• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.321-333
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• 2013

As environmental sustainability becomes a key consideration in policy-making, more responsible consumption and utilization in daily life concern both health and quality of life. To address inequities in health in relation to environments, waste management has taken more progressive ways, and one of them is biomass-to-energy conversion that utilizes energy recovery from food waste. By extension, a food waste zero-emission system using fermentation and extinction technology gains much attention, so that this study is designed to examine residents' attitudes toward recycling food waste produced at home and toward food waste zero-emission system. Utilizing a survey questionnaire, this research collected data from 400 individual units of multifamily housing estates nationwide, and the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicate that food waste generated at home was highly water-contained and produced in the stage of food preparation before cooking while respondents viewed that food waste collection and treatment needed to be improved. It's noted that respondents strongly supported the use of food waste as a energy source and would have the use of the food waste zero-emission system built in kitchen sink. Regression analysis showed that educational attainment of housewives, cooking style, and planning food purchase were statistically significant factors in the attitude of the responded residents toward recycling food waste while none of the factors were in the attitude toward the food waste zero-emission system.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.119-131
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• 2007

This study was to investigate the recognition level of food safety from high school students(264 male, 276 female) in Chuncheon area using questionnaires. The results of the survey are summarized as follows : Regarding the general consciousness of the conditions of food safety, the proportion of the students who worry about it is higher, while 40.0% respond they are not concerned with it. The information pertinent to food safety was usually acquired from the mass media. As a fundamental reason responsible for the food safety accidents, they pointed out deficient sense of responsibility of the personnels who produce, distribute, and sell food products. As the most problematic materials threatening food safety, they pointed out heavy metals(24.8%), and subsequent responses were environmental hormones(24.4%), food additives(17.0%). The foods, for which they are most concerned about residual pesticides, were vegetables and fruits. High proportion of the students perceived that agricultural products are not safe from residual pesticides, and most of the students(92.4%) thought that residual pesticides are bad for their health. The examination on the food safety influenced by heavy metals reveals that 87.4% of the students thought the materials do influence food safety. As the food kind that is likely to be most polluted by heavy metals, they pointed out fishery products. The highest concern about processed food stuffs was the food additives. Most of the students thought that the containers of processed foods may be toxical. 25% of the students are more seriously considering food safety when they buy foods. High proportion of the students who responded they confirm safety-related matters at the time of food purchase thought much of food safety, while high proportion of those who didn't confirm those matters lay a great importance on the taste.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.119-134
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• 2019

This study focuses on a recent WTO SPS dispute related to Korea Import Bans and Testing and Certification Requirements for Radionuclides (DS495) in order to learn from the case and take proactive measures to prevent potential import restrictions by Japan on Korean seafood. Korean-Radionuclides (Japan) emphasizes the importance of sufficient scientific evidence, especially scientific information from relevant international organizations, in an effort to take preventive measures towards Japan's restrictions on Korean seafood imports. Japan claims that a novel parasite, Kudoa septempuctata, in Korean flatfish causes food poisoning. As food poisoning is a serious concern, there is a low possibility that Japan's enhanced monitoring measures would be more trade restrictive than required as prescribed in Article 5.6 of the WTO SPS Agreement. In addition, Korea is the biggest exporter of olive flounder to Japan. Hence, the possibility that similar conditions could be established is low in relation to non-discriminatory principles under the WTO SPS Agreement. Accordingly, we should collect relevant scientific evidence, improve domestic sanitary management of fishery products, and seek export diversification so that we prepare for potential import restrictions by Japan and minimize implications.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.523-529
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Commensality, eating together with others, is a major representation of human sociality. In recent time, environments around commensality have changed significantly due to rapid social changes, and the decline of commensality is perceived as a serious concern in many modern societies. This study employs a cross-cultural analysis of university students in two East Asian countries, and examines cross-cultural variations of perceptions and actual practices of commensality and solo-eating. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The analysis was drawn from a free-list survey and a self-administrative questionnaires of university students in urban Korea and Japan. The free-listing survey was conducted with a small cohort to explore common images and meanings of commensality and solo-eating. The self-administrative questionnaire was developed based on the result of the free-list survey, and conducted with a larger cohort to examine reasons and problems of practices and associated behaviors and food intake. RESULTS: We found that Korean subjects tended to show stronger associations between solo-eating and negative emotions while the Japanese subjects expressed mixed emotions towards the practice of solo-eating. In the questionnaire, more Korean students reported they prefer commensality and tend to eat more quantities when they eat commensally. In contrast, more Japanese reported that they do not have preference on commensality and there is no notable difference in food quantities when they eat commensally and alone. Compared to the general Korean cohort finding, more proportion of overweight and obese groups of Korean subjects reported that they tend to eat more when they are alone than normal and underweight groups. This difference was not found in the overweight Japanese subjects. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed cross-cultural variations of perceptions and practices of commensality and solo-eating in a non-western setting.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1991

The purpose of this study is to investigate the management of Indigenous fermented foods during the period of economic development starting from 1960 until now, and to specify their correlation, while paying special concern to the variables of social change such as the increase of people's income, ceaseless migration of population, change in the family structure, heightening up of the educational level of women and the resulting increase of chances for getting employment, all of which may affect the management of Indigenous fermerted foods in korean families. The result is as follows. Basic seasonings and dishes such as soy bean sauce, red pepper paste, pickled seafoods, and Kimchi, are inclined to be bought as readymade products or provided by relatives in case of many nuclear families rather than made at home, which is a traditional way of home life. However, Kimchi and basic sauces or redpepper paste still show high rate of being made at home. Social variables which affect such tendency are the number of family members, the age and educational level of housewife, and the type of residence.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.379-386
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• 1998

