• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.240-244
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• 2006

To develop a health-aid preparation of Chinese yam (Dioscorea batatas Decne), lactic acid fermentation was attempted using a mixed starter comprising of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bifidobacterium bifidus. The anaerobic fermentation of a 5% Chinese yam flour suspension gave a uniform suspension of pH 4.35, containing $7.76{\times}10^6 CFU/mL$ lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and which was found to be acceptable to the panel from a sensory assessment. During the administration of the lactic acid fermented (LAF) Chinese yam to Sprague Dawley rats for 6 weeks, a smaller body weight gain, but greater excretion of feces were observed, implying the creation of a healthy gastrointestine on the administration of LAF Chinese yam, which was also confirmed by the gastrointestinal motility of the feed in rats fed on LAF Chinese yam. The constipation induced by loperamide was further suppressed in a rat group fed on a LAF Chinese yam diet, which was qualified from healthy gastrointestinal flora established by LAB. A serochemical analysis revealed a slight improvement in the blood glucose, neutral lipid and total cholesterol concentrations on administration of LAF Chinese yam, suggesting LAF Chinese yam could be served as a healthy-aid preparation, even for hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia patients.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2014

Yam (Dioscorea batatas Decne.) has long been used as a health food and oriental folk medicine because of its nutritional fortification, tonic, anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, and expectorant effects. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are known to be implicated in a range of diseases, may be important progenitors of carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the modulatory effect of yam on antioxidant status and inflammatory conditions during azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinogenesis in male F344 rats. We measured the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), hemolysate antioxidant enzyme activities, colonic mucosal antioxidant enzyme gene expression, and colonic mucosal inflammatory mediator gene expression. The feeding of yam prior to carcinogenesis significantly inhibited AOM-induced colonic ACF formation. In yam-administered rats, erythrocyte levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase were increased and colonic mucosal gene expression of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), Mn-SOD, and GPx were up-regulated compared to the AOM group. Colonic mucosal gene expression of inflammatory mediators (i.e., nuclear factor kappaB, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-1beta) was suppressed by the yam-supplemented diet. These results suggest that yam could be very useful for the prevention of colon cancer, as they enhance the antioxidant defense system and modulate inflammatory mediators.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2015

In this study, the thermal treatment yam (Dioscorea batatas DECNE.) was analyzed for its proximate and nutritional compositions including mineral, vitamin, amino acids and fatty acids. Thermal treatment yam is mainly consisted of carbohydrate (70.3%) with small amounts of crude protein (15.8%), crude ash (5.1%) and crude fat (1.6%). It was found to be a good source of essential minerals such as K (1100.2 mg/100 g), Mg (99.4 mg/100 g), Ca (54.8 mg/100 g) and Na (44.9 mg/100 g) but Zn (4.8 mg/100 g) and Fe (0.2 mg/100g) content was low. Little amounts of vitamin E (8.3 mg/100g), vitamin C (3.5 mg/100g) and vitamin B1 (2.1 mg/100g) could be found. The amino acid analysis revealed that the yam was superior with respect to serine (1454.2 mg%), lysine (684.6 mg%) and histidine (684.6 mg%). Essential amino acids were calculated to be 2849.3 mg%. The amino acid profiles showed that thermal treatment yam is limiting in isoleucine and phenylaline. Linoleic acid was the most predominant fatty acids with the value of 47.3% followed by palmitic acid (24.7%) and oleic acid (12.7%). And the unsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid and linoleic acid were present in big quantities in thermal treatment yam.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.127-135
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of thermal treatment yam (Dioscorea batatas DECNE.) in Korea. Thermal treatment yam was extracted by different solvents including 70% methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform-methanol mixture (CM, 2:1, v/v). Then color property, total phenol content and antioxidant activity were analyzed. Yam possessed high $L^*$ value and $H\limits^{\circ}$ value, which were $54.92{\pm}2.18$ and $73.20{\pm}0.77$, respectively. Thermal treatment yam exhibited great antioxidant activity evaluated by ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and ferric reducing antioxidant power. Total phenol contents of various extracts from thermal treatment yam increased in the following order: 70% methanol extract ($63.53{\pm}0.33mg\;CAE/g$), 70% ethanol extract ($69.47{\pm}1.00mg\;CAE/g$) and CM extract ($97.49{\pm}0.66mg\;CAE/g$), respectively. The same trend was also could be found in antioxidant activity assays except for reducing power assay. These results implied that these extracts from thermal treatment yam might be useful to take a good part in prevention of human diseases and aging.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.106-111
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• 2010

