• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2024

This research investigated the preparation of activated carbon derived from Krabok (Irvingia malayana) seed shells to improve the quality of crude glycerol obtained during biodiesel production. The activated carbon was prepared using a dry chemical activation method with NaOH, utilizing an innovative biomass incinerator. The results revealed that the resulting KC/AC-two-step exhibited favorable physicochemical adsorption properties, with a high surface area of 758.72 m²/g and an iodine number of 611.10 mg/g. These values meet the criteria of the industrial product standard for activated carbon No. TIS 900-2004, as specified by the Ministry of Industry in Thailand. Additionally, the adsorption efficiency for methylene blue reached an impressive 99.35 %. This developed activated carbon was then used to improve the quality of crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel production. The experimental results showed that the KC/AC-two-step increased the purity of crude glycerol to 73.61 %. In comparison, commercially available activated carbon (C/AC) resulted in a higher crude glycerol purity of 81.19 %, as analyzed by the GC technique. Additionally, the metal content (Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd, and Na) in purified glycerol using KC/AC-two-step was below the standards for heavy metals permitted in food and cosmeceuticals by the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand and the European Committee for Food Contact Materials and Articles. As a result, it can be inferred that Krabok seed shells have favorable properties for producing activated carbon suitable as an adsorbent to enhance crude glycerol purity. Furthermore, the improved crude glycerol from this research has potential for various industrial applications.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.41-51
• /
• 2004

Recycled plastic containers, so-called 'Tarai' in Korea which are often used as food containers, were collected from 23 domestic manufacturers. Then, their components were analyzed to find out whether they are safe for the use of food-contact material, to meet the standards and specifications of Korean hygienic regulations, the 'Food Code.' The components of the material were analyzed by using Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), and Elementary Analyzer (EA). The analysis of the FT-IR and the DSC showed that the main component of the samples was polyethylene. Furthermore, the analysis of the EA for 'Tarai' sample revealed the same ratio of C and H elements as in the case of polyethylene which was 1 to 2. Phenol and formaldehyde were not detected in all the samples. As for the antioxidant tests, Irganox 1010, Irganox 1076 and Irganox 1330 were detected in various samples. With regard to the material test for heavy metals, 7 out of 23 samples exceeded the limit value of 100 mg/kg in lead contents. No standard and specification is yet prescribed in the 'Food Code' for the material of 'Tarai' as plastic containers for food. This study suggests that the use of 'Tarai' as a food container should be strictly controlled.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.285-295
• /
• 2022

The ability of volatile components of essential oils (EO) from cinnamon, clove, and lemongrass to inhibit biofilms formed on polyethylene and stainless steel by six types of food poisoning bacteria was investigated. The main components of cinnamon EO were identified as cinnamaldehyde (38.30%), linalool (9.61%), β-caryophyllene (8.90%), and 1,3,4-eugenol (8.19%). 1,3,4-Eugenol (61.84%) was the dominant component of clove EO. The major component of lemongrass EO was citral. Citral is a natural mixture of two isomeric acyclic monoterpene aldehydes: geranial (trans-citral, 19.11%) and neral (cis-citral, 19.23%). Among these major compounds, cinnamaldehyde, linalool, eugenol, and citral exhibited comparatively strong antimicrobial activity in the disc diffusion assay. Treatments with 0.1% eugenol and citral were highly effective on biofilm inhibition on both tested surfaces. Cinnamaldehyde (0.1%) was effective against biofilm formation by Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19112 and Staphylococcus aureus KCCM 11812. These results suggested the potential of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and citral treatments in inhibiting the formation of biofilms by food poisoning bacteria.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2017

The recognition rate of RFID system is made a big difference by the selection of tag type and performance of reader, packing materials and the attachment location of tag and the recognition of angle according to the above factors. Water content is the most effective factor among the various elements that affected to the recognition of RFID as the center. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure the RFID recognition rate per water content, the distance recognition rate of RFID tag, the RFID tag and the recognition rate by contact area. In analysis of recognition rate according to water content, 100% of recognition was possible when food product contained 0~25% moisture. However, when water content was over than 30%, recognition rate was declined less than 95%. The recognition rate between RFID tag according to water content was higher when distance was over than 0.3 cm. In the recognition rate about the contact area of RFID tag according to water content, the recognition rate was declined when the contact area becomes wider.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.252-260
• /
• 2009

