• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.192-200
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• 2013

Objectives: To measure the prevalence of behavioural risk factors for obesity among urban adolescent school children in Chennai, India. Methods: This study was performed as a cross-sectional study using a World Health Organization-designed Global School-based Student Health Survey questionnaire (modified for India) among adolescent school children studying in 30 randomly selected secondary and higher secondary schools in Chennai city. 1842 adolescents studying in the VIII to XII standards were randomly selected for the study. Results: In the present study, 40.7% of the students ate fruit one or more times per day and 74.5% of the students ate vegetables one or more times per day. Nearly 20% of the students ate fast food items on 4 to 7 days during the previous week. Among the students, 30.4% watched television for more than two hours per day. Nearly 68% of the girls and 22% of the boys did not participate in outdoor sports activities. When the pattern of physical activity of the students was assessed, it was observed that 15.6% were inactive, 43.4% were minimally active, and the remaining 41.0% belonged to the category of health enhancing physical activity. Among the students, 6.2% were overweight and 5.2% were obese. Conclusions: The prevalence of risk factors for obesity was quite high among the adolescents. This study also showed that a great proportion of overweight/obese adolescents had a correct perception of their body weight and they were making efforts to modify risk factors such as television viewing, computer use, a sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy dietary habits.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.337-345
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• 2021

Lipase (triacylglycerol lipase, EC 3.1.1.3) is an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing triacylglycerol, to produce fatty acids and glycerol and reverse the reaction of triacylglycerol synthesis from fatty acids and glycerol through transesterification. Applications of lipase are quite widespread in the industrial sector, including in the detergent, paper, dairy, and food industries, as well as for biodiesel synthesis. Lipases by yeasts have attracted industrial attention because of their fast production times and high stability. In a previous study, a lipase-producing yeast isolate was identified as Zygosaccharomyces mellis SG1.2 and had a productivity of 24.56 U/mg of biomass. This productivity value has the potential to be a new source of lipase, besides Yarrowia lypolitica which has been known as a lipase producer with a productivity of 0.758 U/mg. Lipase production by Z. mellis SG1.2 needs to be increased by optimizing the production medium. The aims of this study were to determine the significant component of the medium for lipase production and methods to increase lipase production using the optimum medium. The two methods used for the statistical optimization of production medium were Taguchi and RSM (Response Surface Methodology). The data obtained were analyzed using Minitab 18 and SPSS 23 software. The most significant factors which affected lipase productivity were olive oil and peptones. The optimum medium composition consisted of 1.02% olive oil, 2.19% peptone, 0.05% MgSO₄·7H₂O, 0.05% KCl, and 0.2% K₂HPO₄. The optimum medium was able to increase the lipase productivity of Z. mellis SG1.2 to 1.8-fold times the productivity before optimization.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.248-265
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the dietary behaviors of preschool children using the nutrition quotient for preschoolers (NQ-P) and analyzed the difference in the scores of the children's dietary behaviors in regards to the parents' health consciousness. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 257 children aged 3-5 years and their parents residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The questionnaire is composed of demographic characteristics, the NQ-P questions, and health consciousness. All data were statistically analyzed by SPSS program (ver. 25.0) and the statistical differences in variables were evaluated by χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, 1-way analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparison test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference on the intake frequency of processed meat by region and fast foods by age, region, and weight status (P < 0.05). There was also a significant difference in not moving around while eating by weight status and parents' effort to have healthy eating habits by sex (P < 0.05). The mean score of NQ-P of the total subjects was 59.47, which was within the medium-low grade. The mean score of balance was 61.62, and the boys were significantly higher than girls (P < 0.05). As the age of children increased, the mean score of the moderation was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The scores of NQ-P (P < 0.05), balance (P < 0.01), and environment (P < 0.05) were significantly higher in the high group of parents' health consciousness than the low group. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of the evaluation by NQ-P, the dietary behaviors of preschoolers residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do need to be improved. For improving their eating behavior and nutritional health status, parents and children need customized nutrition education programs based on sex, age, region and weight status of preschool children as well as the degree of parents' health consciousness.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.659-665
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• 2022