The chemical structures of eight compounds purified from two plants (Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow and Dioscorea batatas Decene) were determined and their anti-microbial activity against three microbial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans) was tested. The three micro organisms were cultured in 96-well plates or Petri dishes without (control) or with the eight compounds added at concentrations of 100 to 0.01 ${\mu}M$ (wt/vol). The growth of the microorganisms in the medium was examined after a 24-h incubation. The inhibitory effect of each compound on the growth of the microorganisms was calculated from the optical density measured at 595 nm, turbidity, and size of the inhibition zone around the treated paper disc. The minimum inhiitory concentration (MIC) of compounds 4 to 7 against S. aureus was 0.08, 0.05, 1.3 and 0.02 ${\mu}M$, respectively, and 0.09, 0.1, 0.2 and 100 ${\mu}M$ against C. albicans. The $IC_{50}$ (50% inhibition) values of compounds 5 and 6 were 3.1 and 6.4 ${\mu}M$ against S. aureus, respectively, and 10 and 2.4 ${\mu}M$ against C. albicans. Therefore, compounds 4 to 6 were the most potent anti-microbial agents among the eight compounds tested.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.229-233
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• 2009

20 species of plants were extracted with Methanol and were investigated for DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTs free radical scavenging activity to quest anti-oxidation ability depending on the proton beam irradiation quantity. In the proton beam irradiation, 15 species's activities increased but among them, Pharbities nil Choisy decreased at 10 KGray and 4 species' activity didn't change at all. In hydrogen ion radical elimination activity, Ulmus macrocarpa (84 %) showed the highest and Pharbitis nil Choisy showed 6 % decreasing at more than 1 KGray. By comparison with untreated $IC_{50}$ value, the beam-treated $IC_{50}$ value increased 6.3 times for Dioscorea batatas Decne. at 1 KGray, 2.1 times for Trichosanthes kirilowii Max., and 2.8 times for Dioscorea batatas Decne. at 5 KGray. In ABTs free radical elimination activity, the activity increased 60 % for Terminalia chebula Retzius compared with untreated one. Besides, the beam-treated $IC_{50}$ value increased 2 times for Gray Ephedra sinica Stapf, 2.5 times for Terminalia chebula Retz. and 2.4 times for Arctium lappa Linne at 1 KGray.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.708-714
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• 2007

In this study, the 163 edible plants that are permitted as foods by the Korea Food and Drug Administration, were extracted in methanol. Following extration, their macrophage immunostimulating effects (MIE) were examined using a macrophage from BALB/C mice at four different concentrations of plant extract, such as $10\;{\mu}g/mL$, $100\;{\mu}g/mL$, $500\;{\mu}g/mL$, and $1,000\;{\mu}g/mL$, in vivo. Forty-two samples significantly showed MIEs. Among them, 20 samples had increased MIEs at higher than 10%, as compared to the negative control group. Nineteen samples had increased MIEs at two of the plant extract concentrations, and 3 samples [Allium schoenoprasmum (chive), Aralia elata (fatsia), Capsosiphon fulvescens (seaweed fulvescens)] had increased MIEs at three of the concentration conditions. In particular, Dioscorea batatas (yam) showed MIEs at all concentrations, as well as slightly higher MIEs as compared to the positive control group. Therefore, Dioscorea batatas was evaluated to be an excellent MIE.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.976-981
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• 2022