Whereas the numbers of childcare centers and kindergartens are increasing rapidly, systematic management to control the food safety of foodservice operation is not yet well established. Samples from 12 centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province were collected to assess the microbiological quality of 32 raw materials, 24 cooked foods, 76 food-contact surfaces (knives, cutting boards, dish towels and gloves), 17 employees' hands and 12 air-borne bacteria. The microbiological analyses were performed for aerobic plate counts (APC), Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli and 7 pathogens (B. cereus, C. jejuni, C. perfringens, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, and V. parahaemolyticus). Among raw materials, E. coli ($1.39{\sim}2.08\;\log\;CFU/g$) were detected in 4 out of 6 meats and 7.46 log CFU/g of APC in tofu. High enterobacteriaceae levels of 4.23, 5.14 and 4.19 log CFU/g were found in cucumber salad, steamed spinach with seasonings and steamed bean sprout with seasonings, respectively. No pathogens were found in all samples except for C. perfringens detected from raw spinach and raw lotus root. Only APC and enterobacteriaceae were found in food-contact surfaces. Two of the 23 knives and three of the 24 kitchen boards showed over 500 CFU/$100\;cm^2$ of APC; also, APC levels (5.03 to 5.44 log CFU/g) were detected in 4 of the 12 dish towels. Only one glove showed Enterobacteriaceae (2.44 log CFU/glove) contamination. Enterobacteriaceae were found in 2 employees' hands ($2.37{\sim}4.44\;\log\;CFU$/hand) among the 16 employees. The contamination levels of air-borne bacteria were shown unacceptable in two (2.25 and 2.30 log CFU/petri-film/15 min) out of the 12 kitchen areas. These results suggest that the microbiological hazards in some foods and environments are not well controlled and thus a guideline should be provided to ensure the food safety in childcare center and kindergarten foodservice operations.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.71-77
• /
• 2003

Generally the dynamic characteristics of stone wall structures depend on several factors such as contact, the type of interlocking bonding stones, and the filling materials. This paper describes a non-destructive technique for diagnosis of historic masonry stone structures using the measurement of natural frequency technique. For this purpose, the castle wall of Nag-An Folk Town located in Sunchon, Korea was selected as a model. The Nag-An Town Castle is one of the well maintained historical remains constructed in the Chosun Kingdom of Korea. The construction started in 1397 A.D and was finished in 1626 A.D. The non-mortar castle wall is 1470m long and the average height is 4m with a width of 3 4m. The exterior of the wall is bonded with 1 2 m rectangular rough-faced stone and the inside of the wall is filled with gravel. The traditional village still remains inside the Nag-An Town Castle, and they have a regional food festival every October. Transverse vibrations were measured at 8 points around the castle. The measured natural frequency of the first mode was 26Hz 41Hz, and the shear modulus of filling material was 2.142 x $10^3$ ~ 8.915 x $10^3$kgf/$cm^2$ . With these results, it may be assumed that the filling material is gravel or a sand-gravel mixture. It is expected that the information provided by this paper will be useful for addressing the maintenance problems of the old castle walls.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.121-128
• /
• 2022

A tremendous amount of energy resources is being wasted in cleaning wastewater to save the environment across the globe. Several different procedures are commercially available to process wastewater. In this work, membrane filtration technique is used to treat the textile wastewater because of its cost effectiveness and low environmental impacts. Mixed Matrix Membrane (MMM) consist of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) in which Graphene Oxide (GO) was added as a filler material. Five different membranes by varying the quantity of GO were prepared. The prepared membrane has been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Water Contact Angle (WCA). The prepared membranes have been utilized to treat textile wastewater. The synthesized membranes are used for the elimination of total dissolve solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), Methylene blue (MB) dye and copper metallic ions from textile wastewater. It is concluded that amount of GO has direct correlation with the quality of wastewater treatment. The maximum removal of TDS, TSS, MB and copper ions are found to be 7.42, 23.73, 50.53 and 64.5% respectively and are achieved by 0.02 wt% PVA-GO membrane.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.344-349
• /
• 2001

