• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.205-209
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• 2018

The spectral composition of light can affect the growth and biochemical composition of photosynthetic microalgae. This study examined the use of light filtering through a solution of soluble colored additives, a cost-effective method to alter the light spectrum, on the growth and lipid production of an oleaginous microalga, Nannochloropsis gaditana (N. gaditana). Cells were photoautotrophically cultivated under a white light emitting diode (LED) alone (control) or under a white LED that passed through a solution of red and yellow color additive (4:1 ratio) that blocked light below 600 nm. The specific growth rate was significantly greater under filtered light than white light ($0.2672d^{-1}$ vs. $0.1930d^{-1}$). Growth under filtered light also increased the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield by 22.4% and FAME productivity by 80.0%, relative to the white light control. In addition, the content of saturated fatty acids was greater under filtered light, so the biodiesel products had better stability. These results show that passing white light through an inexpensive color filter can simultaneously enhance cellular growth and lipid productivity of N. gaditana. This approach of optimizing the light spectrum may be applicable to other species of microalgae.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.144-156
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• 2016

Soil is a dynamic biological system, in which it is difficult to determine the composition of microbial communities. Knowledge of microbial diversity and function in soils are limited because of the taxonomic and methodological limitations associated with studying the organisms. In this review, approaches to measure microbial diversity in soil were discussed. Research on soil microbes can be categorized as structural diversity, functional diversity and genetic diversity studies, and these include cultivation based and cultivation independent methods. Cultivation independent technique to evaluate soil structural diversity include different techniques such as Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFA) and Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) analysis. Carbon source utilization pattern of soil microorganisms by Community Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP), catabolic responses by Substrate Induced Respiration technique (SIR) and soil microbial enzyme activities are discussed. Genetic diversity of soil microorganisms using molecular techniques such as 16S rDNA analysis Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) / Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE), Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP), Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) / Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) and Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA) are also discussed. The chapter ends with a final conclusion on the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques and advances in molecular techniques to study the soil microbial diversity.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.471-476
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• 2011

Nowadays biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester, FAME) has been becoming an important issue as a desired alternative of energy products because of non-toxic, biodegradable properties, and lower exhaust emissions. During esterification of fatty acids or transesterification of oils and fats with short chain alcohols by the alkali-catalyzed methanolysis, FAME and unrefined glycerol are generated. Quantification of glycerol as a by-product is important because of a determinant of biodiesel quality. However, the glycerol analysis by gas chromatography (GC) method has laborious works with sample preparation, long time and cost of sample analysis. Thus, there is a need to analyze glycerol more simply. Herein we demonstrate that the colorimetric assay for glycerol analysis conducted by UV-vis spectrophotometer at the wavelength 617 nm whose peak is maximum intensity of malachite green, resulting in the red-shift occurred proportionally as a function of glycerol amount. Thus, it is considered the solvent media for malachite green fading for biodiesel production: (1) water, (2) MeOH, and (3) EtOH. The resulting findings show that the peak intensity at 617 nm in glycerol-malachite green mixture had a relationship between glycerol concentration and degree of peak shift as increase in pure glycerol concentration approximately at pH 7.0. However, when it was measured the unrefined glycerol concentration by diluting and adjusting with water to buffer (pH 7.0), it was not observed the absorption peak at 617 nm because of impurities and OH ions. In case of glycerol from biodiesel production factories, glycerol concentration could be successfully measured.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.380-389
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• 2020

The conversion characteristics and fuel properties for producing biodiesel (BD) by blending beef-tallow, an animal waste resource with a high-saturated fatty acid content, and sunflower-oil, a vegetable oil with a high-unsaturated fatty acid content, were investigated. For this investigation, the effects of the control factors, such as the oil-blend ratio and methanol-to-oil molar ratio, on the fatty acid methyl ester and BD production yield were also investigated. The kinematic viscosity reduction effects of BD using heating and ultrasonic irradiation were verified, and the optimal temperature of each BD-diesel fuel blend for reducing the kinematic viscosity was derived using the correlation equation. As a result, the optimal conditions for producing blended biodiesel were verified to be TASU7 and a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 10:1. The analysis results of the fuel properties of TASU7 satisfied the BD quality standard; hence, the viability of BD blended with waste tallow as fuel was verified. The experimental results on the kinematic viscosity reduction showed that heating is more effective in reducing the kinematic viscosity because it took less time than ultrasonic irradiation, and the equipment was cheaper and more straightforward than the ultrasonic irradiation method.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.194-199
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• 2008