Chlorella vulgaris is an important freshwater alga that is widely used as a food source by humans and animals. Recently, Chlorella has received considerable attention with regard to its potential application in aquaculture and the production of biofuels, nutrients, and therapeutic proteins. Recently, our laboratory acquired a new strain of C. vulgaris, PKVL7422, characterized by fast growth, ease of culture, and cultivability under dark conditions. However, the genes involved in its nitrogen assimilation are unknown. In this work, we identified the nitrate reductase (NR) gene of C. vulgaris PKVL7422 using rapid amplification of cDNA ends and genome walking. The NR gene of C. vulgaris PKVL7422 is approximately 8 kb long and composed of 18 introns and 19 exons, which encode 877 amino acids. An alignment analysis of the NR gene showed that it possesses the five domains and several invariant residues found in plant NRs. These results provide new insight into the molecular organization of the NR gene in algae.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.132-146
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Various sodium reduction policies have been implemented. However, there are limitations in the aspect of actual field applicability and efficiency. For effective sodium reduction, cooperation with the field is required and consumer preference must be considered. Thus, this study aimed to develop a low-sodium burger considering field applicability and consumer preference. MATERIALS/METHODS: Focus group interviews and in-depth interviews on the sodium reduction measures were conducted with nine professionals in related fields to discuss practical methods for sodium reduction from September 7 to 21, 2018. By reflecting the interview results, a burger using a low-sodium sauce was developed, and preference analysis for sodium in the burger sauces and finished products was performed. The consumer preference for low-sodium burgers was evaluated on 51 college students on November 12, 2018. RESULTS: The results of the professional interview showed that it is desirable to practice sodium reduction gradually, and by reflecting this, the burger sauce was prepared by adjusting the ratio of refined salt to 15%, 30%, and 50%. The sodium content of the burger using low-sodium sauce was 399 mg/100 g in the control group, 362 mg/100 g in the H1 group, and 351.5 mg/100 g in the H2 group, showing a 9.3-11.9% decrease in sodium in the H1 and H2 groups. The preference evaluation on the low-sodium burgers showed a higher preference for burgers with 9.3-11.9% sodium reduction, which did not affect the overall taste. CONCLUSIONS: This study examined the potential for sodium reduction in the franchise foodservice industry. An approximate 10% sodium reduction resulted in an increase in consumer preference without affecting the strength of the taste. Thus, if applied gradually, sodium reduction at practical levels could increase the consumer preference without changing the taste or quality and could be applied in the franchise foodservice industry.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.213-226
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• 2022

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food producing sectors; however, intensive farming techniques of finfish have raised environmental concerns, especially through the release of excessive nutrients into surrounding waters. Biodiversity has been widely shown to enhance ecosystem functions and services, but there has been limited testing or application of this key ecological relationship in aquaculture. This study tested the applicability of the biodiversity-function relationship to integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), asking whether species richness can enhance the efficiency of macroalgal bioremediation of wastewater from finfish aquaculture. Five macroalgal species (Chondrus crispus, Fucus serratus, Palmaria palmata, Porphyra dioica, and Ulva sp.) were cultivated in mono- and polyculture in water originating from a lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) hatchery. Total seaweed biomass production, specific growth rates (SGR), and the removal of ammonium (NH₄⁺), total oxidised nitrogen (TON), and phosphate (PO₄^3-) from the wastewater were measured. Species richness increased total seaweed biomass production by 11% above the average component monoculture, driven by an increase in up to 5% in SGR of fast-growing macroalgal species in polycultures. Macroalgal species richness further enhanced ammonium uptake by 25%, and TON uptake by nearly 10%. Phosphate uptake was not improved by increased species richness. The increased uptake of NH₄⁺ and TON with increased macroalgal species richness suggests the complementary use of different nitrogen forms (NH₄⁺ vs. TON) in macroalgal polycultures. The results demonstrate enhanced bioremediation efficiency by increased macroalgal species richness and show the potential of integrating biodiversity-function research to improve aquaculture sustainability.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

This study was conducted to supplement new-normal strategies on management plans of rural groundwater resources in the era of Post COVID-19. Global outbreak of COVID-19 has damaged across all areas including public policy, economics, industrial services, and others without exception, which has resulted in establishing new-normal strategies in order to restore balance and functions as for these areas. The new-normal ones were represented as enhancing preventative management on infectious diseases, expanding non face-to-face services, enhancing protective trades and food securities, and preparing growth policies on public services using the 4^th industrial revolution techniques. In this study, G-WASH_AD (Groundwater supply, sanitation, and hygiene with attraction and digitization) was suggested to be new-normal strategies on rural groundwater resources. The G-WASH_AD was consisted of three detailed action plans: a preventative plan on waterborne-diseases of groundwater (PP), a groundwater-tourism plan with rural heritage (GP), and an application plan of the 4^th industrial revolution techniques to groundwater facilities and its data (P4). The PP can contribute to protect human health from waterborne-diseases and minimize hazardous effects on crop cultivation. The GP accompanied with high-quality groundwater resources is able to strengthen rural tourism, to promote marketing activities on local agricultural products, and to increase household incomes of rural communities. The P4 can reinforce fast, comfortable, and scientific management on groundwater facilities and its data, creating a virtuous cycle between innovative management on groundwater and growth of technology related to it. Results of the G-WASH_AD strategies can encourage a green growth engine in field of rural groundwater management keeping up with Post COVID-19.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2024