The removal of chlorine from aqueous solutions on dried Chlorella vulgaris(DCV) and green tea powder(GTP) were investigated as a function of contact time, pH and initial chlorine concentration. Removal by DCV and GTP reached equilibrium after 3hrs and 0.5hr, respectively. Optimum removal pH values of DCV and GTP were determined as above 10. Both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were suitable for describing the short-term removal of chlorine by DCV and GTP. According to Langmuir adsorption isotherms the maximum removal capacity of DCV (2.75mg $Cl_2/mg$) was nearly two times greater than those of GTP (1.53mg $Cl_2/mg$) and activated carbon (1.47mg $Cl_2/mg$). These results suggested that Chlorella vulgaris biomass might potentially be used as an alternative to traditional water treatment materials for removal of residual chlorine in drinking water or process waste-water.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.97-106
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease with proper pre-exposure anti-rabies vaccination (ARV). Dogs, as household pets and strays, are the reservoir and vector of the disease, and dog bites have been associated with human rabies cases in Sri Lanka over the past few years. However, other susceptible species having frequent contact with humans may be a source of infection. One such species is sheep and immunity following ARV has never been tested in sheep reared in Sri Lanka. Materials and Methods: We have tested serum samples from sheep reared in the Animal Centre, Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka for the presence of anti-rabies antibodies following ARV. Sheep serum samples were tested with Bio-Pro Rabies enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody kits used for the first time in Sri Lanka and our results were verified by a seroneutralization method on cells (fluorescent antibody virus neutralization, FAVN test) currently recommended by World Organization for Animal Health and World Health Organization. Results: Sheep received annual ARV and maintained high neutralizing antibody titers in their serum. No maternal antibodies were detected in lamb around 6 months of age. Agreement between the ELISA and FAVN test, i.e., coefficient concordance was 83.87%. Conclusion: Annual vaccination in sheep has an effect on maintaining adequate protection against rabies by measurements of anti-rabies antibody response. Lambs need to be vaccinated earlier than 6 months of age to achieve protective levels of neutralizing antibodies in their serum. Introducing this ELISA in Sri Lanka will be a good opportunity to determine the level of anti-rabies antibodies in animal serum samples.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.7
• /
• pp.899-904
• /
• 2009

We purified crude urushiol from natural lacquer produced in Korea, China, and Japan and then isolated several urushiol congeners known to induce allergic reactions. The 3 major kinds of urushiol congeners that were isolated and purified were RV-l (C$_{21}$H$_{34}$O$_2$, M.W. 314.462), RV-2 ((C$_{21}$H$_{32}$O$_2$, M.W. 316.240) and RV-3 ((C$_{23}$H$_{34}$O$_2$, M.W. 342.515), occupying 80% of total crude urushiol. The content of RV-l was the highest in natural lacquer from China at 70.07%, and was the lowest in that from Japan at 62.38%. However, the content of RV-2 in natural lacquer from Japan was 9.25%, 2$\sim$3 times higher than those from Korea (4.28%) and China (3.09%). As an allergy inducing character, RV-l had strong inducing power and durability in the primary stage, showing slow recovery. RV-2 had weak power in the primary stage and also showed slow recovery. Although RV-3 had comparatively weak power at the primary stage, it induced the strongest allergy contact dermatitis after 48 hr. However, it recovered to nearly the same level as control group 72 hr after sensitization time. Accordingly, we found out that RV-1 is the most influential of urushiol congeners in inducing allergic reactions, natural lacquer from China having the most inducible strength and slowest recovery compared to those from Korea and Japan.