In this study, the effective method to esterify the free fatty acids in jatropha oil was examined. Compared to other plant oils, the acid value of jatropha oil was remarkably high, 11.5 mgKOH/g. So direct transesterification by a base catalyst was not suitable for the oil. After the free fatty acids were esterified with methanol, jatropha oil was transesterified. The activities of four solid acid catalysts were tested and Amberlyst-15 showed the best activity for the esterification. After constructing the experiment matrix based on RSM and analyzing the statistical data, the optimal esterification conditions were determined to be 6.79% of methanol and 17.14% of Amberlyst-15. After the pretreatment, jatropha biodiesel was produced by the transesterification using KOH in a pressurized batch reactor. Jatropha biodiesel produced could meet the major specifications of Korean biodiesel standards; 97.35% of FAME, 8.17 h of oxidation stability, 0.125% of total glycerol and $0^{\circ}C$ of CFPP.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.155-160
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• 2011

An animal fat is an attractive biodiesel energy source for its high stability against oxidation and low incomplete combustion ratio due to the high heating value and cetane value. However, it requires a refinery process because of the high content of saturated acid and impurity which increas the boiling point. In this study, the optimum biodiesel synthetic process of lard is suggested. Indeed, we demonstrate new biodiesel production processes to alter conventional process of heating and mixing by applying ultrasonic energy. While the optimum reaction temperature and mole ratio of methanol and lard, when using conventional mixing and heating process, were $55^{\circ}C$ and 12, respectively, the reaction time were reduced to 30 minutes by applying ultrasonic irradiation power of 500 W. The new process applying ultrasonic irradiation yielded synthetic biodiesel properties as followings: 3.34 cP of the viscosity, 37.0 MJ/kg of the caloric value and below 0.25 mgKOH/g of the acidic value, which satisfy biodiesel quality criteria.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.8
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• pp.1042-1049
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• 2009

It has been reported that trans fat (tFA) may have adverse or beneficial effect depending upon the position and number of double bonds. The presence of tFA in human tissues and fluids is related to dietary intake, intestinal absorption, metabolism and storage, exchanges among compartments. This study investigated the effect of breads containing tFA, soybean or rice on postprandial plasma fatty acid and lipid composition. 33 healthy volunteers were divided into 3 groups and fed soybean bread, rice bread or wheat bread groups containing equivalent amounts of tFA (elaidic acid rich, 3.75 g/day), respectively. Postprandial lipid profiles at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours after a respective meal were studied. Plasma fatty acid was extracted by the method of Folch and methyl ester of fatty and prepared by acid transmethylation and analyzed by Gas Chromatography. Peaks were identified using pure reference compounds and quantified. Postprandial data indicated that consumption of soybean and rice breads with 3.75 g tFA retarded the appearance of C18:1 and C18:2 tFA in plasma lipid compared to that of wheat bread. Futhermore, soybean and rice bread groups showed lower plasma saturated fatty acid levels than wheat bread group. Postprandial TG level was significantly lowered in soybean bread group compared to that of rice and wheat bread groups. These results imply that soybean bread with high dietary fiber content and biologically active substances may inhibit or delay lipid absorption.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7179-7188
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• 2015

