• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2012

Nuruk is a fermented ingredient used for production of traditional Korean rice wine. In this study, quality characteristics of mixed-grain nuruk was made by brewing with different fungal strains was analyzed. Quality elements including enzyme activity and organic acids constituents were measured. The fermentation time of the nuruk did not make a significant difference in terms of its pH, but the acidity and amino acid content for nuruk made from a mixture of two fungal strains was higher than that seen with a single fungal strain. Overall, the enzyme activity for two fungal strain nuruk was higher than that observed for single fungal strain nuruk, with ${\alpha}$-amylase and acidic protease activity in the mixed strain nuruk observed to be more than twice that of the single strain. The major organic acids observed in the manufactured nuruk were identified as acetic, citric, formic, fumaric, lactic, malic and oxalic acids. The total amount of organic acids contained in the nuruk made with the two fungal strain was (2,116.3 mg%). The fungal strains used were A. kawachii SC60 nuruk (1,608.5 mg%) and A. oryzae RIB1353 nuruk (1,146.7 mg%).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.654-662
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• 2024

To investigate the effect of the predominant fungal species from Korean traditional meju and doenjang on soybean fermentation, the enzymatic activity and amino acid production of twenty-two fungal strains were assessed through solid- and liquid-state soybean fermentation. Enzymatic activity analyses of solid-state fermented soybeans revealed different enzyme activities involving protease, leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), carboxypeptidase (CaP), glutaminase, γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and amylase, depending on the fungal species. These enzymatic activities significantly affected the amino acid profile throughout liquid-state fermentation. Strains belonging to Mucoromycota, including Lichtheimia, Mucor, Rhizomucor, and Rhizopus, produced smaller amounts of total amino acids and umami-producing amino acids, such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid, than strains belonging to Aspergillus subgenus circumdati. The genera Penicillium and Scopulariopsis produced large amounts of total amino acids and glutamic acid, suggesting that these genera play an essential role in producing umami and kokumi tastes in fermented soybean products. Strains belonging to Aspergillus subgenus circumdati, including A. oryzae, showed the highest amino acid content, including glutamic acid, suggesting the potential benefits of A. oryzae as a starter for soybean fermentation. This study showed the potential of traditional meju strains as starters for soybean fermentation. However, further analysis of processes such as the production of G-peptide for kokumi taste and volatile compounds for flavor and safety is needed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.863-870
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• 2024

Meju, a fermented soybean brick, is a key component in soybean foods like doenjang and ganjang, harboring a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms significantly contribute to the nutritional and sensory characteristics of doenjang and ganjang. Amplicon-based next-generation sequencing was applied to investigate how the microbial communities of meju fermented at low and high temperatures differ and how this variation affects the microbial communities of doenjang, a subsequently fermented soybean food. Our metagenomic data showed distinct patterns depending on the fermentation temperature. The microbial abundance in the bacterial community was increased under both temperatures during the fermentation of meju and doenjang. Weissella was the most abundant genus before the fermentation of meju, however, it was replaced by Bacillus at high temperature-fermented meju and lactic acid bacteria such as Weissella and Latilactobacillus at low temperature-fermented meju. Leuconostoc, Logiolactobacillus, and Tetragenococcus gradually took over the dominant role during the fermentation process of doenjang, replacing the previous dominant microorganisms. Mucor was dominant in the fungal community before and after meju fermentation, whereas Debaryomyces was dominant under both temperatures during doenjang fermentation. The dominant fungal genus of doenjang was not affected regardless of the fermentation temperature of meju. Strong correlations were shown for specific bacteria and fungi linked to specific fermentation temperatures. This study helps our understanding of meju fermentation process at different fermentation temperatures and highlights different bacteria and fungi associated with specific fermentation periods which may influence the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the final fermented soybean foods doenjang.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.357-365
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• 2019