To investigate the effect of sawdust fermentation period and storage period after fermentation on development as food for P. brevitarsis larvae, individual and group breeding were conducted on berry sawdust and oak sawdust. In individual breeding, the growth period of P. brevitarsis larvae was reduced by 12 days from the 60-day fermentation of berry sawdust to the 40-day fermentation of berry sawdust, 30 days from the 90-day fermentation of oak sawdust, and the weight of the larvae was the heaviest. In group breeding, the time it takes for P. brevitarsis larvae to change from 1^st to 3^rd instar is about 30 days after hatching from 60-day fermentation of berry sawdust, while 90-day fermentation of oak sawdust took more than 60 days, so the growth speed was fast and the survival rate was good. The results of the farmhouse demonstration test were the same trend, and it was judged that it would be possible to produce P. brevitarsis larvae with berries fermented sawdust, and it would be advantageous in terms of economy. In addition, for both individual and group breeding, the growth period of P. brevitarsis larvae was longer as the storage period was longer, the weight of the larvae decreased, and the survival rate was no different. The development period of P. brevitarsis larvae was the longest in the storage period of 18 months for berries fermented sawdust, and the storage period of oak fermented sawdust was longer in the storage period of 12 months and 18 months. Therefore, considering the results of individual breeding and group breeding, the fermentation period was appropriate for 60 days for berries sawdust, and the storage period for berries sawdust was stable from 0 to 12 months, and 0 to 6 months for oak sawdust.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.547-559
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• 2021

Purpose: This study compares the snacking pattern, diet, lifestyle, and food preference of children by evaluating the most frequently eaten snacks. Methods: The survey enrolled 435 students from three elementary schools in Gyeonggi. Based on the most frequently eaten snacks, the subjects were divided into 3 groups: fruits and milk/dairy products for natural snacks (NS, n = 114); noodles, snack foods and fast foods for meal-like snacks (MS, n = 74); cookies, beverages and bread as sweet snacks (SS, n = 247). Results: Compared to the MS group, preferences of the NS group were significantly higher for jabgokbap (cooked rice with multi-grains, p < 0.05) and saengchae (seasoned raw vegetables, p < 0.01), and significantly lower for gogitwigim (deep-fried meat, p < 0.05). Taste preference of the NS group was considered to be more desirable; the taste preference of more subjects was 'sweet taste' in the SS group, 'spicy taste' in the MS group, 'salty taste' in the MS and SS groups, and 'sour taste' and 'bland taste' in the NS group than the other groups. Compared to the MS and SS groups, the NS group was determined to exercise more frequently; exercising for more than 30 minutes/day was determined to be 76.3% in the NS group and 58.1% and 57.9% in the other groups (p < 0.01). Moreover, a higher proportion of subjects in the MS group tended to answer 'not hungry' as the reason for leaving school meals, as compared to other groups (p = 0.055), thereby suggesting that inappropriate snacking habits interfere with regular meals. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that healthy snacking habits, which include natural snacks such as milk/dairy products and fruits, are important for children during the elementary school years, since these habits are associated with healthier diet, lifestyle, and food and taste preferences. These results provide basic information for developing nutritional education materials for elementary school children.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.419-438
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• 2023

Purpose: This study examines the effectiveness of personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling among adults in their 20s and 30s. Methods: Nutrition counseling was conducted for a total of 30 adults through a 1:1 chat room of a mobile instant messenger, once a week for 8 weeks. The first week of counseling included a preliminary online questionnaire survey and a dietary intake survey. Based on the results of the preliminary survey, 2 dietary goals were set in the second week and the participants were asked to record their achievements on a daily checklist. From the third week onwards, counselors sent feedback messages based on the checklist and provided information on dietary guidelines in a card news format every week. Post-counseling questionnaires and dietary intake surveys were conducted in the seventh week. Changes in dietary habits during the counseling were reviewed in the eighth week, followed by a questionnaire survey on the evaluation of the counseling process. Results: The nutrition quotient (NQ) scores and self-efficacy scores were significantly higher after nutrition counseling. The NQ scores of consumption frequencies of fruits, milk and dairy products, nuts, fast food, Ramyeon, sweet and greasy baked products, sugarsweetened beverages, the number of vegetable dishes at meals, and breakfast frequency were significantly higher after nutrition counseling. The intake of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron, and the index of nutritional quality of vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron were higher after nutrition education. The participants were satisfied with the nutrition counseling program and the provided nutrition information. Conclusion: Personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling were found to be effective in improving the quality of diet and self-efficacy in young adults. Similar results were obtained in both the underweight/normal weight and the overweight/obese groups.