Cancer is a major health obstacle around the world, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) as major causes of morbidity and mortality. Nowadays, there isgrowing interest in the therapeutic use of natural products for HCC and CRC, owing to the anticancer activity of their bioactive constituents. Boswellia serrata oleo gum resin has long been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate a variety of health problems such as inflammatory and arthritic diseases. The current study aimed to identify and explore the in vitro anticancer effect of B. Serrata bioactive constituents on HepG2 and HCT 116 cell lines. Phytochemical analysis of volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Oleo-gum-resin of B. Serrata was then successively extracted with petroleum ether (extract 1) and methanol (extract 2). Gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) analysis of the lipoidal matter was also performed. In addition, a methanol extract of B. Serrata oleo gum resin was phytochemically studied using column chromatography (CC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) to obtain four fractions (I, II, III and IV). Sephadex columns were used to isolate ${\beta}$-boswellic acid and identification of the pure compound was done using UV, mass spectra, $^1H$ NMR and $^{13}C$ NMR analysis. Total extracts, fractions and volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo-gum resin were subsequently applied to HCC cells (HepG2 cell line) and CRC cells (HCT 116 cell line) to assess their cytotoxic effects. GLC analysis of the lipoidal matter resulted in identification of tricosane (75.32%) as a major compound with the presence of cholesterol, stigmasterol and ${\beta}$-sitosterol. Twenty two fatty acids were identified of which saturated fatty acids represented 25.6% and unsaturated fatty acids 74.4% of the total saponifiable fraction. GC/MS analysis of three chromatographic fractions (I,II and III) of B. Serrata oleo gum resin revealed the presence of pent-2-ene-1,4-dione, 2-methyl- levulinic acid methyl ester, 3,5- dimethyl- 1-hexane, methyl-1-methylpentadecanoate, 1,1- dimethoxy cyclohexane, 1-methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene and 17a-hydroxy-17a-cyano, preg-4-en-3-one. GC/MS analysis of volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin revealed the presence of sabinene (19.11%), terpinen-4-ol (14.64%) and terpinyl acetate (13.01%) as major constituents. The anti-cancer effect of two extracts (1 and 2) and four fractions (I, II, III and IV) as well as volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin on HepG2 and HCT 116 cell lines was investigated using SRB assay. Regarding HepG2 cell line, extracts 1 and 2 elicited the most pronounced cytotoxic activity with $IC_{50}$ values equal 1.58 and $5.82{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h, respectively which were comparable to doxorubicin with an $IC_{50}$ equal $4.68{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h. With respect to HCT 116 cells, extracts 1 and 2 exhibited the most obvious cytotoxic effect; with $IC_{50}$ values equal 0.12 and $6.59{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h, respectively which were comparable to 5-fluorouracil with an $IC_{50}$ equal $3.43{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h. In conclusion, total extracts, fractions and volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin proved their usefulness as cytotoxic mediators against HepG2 and HCT 116 cell lines with different potentiality (extracts > fractions > volatile oil). In the two studied cell lines the cytotoxic acivity of each of extract 1 and 2 was comparable to doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil, respectively. Extensive in vivo research is warranted to explore the precise molecular mechanisms of these bioactive natural products in cytotoxicity against HCC and CRC cells.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2014

The present study investigated variations in soil microbial communities by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and the chemical properties at 24 sites of upland soils in Gyeongnam Province. The electrical conductivity of the soil under potato cultivation was significantly higher than those of the red pepper and soybean soils (p < 0.05). The gram-negative bacteria community in potato soil was significantly lower than those in the garlic and soybean soils (p < 0.05). The communities of actinomycetes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the red pepper soil were significantly higher than those in the potato soil (p < 0.05). In addition, the cy17:0 to 16:$1{\omega}7c$ ratio was significantly lower in red pepper, soybean, and garlic soils compared with potato soil, indicating that microbial stress decreased. Consequently, differences in soil microbial community were highly associated with cultivated crop species, and this might be resulted from the difference in soil chemical properties.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.545-555
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• 2011

The diversity elucidation by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and 16S rDNA sequencing of 96 associative diazotrophs, isolated from the feeder roots of tea on enriched nitrogen-free semisolid media, revealed the predominance of Gram-positive over Gram-negative bacteria within the Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh, India. The Gram-positive bacteria observed belong to two taxonomic groupings; Firmicutes, including the genera Bacillus and Paenibacillus; and Actinobacteria, represented by the genus Microbacterium. The Gram-negative bacteria included ${\alpha}$-Proteobacteria genera Brevundimonas, Rhizobium, and Mesorhizobium; ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria genera Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas; and ${\beta}$-Proteobacteria genera Azospira, Burkholderia, Delftia, Herbaspirillum and Ralstonia. The low level of similarity of two isolates, with the type strains Paenibacillus xinjiangensis and Mesorhizobium albiziae, suggests the possibility of raising species novum. The bacterial strains of different phylogenetic groups exhibited distinct carbon-source utilization patterns and fatty acid methyl ester profiles. The strains differed in their nitrogenase activities with relatively high activity seen in the Gramnegative strains exhibiting the highest similarity to Azospira oryzae, Delftia lacustris and Herbaspirillum huttiense.