Deterioration of food is in general caused by the presence of microorganisms and chemical compounds of food itself. There exists antimicrobial compound in the food, however, addition of food antiseptics, additives, or physico-chemical processing is a common practice. The safety of artificial chemical antiseptics became a serious public concern, therefore, new natural antiseptic compounds are in need to be developed. We have isolated a new natural antifungal protein (KBS-B2) from Astragal seed through ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatography using FPLC Mono-S and Superose 12HR. The purified protein inhibited growth of Candida albicans, and spore germination of food spoiling fungi such as Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium expensum, P. digitatum and Botrytis cineria. Antifungal effect of the KBS-B2 protein could be directly assayed by bioautography overlaying the fungal spores on the electrophoresed acrylamide gel. The comparison of N-terminal amino acid sequences of the KBS-B2 with known antifungal protein revealed that had 50% homology to thaumatin and zeamatin like proteins.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.836-843
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• 2014

Obesity, a condition in which an abnormally large amount of fat is stored in adipose tissue, causing an increase in body weight, has become a major public health concern worldwide. The purpose of this study was to optimize the process for fermented milk for the production of a functional product with an anti-obesity effect by using Lactobacillus plantarum Q180 isolated from human feces. We used a 3-factor, 3-level central composite design (CCD) combined with the response surface methodology (RSM). Concentration of skim milk powder (%, $X_1$), incubation temperature ($^{\circ}C$, $X_2$), and incubation time (h, $X_3$) were used as the independent factors, whereas pH (pH, $Y_1$), anti-lipase activity (%, $Y_2$) and anti-adipogenetic activity (%, $Y_3$) were used as the dependent factors. The optimal conditions of fermented milk for the highest anti-lipase and anti-adipogenetic activity with pH 4.4 were the 9.5% of skim milk powder, $37^{\circ}C$ of incubation temperature, 28 h of incubation time. In the fermentation condition, the predicted values of pH, anti-lipase activity and anti-adipogenetic activity were 4.47, 55.55, and 20.48%, respectively. However, the actual values of pH, anti-lipase activity and anti-adipogenetic activity were 4.50, 52.86, and 19.25%, respectively. These results demonstrate that 9.5% of skim milk powder and incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 28 h were the optimum conditions for producing functional fermented milk with an anti-obesity effect.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cadmium is a toxic metal that is an occupational and environmental concern especially because of its human carcinogenicity; it induces serious adverse effects in various organs and tissues. Even low levels of exposure to cadmium could be harmful owing to its extremely long half-life in the body. Cadmium intoxication may be prevented by the consumption of dietary components that potentially reduce its accumulation in the body. Dietary chitosan is a polysaccharide derived from animal sources; it has been known for its ability to bind to divalent cations including cadmium, in addition to other beneficial effects including hypocholesterolemic and anticancer effects. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of dietary chitosan in reducing cadmium accumulation using an in vivo system. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cadmium was administered orally at 2 mg (three times per week) to three groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: control, low-dose, and high-dose (0, 3, and 5%, respectively) chitosan diet groups for eight weeks. Cadmium accumulation, as well as tissue functional and histological changes, was determined. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, rats fed the chitosan diet showed significantly lower levels of cadmium in blood and tissues including the kidneys, liver, and femur. Biochemical analysis of liver function including the determination of aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels showed that dietary chitosan reduced hepatic tissue damage caused by cadmium intoxication and prevented the associated bone disorder. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dietary chitosan has the potential to reduce cadmium accumulation in the body as well as protect liver function and bone health against cadmium intoxication.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.1021-1027
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• 2020

The amount of food waste generated in Republic of Korea has been increasing alongside an increasing population and booming economy as such, research on effective treatment and recycling is required. Food waste recycling is complicated by its inferior characteristics such as high levels of water and concern that its continuous application to farmland can lead to salt accumulation and concomitant damage crops. In the present study, therefore, dehydrated food waste powder (FWP), which contains a large amount of organic matter and nutrients, but which may require additional improvements was mixed in various ratios with organic fertilizers and the mixtures were tested for their effects on the growth of the leaf lettuce. A control was set up with inorganic fertilizers alone while a treatment with only FWP was also included. The mixture of FWP and organic fertilizers produced better leaf lettuce growth in all the treatments than the control and FWP. The fresh weight of the leaf lettuce produced with a mixture containing 60% FWP was 50% higher than that of the control. The results from this study indicate, therefore, that FWP mixed with other organic supplements in appropriate amounts positively impacts crop growth and development.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.762-774
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• 2022

The COVID 19 pandemic resulted in a considerable influence on the world economy. Being a big sector of the economy, the food supply chain struggled. The meat supply chain was most notably affected as every part of the supply chain from farm to shelf was closely inter-related. With the closure of businesses and restaurants the demand for at home food from grocery stores increased. Meat production facilities were impacted when the virus spread to the workers causing facilities to close or line speeds to slow. The combination of these two issues, in turn, led to there being less meat on the shelves. With less meat animals being harvested, there was less demand for livestock leading to farmers having an excess in slaughter ready animals. The decreased demand for livestock led to economic issues as money was lost in multiple sections of the supply chain. Aside from the economy and supply chain issues, other issues include concerns over the safety of meat products due to decreased safety protocols to increase line speed. Additionally, concerns of animal welfare with the excess of animals being culled were raised due to decreased capacity in processing facilities. While this review paper mainly focuses on characterizing the impact of COVID 19 on the meat supply chain in the USA, the compiled information should be able to provide practical insights to the meat/food industry across the globe to develop potential mitigating strategies against the COVID 19 and/or any similar pandemic incidences in the future.