and the city water exhibited a local corrosion pattern due to the chlorine ion created by a high-degree purification treatment. In contrast, the alkali water showed a general corrosion pattern. Consequently, alkali water can be used with cooling water to inhibit local corrosion by chlorine ions in domestic boilers, various heat exchangers and the engine of ships and for structural steel in a marine structure.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.571-575
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• 2019

Fungal occurrence during production of dried red pepper was investigated using red pepper samples collected at harvest, before and after washing, and before, during or after drying. Fungal incidence was evaluated by counting the number of fungal colonies grown after incubating random pepper cuts on potato dextrose agar plates. Washing with ground water had no significant effect on reduction of fungal contamination. Fungal increase was observed in some samples, and the insides of washer and containers were contaminated with fungi. Drying caused significant fungal increase regardless of drying method although the fungal incidence after machine drying was lower than that after greenhouse drying. Fungal increase was observed in the samples being dried in a greenhouse and some mycotoxigenic species were also detected. Therefore, the most important control point for fungal contamination during dried pepper production appears to be the drying process, especially in a greenhouse.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2004

Metallic deposits in Korea have a variety of genetic types such as hydrothermal veins, skarns, hydrothermal replacement and alaskite deposits and so on. Geological, mineralogical and geochemical features including host rock, wall-rock alteration, ore and gangue mineralogy, mineral texture and secondary mineralogy related to weathering process control the environmental signatures of mining areas. The environmental signatures of metallic deposits closed from early 1970s to late 1990s in Korea show complicate geochemistry and mineralogy due to step weathering of primary and secondary minerals such as oxidation-precipitation-remobilization. The potentiality of low pH and high heavy metal Concentration s from acid mine drainage is great in base-metal deposits associated with polymetallic mineralization, breccia-pipe type and Cretaceous hydrothermal Au veins with the amount of pyrite whereas skam, hydrothermal replacement, hydrothermal Cu and Au-Ag vein deposits are in low contamination possibility. The geoenvironmental models reflecting the various geologic features closely relate to disuibution of sulfides and carbonates and their ratios and finally effect on characteristics of environmental signatures such as heavy metal species and their concentrations in acid mine drainage.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.137-144
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• 2007

Koji is steamed rice that has had koji-kin, or koji mold spores, cultivated onto it. The isolation, culture, and microscopic examination of molds in the koji require the use of the selective media and special microscopic slide techniques. If simple wet mount slides of molds were attempted, it became apparent that wet mount slides made from mold colonies usually don't reveal the arrangement of spores that is so necessary in identification. The process of merely transferring hyphae to a slide breaks up the hyphae and sporangiophores in such a way that identification becomes very difficult. The slide culture method is superior to wet mounts in that the hyphae, sporangiophores, and spores remain more or less intact when transferred. The procedure that will be used to produce a mold culture on a slide that can be observed directly on the slide. We investigated the contamination rate of penicillium spp. on the 21 kinds of koji distributed at Korea. The contamination rate of Penicillium spp. were not detected at 21 products by slide culture method. These results will be used to reestablish a mold determination of koji and food in Food Additives Code.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2018

A few authors have already investigated microbial contamination of leafy vegetables in distribution condition and examined the effect of temperature abuse on microbial safety or product quality. But this study analyzed proliferation of indicator microorganisms and food poisoning bacteria in real situation in Korean agroindustry and investigated washing effect of micobial contamination on leaf surface. Leafy vegetables were found to be contaminated with aerobic bacteria at $0.1{\sim}0.32{\times}10^3CFU/g$. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus were detected in leafy vegetables at $0{\sim}0.54{\times}10^3CFU/g$. However, Salmonella spp., Coliforms, Clostridium spp. and Listeria spp. were not detected in any samples. Indicator microorganisms and food poisoning bacteria on leafy vegetables increased at room temperature when simulatively distributed condition. After clean-up, the indicator microorganisms and food poisoning bacteria of kimchi cabbage, lettuce and perilla leaf were decreased to a very low level. This study suggests that it is necessary to improve the level of hygiene management such as use of cold chain system and hygiene management of transport tools during the distribution process for fresh leafy vegetables.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.461-468
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• 2001

The effectiveness and safety of Enzyme Food, a group of dietary supplements designated by Korean Food Law, were evaluated and the possibility of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) application was investigated. Chemical composition, enzyme activities and the degree of bacterial contamination in 12 samples of different brands sold in Korean market were measured. The chemical composition of the selected products varied and inconsistent to those claimed in the label description. It is known that effectiveness of Enzyme Food depends on enzyme activity, but enzyme activities of ${\alpha}-amylase$ varied from $1,793\;{\mu}g/min$ g to $159\;{\mu}g/min$ g and those of ${\beta}-amylase$ ranged from $171\;{\mu}g/min$ g to $11\;{\mu}g/min$ g. The protease activities varied from $27.57\;{\mu}g/min$ g to $0.18\;{\mu}g/min$ g. In coli-form bacterial test, positive reactions were appeared in the 50 % of the samples. Numbers of bacteria ranged from $1.3\;{\times}\;10^5\;to\;1.2\;{\times}\;10^9$. Five CCPs were identified; heating, inoculation, cultivation, drying and granulation. Consideration of HACCP system indicated that the pretreatment of raw material, checking of bacterial contamination and stability of enzyme activity during fermentation process were important factors for the quality of Enzyme Foods.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1060-1068
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• 2007

Perchlorate contamination in aquatic system is a growing concern due to the human health and ecological risks associated with perchlorate exposure. In spite of potential risks associated with perchlorate, drinking water standard has not been established worldwide. Recently, US EPA has issued new protective guidance for cleaning up perchlorate contamination with a preliminary clean-up goal of 24.5 ppb. In Korea, the drinking water standard and discharge standard for perchlorate has not been established yet and little information is available to address perchlorate problems. Perchlorate treatment technologies include ion exchange, microbial reactor, carbon adsorption, composting, in situ bioremediation, permeable reactive barrier, phytoremediation, and membrane technology. The process description, capability, and advantage/disadvantages of each technology were described in detail in this review. One of recent trends in perchlorate treatment is the combination of available treatment options such as combined microbial reduction and permeable reactive burier. In this review, we provided a brief perspective on perchlorate treatment technology and to identify an efficient and cost-effective approach to manage perchlorate problem.