Phenanthrenes are bioactive phenolic compounds found in genus Dioscorea, in which they are distributed more in peel than in flesh. Recent studies on phenanthrenes from Dioscorea sp. peels have revealed the potential for valuable biomaterials. Herein, an analytical method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for quantitation of bioactive phenanthrenes was developed and validated. The calibration curves were obtained using the phenanthrenes (1-3) previously isolated from Dioscorea batatas concentrations in the range of 0.625-20.00 ㎍/ml with a satisfactory coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.999. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) values of the isolated phenanthrenes ranged from 0.78-0.89 and 2.38-2.71 ㎍/ml, respectively. The intraday and interday precision ranged from 0.25-7.58%. The recoveries of the isolated phenanthrenes were from 95 to 100% at concentrations of 1.25, 2.5, and 5.0 ㎍/ml. Additionally, phenanthrenes (1-3) were found in all investigated peel extracts. Hence, the developed method was encouraging for the quantitative analysis of phenanthrenes in genus Dioscorea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.200-208
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• 2012

The bulbil of the $Dioscorea$ $species$ is produced, the amount of which is 2,000 tons annually, but it has been discarded without specific use. In this study the antioxidant and antimutagenicity of bulbil of the $Dioscorea$, which compared to bulbil of Danma($Dioscorea$ $japonica$ Decaisne) and Jangma($Dioscorea$ $batatas$ Decaisne), a major domestic cultivation species. The study was done by extracting bulbil of the Dioscorea methanol and the methanol extracts was re-extracted with chloroform, ethyl acetate, $n$-butanol and water. In methanol extract of Danma and Jangma, polyphenolic compounds contained 2.2 and 3.9 mg/g extract, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction of Danma and Jangma had higher polyphenolic contents of 33.9 and 39.1 mg/g, whereas water fractions were much lower at 2.4 and 5.8 mg/g. Determination of antioxidant activity showed that the ethylacetate fraction strong DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS radical scavenging activity. The inhibitory effects of methanol extracts and chloroform, ethylacetate, $n$-butanol, water fraction from bulbil of Danma and Jangma on the mutagenicity in 1-NP, $AFB_1$, Trp-P-1 were investigated using $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98. Danma and Jangma cultivars decreased the reverse mutation induced by 1-NP, $AFB_1$, Trp-P-1 in $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98. The fraction of chloroform and ethylacetate showed strong inhibitory effects, in a dose dependant manner against the mutagenicities induced by 1-NP, $AFB_1$, Trp-P-1 in $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.391-397
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• 2010

Yams (Dioscorea spp.) have been used as medicinal and edible resources worldwide. In the present study, methanol extracts were prepared from various kinds of yam, including D. batatas (Gyeongbuk No. 1 and No. 4), D. alata L. (Gyeongbuk No. 5 and No. 6), and D. bulbifera and D. nipponica, and the antioxidant, antithrombin, and antimicrobial activities of these extracts were evaluated. The water content of the various yams was 54.7~83.2% (D. batatas> D. alata L.>D. nipponica>D. bulbifera) and the methanol extracts contained 0.59-1.59% (w/v) solid matter (D. alata L.>D. batatas >D. nipponica>D. bulbifera). The mean concentrations of total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and total sugars in the different types of yam were 49.82 mg/g, 9.79 mg/g, and 173.81 mg/g, respectively. Analysis of DPPH radical-scavenging activity showed that D. alata L. Gyeongbuk No. 6 had a strong antioxidant capacity (IC50=$142.30{\mu}g/mL$), whereas the other yams showed reduced levels of activity (IC50=371-$486{\mu}g/mL$). D. alata L. Gyeongbuk No. 6 showed a strong antithrombin activity against human thrombin. Upon treatment with a D. alata methanol extract (1.5 mg/mL), thrombin time was increased 7.35-fold compared with that when methanol alone was used. In an antimicrobial activity assay, the D. nipponica extract showed moderate antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, and Salmonella typhimurium. Our results indicate that different varieties of Dioscorea spp., including D. batatas, have useful biochemical attributes, including antioxidant, antithrombin, and antibacterial activities.