Objective: The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of four fungal pretreatments on the nutritional value of Camellia seed residues, and to evaluate the feeding value of pretreated Camellia seed residues for ruminants. Methods: Camellia seed residues were firstly fermented by four lignin degrading fungi, namely, Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P. chrysosporium)-30942, Trichoderma koningiopsis (T. koningiopsis)-2660, Trichoderma aspellum (T. aspellum)-2527, or T. aspellum-2627, under solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions at six different incubation times. The nutritional value of each fermented Camellia seed residues was then analyzed. The fermentation profiles, organic matter degradability and metabolizable energy of each pre-treated Camellia seed residue were further evaluated using an in vitro rumen fermentation system. Results: After 5 days of fermentation, P. chrysosporium-30942 had higher degradation of lignin (20.51%), consumed less hemicellulose (4.02%), and the SSF efficiency reached 83.43%. T. koningiopsis-2660 degraded more lignin (21.54%) and consumed less cellulose (20.94%) and hemicellulose (2.51%), the SSF efficiency reached 127.93%. The maximum SSF efficiency was 58.18% for T. aspellum-2527 and 47.61% for T. aspellum-2627, appeared at 30 and 15 days respectively. All the fungal pretreatments significantly improved the crude protein content (p<0.05). The Camellia seed residues pretreated for 5 days were found to possess significantly increased organic matter degradability, volatile fatty acid production and metabolizable energy (p<0.05) after the treatment of either P. chrysosporium-30942, T. koningiopsis-2660 or T. aspellum-2527. The fungal pretreatments did not significantly change the rumen fermentation pattern of Camellia seed residues, with an unchanged ratio of acetate to propionate. Conclusion: The fungi showed excellent potential for the solid-state bioconversion of Camellia seed residues into digestible ruminant energy feed, and their shorter lignin degradation characteristics could reduce loss of the other available carbohydrates during SSF.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of a microbial fermentation procedure to improve the functional qualities of seaweeds. Aspergillus oryzae, which has been used in traditional Korean fermented foods, was inoculated and cultivated in an aqueous extract of sea tangle (Laminaria japonica). Fermentation of the sea tangle extract by A. oryzae for 4 days resulted in a 3-fold increase in $\gamma$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content. GABA is known to be a bioactive compound. Fungal fermentation of the extract also enhanced its antioxidant activity and increased its total content of phenolic compounds. It was assumed that these changes stemmed from the biodegradation of active compounds of the sea tangle packaged within its rigid structural matrix or occurred as result of fungal fermentation. These results suggested that the application of microbial fermentation to the processing of seaweeds will help in the development of processed foods to meet consumer demands.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.245-251
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• 2004

The fungal species of Rhizopus oryzae 2062 has the capacity to carry out a single stage fermentation process for lactic acid production from potato starch wastewater. Starch hydrolysis, reducing sugar accumulation, biomass formation, and lactic acid production were affected with variations in pH, temperature, and starch source and concentration. A growth condition with starch concentration approximately 20 g/ L at pH 6.0 and 30$^{\circ}C$ was favourable for starch fermentation, resulting in a lactic acid yield of 78.3%∼85.5% associated with 1.5∼2.0 g/L fungal biomass produced in 36 h of fermentation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.214-219
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• 2007

A $3{\times}3$ factorial design experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of temperature and duration of storage on the fermentation quality of potato pulp ensiled with two fungal inoculants under laboratory conditions. The inoculants, Rhizopus oryzae (R) and Amylomyces rouxii (A) were each added to potato pulp material to contain at least $1{\times}10^6$ CFU/g fresh matter, and silages without additives served as controls. The silages were stored under three temperature regimes; 4, 12 and $25^{\circ}C$. Three silos per treatment from every temperature regime were opened on days 7, 24 and 40 days after ensiling to investigate treatment effects on fermentation quality, starch and sugar concentrations. Increase in temperature and duration of storage had a positive significant effect (p<0.01) on the fermentation quality of potato pulp silage (PPS). The inoculants had little effect (p>0.05) on the fermentation quality of the silages. Sugar concentration in the silages decreased with increase in temperature (p<0.01) but increased (p<0.05) with progression of duration of storage. The fungal inoculants had no effect on starch degradation in PPS. The results suggest that storage temperature and duration of storage are more important in determining the rate of fermentation than addition of the fungal inoculants in PPS.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.647-649
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• 2006

