• KSBB Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2009

Lovastatin (also known as Mevinolin, Mevacor, and Monacolin K), an inhibitor of the HMG-CoA reductase produced by Aspergillus terreus and other fungi, is used to reduce serum cholesterol levels in human beings. It is derived biosynthetically from two polyketides. One of these is a nonaketide that undergoes cyclization at a hexahydronaphthalene ring system, and the other is a simple diketide, 2-methylbutyrate. Two primer pairs were designed based on the amino acid sequences of lovastatin polyketide synthase and lovastatin diketide synthase for the PCR screening of lovastatin-producing strains. Among the seven selected strains, SJ-2 evidenced the highest level of lovastatin production in both liquid and solid cultures. Soybeans with SJ-2 were treated via 1 hour of heat shock at $30^{\circ}C$ for the mass production of lovastatin. The heat-treated soybeans were inoculated on rice bran and the koji extract was obtained after 15 days of incubation. It yielded the highest level of lovastatin production among the strains, and also evidenced 75% inhibition activity against HMG-CoA reductase. We developed an efficient PCR screening method for lovastatin-producing strains, using lovastatin biosynthesis genes.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.666-672
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of low temperature-adapted Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y297 and fermentation temperatures on the quality of Yakju brewed. Physicochemical properties of Yakju brewed were compared pH, total acidity, ethanol, free amino acid, organic acid contents, and volatile flavor compounds in S. cerevisiae Y297 with control treatment. Cooked non-glutinous rice and saccharogenic amylase in koji were mixed with ethanol-producing yeasts and then fermented at $15^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, and $25^{\circ}C$ for 20 days. Yakju brewed using the Y297 treatment showed the highest ethanol yield (17.9%) at $20^{\circ}C$. Expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 104 was evaluated by immunoblotting as an indication of adaptation to low temperatures ($15^{\circ}C$); levels of the HSP104 protein were higher in the Y297 treatment than in the control. Organic acid analysis showed that the lactic acid content of Yakju brewed using the control was the highest at $25^{\circ}C$. Finally, free amino acid analysis showed that the Y297 treatment had a higher proportion of essential amino acids than the control. Overall, these results indicate that S. cerevisiae Y297 could be used as a suitable yeast for Yakju brewed under low temperature ($15^{\circ}C$) condition.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1570-1576
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• 1999

Quality characteristics of 3 kinds of kochujang were investigated during 6 months of fermentation in order to improve the quality of industrial kochujang to that of traditional one. Three different kinds of kochujang were prepared using Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus oryzae plus Bacillus licheniformis and Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus licheniformis plus Saccharomyces rouxii. Kochujang prepared with all three microorganisms contained lesser amounts of free sugar than the other preparations and glucose was the most abundant free sugar found. Ethanol was the most abundant amount among alcohols in kochujang. Kochujang prepared with A. oryzae, B. licheniformis plus S. rouxii has more amino nitrogen content than that prepared with A. oryzae only. Capsaicin contents of kochujang decreased slightly in all three kochujang, but there was no significant differences. The results of sensory evaluation showed statistically significant difference among three samples and panel members preferred the taste and flavor of kochujang prepared with all three microorganisms to those of the other samples.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.393-400
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• 2011

The residential complexes in waterfront provide the residents with pleasantness and comfort with their scenety and view in the surrounding watersides. However, it is currently true that there has little been established any designing plan utilizing the environmental characteristics of the waterfront. In this study, a survey was conducted on the residents of a Japanese waterfront. in Nishimiyahama and Lake Biwa, and conducted a comparative and analytic investigation regarding water-friendly activities, residents' consciousness of the housing environment, and reasons for the choice of residenve. From the results, we were able to obtain some suggestive points resulting from the differences of the aforementioned. We also fully comprehended that there are some issues and needs for solution for the environmental characteristics in the waterfront as well as for the damage incurred by salt breeze and insects. In addition, we realized that scenery and view toward watersides are becoming the important factors in the residents' consciousness regarding the housing environment. In case of planning housing complexes located in the waterfront, we keenly understood that "the size of a room", "ventilation", "view and daily lighting", and "securing privacy" are having effects on the residents' consciousness of their housing.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.365-368
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate the optimum mashing and maturing conditions for Korean traditional Kanjang(soy sauce) production and to reduce the fermentation period. The effects of maturing time of soy sauce mash, maturing temperature, salt concentration and the ratio of Meju to salt brine on the quality of Kaniang(total nitrogen, pH and color) were examined. Soy sauce pigments and about 90% of N constituents contained in soybean Meju(Koji) in soy sauce mash were degraded and solubilized into liquid portion (soy sauce) of the mash within five days of maturing at $30^{\circ}C$ with the mashing ratio(weight/volume) of 1 : 4 of soybean(as raw soybean) to 20% salt brine. No remarkable effects of soy sauce maturing temperature in the range of $5^{\circ}C{\sim}30^{\circ}$ on the digestion and solubilization of N components and pigment extraction during five days of soy sauce mash maturing were observed. Optimum mashing salt brine concentration for the digestion and solubilization of N components and pigment extraction during soy sauce maturing at $30^{\circ}C$ were observed to be in the range of $15{\sim}20%$. The suitable mashing ratio of Meju to salt brine (wt./vol.) to match N content of the standards of identity of Korean traditional Kanjang(soy sauce) was found to be below 1 : 5.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.282-288
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• 2014

In this study, we attempted to isolate fungi from soybean fermented foods produced in Sunchang County and to identify Aspergillus oryzae from fungal isolates. Ten fungal isolates were identified with ${\beta}$-tubulin gene. According to the sequences of ${\beta}$-tubulin gene, ten fungal isolates were identified as A. oryzae/flavus complex. For further identification of the ten of fungal isolates, omtA gene, one gene of the aflatoxin biosynthesis gene cluster, was sequenced and the sequences were compared with those of A. oryzae and A. flavus strains from the GenBank database. In addition, identification of the ten fungal isolates was further confirmed using the PCR amplicon of norB and cypA intergenic region, in which a deletion was recognized relative to A. flavus and A. parasiticus. The amplicon size of the ten fungal isolate strains was smaller than those of A. flavus and A. parasiticus, but the same as that of the reference A. oryzae strain. These results indicated that the ten isolates should be identified as A. oryzae. The protease activity in rice koji made with 6, 13, 17, 27, 37 and 38 of strain, respectively was twice higher than that in control. The kojis made with nine of the A. oryzae isolates, respectively, did not produce aflatoxin, suggesting that the strains could possibly be used as starters for soybean products.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.447-453
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• 2008

Zinc is an essential trace element in Human Being. Highly zinc containing yeast strain isolated from the tropical fruit, rambutan and the zinc concentration in this yeast strain was 306 ppm (30.6 mg%)per dry matter basis. This strain was found to be a rounded type, normal size, and multi-polar budding. Phylogenetic analysis using the ITS1-5.85 rDNA sequences from isolated strain is most similar to yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the level of nucleotide sequence identity at 99%. This strain was produced alcohol by about 12% using fully colonized koji-rice with Aspergillus oryzae. In conclusion, the isolated strain was found to be closely related to the S. cerevisiae based on its morphological and physiological properties, and alcohol fermentation. The phylogenetic analysis of strain FF-10 using ITS 5.8S rDNA sequence data also supported the closely related to the S. cerevisiae. Accordingly, the isolated yeast was named as S. cerevisiae FF-10. Further studies on the best culture conditions for zinc production from zinc-enriched S. cerevisiae FF-10 are under investigation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.666-672
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• 2002

Changes in chemical characteristic, microflora, and sensory evaluation of fish sauce extracted at an interval of one week from fermented solution were investigated. pH was reduced from 6.0 to 4.5, and trimethylamine oxide from 132.5 to 87.2 mg/100g during fermenting periods. Trimethylamine increased from 5.6 to 50.2 mg/100g, and volatile basic nitrogen from 48.3 to 232.5 mg/100g. Bacterial flora isolated from the fish sauce were 70% Lactobacillus sp. and 13% Bacillus sp. Among the free amino acids, alanine, glutamic acid, valine, and methionine contents constitute 40% of the total free amino acids. Major non-volatile organic acid of the fish sauce was lactic acid (76%). Sensory evaluation results of the fish sauce were higher than the traditional soybean sauce after 28 days of fermentation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.1350-1357
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• 2000

Traditional Kochujang was prepared adding horseradish or mustard powder to repress the gas formation which used to cause swelling problem during distribution. The koji for Kochujang was prepared by the strains which had high amylase and protease activities with superior flavor. The gas production from Kochujang during fermentation at $25^{\circ}C$ was ceased after stopping yeast growth completely by bactericidal components from $0.6{\sim}1.2%(w/w)$ of horseradish or mustard addition. Total viable bacterial count was not affected by adding horseradish or mustard. The amino type nitrogen content in Kochujang, which was one of the most important parameters in quality of Kochujang, increased continually during fermentation. The Kochujang fermented by P-2 isolate and added with mustard was significantly higher in amino type nitrogen content than other treatments after 120 days' fermentation. ${\alpha}-Amylase$ activity was very low while ${\beta}-amylase$ activity was high in Kochujang fermented by adding horseradish and mustard powder. The protease(acid and neutral) activities gradually increased by fermentation with no difference between treatments. The color and flavor were not different, but overall palatability of the Kochujang evaluated by sensory test showed significantly high rank in Kochujang fermented by P-2 isolate and with horseradish.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.755-761
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• 2019

Kojic acid (KA) is produced by Aspergillus oryzae-sort of like mushrooms, which is commonly called as koji in Japan. KA is used as a chelation agent and a preservative preventing oxidative browning of fruits. KA also shows antibacterial and antifungal properties. Because KA stops the production of melanin by inhibiting tyrosinase in the biosynthetic pathway from tyrosine to melanin in skin, it has been applied as a skin lightening ingredient in cosmetics. Since some animal studies have shown that high amounts of KA had side effects such as in liver, kidney, reproductive, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, brain, and nervous system, more efficient KA derivatives are needed to be developed in order to safely apply as a skin lightening ingredient. A series of KA derivatives via conjugated with triazole by click reaction were synthesized and their in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activities were evaluated. Most of all KA derivatives have shown in moderate tyrosinase inhibitory activities. In case of KA-hybrid compound, 1~3 have shown tyrosinase inhibitory activities about 50~10,000 times more effective tyrosinase inhibitor compared to KA itself. Specifically, the $IC_{50}$ value of KA-hybrid compound, 2 was $0.0044{\pm}0.74{\mu}M$ against tyrosinase. It is about 10,000 times more effective tyrosinase inhibitor compared to KA itself ($IC_{50}=45.2{\pm}4.6{\mu}M$).