Mevinolin, a fungal metabolite, is a potent inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-methyl-3-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-controlling enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. In this investigation, the optimum factors for mevinolin production by Monascus pilosus IFO 480 in soymeal fermentation were studied. The highest yield of mevinolin, 2.82 mg mevinolin per g dry weight, without citrinin (a toxic fungal secondary metabolite) was obtained after 21 days of fermentation at $30^{\circ}C$ at 65% moisture content, particle size 0.6-0.9 mm, and initial substrate pH of 6.0. Mevinolin was present in the fermentation substrate predominantly in the hydroxycarboxylate form (open lactone, 92.1-97.3%), which is currently being used as a hypocholesterolemic agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

The production of high-value chemicals from natural resources as an alternative for petroleum-based products is currently expanding in parallel with biorefinery. The use of lignocellulosic biomass as raw material is promising to achieve economic and environmental sustainability. Filamentous fungi, particularly Aspergillus species, are already used industrially to produce organic acid as well as many enzymes. The production of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes opens the possibility for direct fungal fermentation towards organic acids such as itaconic acid (IA) and fumaric acid (FA). These acids have wide-range applications and potentially addressable markets as platform chemicals. However, current technologies for the production of these compounds are mostly based on submerged fermentation. This work showed the capacity of two Aspergillus species (A. terreus and A. oryzae) to yield both acids by solid-state fermentation and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. FA was optimally produced at by A. oryzae in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (0.54 mg/g wheat bran). The yield of 0.11 mg IA/g biomass by A. oryzae is the highest reported in the literature for simultaneous solid-state fermentation without sugar supplements.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2004

In order to determine the effect of fermentation by the mycelia of fungal species, Formitella fraxinea and Sarcodon aspratus, on the in vitro dry matter digestibility and pH of mixtures with sawdust plus 20% wheat bran w/w, on dry matter basis to use as a feedstuff or an additive including fungal mycelium into a feedstuff. The mixtures were unfermented (UF) and fermented by Formitella fraxinea(FF) and Sarcodon aspratus(SA) for two weeks at $29^{\circ}C$ in a incubator. Fungal fermentation products were added to the basal diet to the level of 0, 1, 3 and 5%, w/w of diets each. The in vitro dry matter digestibilities, soluble sugar contents and pH of fermentation fluids were measured at 24, 48 and 72hr after fermentation begin. Neutral detergent fiber(NDF) contents in mixtures were lower for SA and UF(80.4 and 82.2%) than for FF(88.3%) (P<0.05). In vitro DM digestibility for 48h was higer for SA(21.2%) than for UF and FF(17.9 and 12.2%). The in vitro dry matter digestibility for 24hr was higher for diets added with FF 1% as 49.18%, and lower for diet added with FF 5%(43.07%) than basal diet(44.98%)(P<0.05), and tended to be higher for the diets added with fungal products. The pH of in vitro fermentation fluids for 24 and 48 hrs fermentation were lower for diets added with all FF and SA than for UF(P<0.05). However, those for 72 hrs fermentation were higher for SA 1%(6.74) than other diets(P<0.05). The soluble sugar concentration of in vitro fermentation fluid was not different between diets for 24 hr fermentation. However, those were higher for all additive diets than basal diet for 48 and 72 hrs fermentation(P<0.05). It could be concluded that dairy cow's diets added with fungal fermentation products have positive effects, and expected it will be more beneficial if more fungal mycelium was contained.