• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1395-1403
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• 2020

There is an increasing interest in using inactivated probiotics to modulate the host immune system and protect against pathogens. As the immunomodulatory function of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis KCTC 12777BP (LBB) and its mechanism is unclear, we investigated the effect of LBB on immune response based on the hypothesis that LBB might exert stimulatory effects on immunity. In the current study, we demonstrate that administration of LBB can exert immune-stimulatory effects and promote clearance of foreign matters through enhancing phagocytosis. Treatment with LBB induced the production of TNF-α, IL-6, and nitric oxide in macrophages. Importantly, LBB directly increased the phagocytic activity of macrophages against bacterial particles. LBB was able to promote the production of TNF-α in bone marrow-derived macrophages and splenocytes and also increase the proliferation rate of splenocytes, suggesting that the immune-stimulating activity of LBB can be observed in primary immune cells. Investigation into the molecular mechanism responsible revealed that LBB upregulates TAK1 activity and its downstream ERK, p38, and JNK signaling pathways. To further confirm the immunomodulatory capability of LBB in vivo, we orally administered LBB to mice and assessed the effect on primary splenocytes. Splenocytes isolated from LBB-treated mice exhibited higher TNF-α expression and proliferative capacity. These results show that heat-killed L. brevis, a wildly consumed probiotic, may provide protection against pathogens through enhancing host immunity.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.249-257
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• 2013

This study is being performed to confirm the container effects during the fermentation processes of kimchi. Kimchi fermentation was prepared in the laboratory with four different types of containers; namely, a traditional Onggi vessel (Korean traditional clay pot, TOV), plastic airtight covered Onggi vessel (PAOV), plastic covered vessel (PCV) and plastic airtight covered vessel (PACV). The kimchi fermentation in the different containers was followed by taking samples at 48 hour intervals for 10 days. In all fermentation containers, the pH changes of kimchi were decreased with fermentation days, while salt content was the same for all types of containers. The number of lactic acid bacteria in kimchi were $1.09{\times}10^8$ $CFU/m{\ell}$ at first. But the TOV, PAOV, PCV, and PACV after fermentation for 10 days were $1.42{\times}10^{10}$, $9.13{\times}10^9$, $4.93{\times}10^9$ and $7.46{\times}10^9$ $CFU/m{\ell}$, respectively. The kimchi fermented in the TOV with the most dominant bacterial species were the following 5 strains: Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. safensis, Lactobacillus brevis and B. pumilus. The use of different types of containers therefore influenced the number of L. brevis and the four Bacillus species. in kimchi, and may influence the characteristics of the fermented kimchi products. The TOV offered the greatest L. brevis numbers and suggested that it could be the best suited for preparing traditional kimchi fermentation.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.493-504
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• 2020

Gastrodia elata Bl. (GE) is a traditional herbal medicine used for the treatment hypertension and cerebrovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effect and blood pressure control ability of the GABA containing fermented Gastrodia elata Blume. The fermentation strain provided by Dr. Gi in Seoul National University is L. brevis GABA100, excellent strain of GABA production, which is involved in the ability to degrade gastrodin glycosides and activation of brain function. The Gastrodia elata Blume fermented by Lactobacillus brevis GABA 100 showed antioxidant activity (total phenolic contents, DPPH radical and ABTS anion scavenging activities) than unfermented Gastrodia elata Blume. In the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), the concentration of fermented Gastrodia elata Blume was administered at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg for 8 weeks. Systolic blood pressure decreased statistically significantly (p<0.05), especially 2 weeks after feeding fermented Gastrodia elata Blume. Also, it showed a significant decrease in low, medium, and high concentrations of fermented Gastrodia elata Blume at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. These results indicated that Gastrodia elata Blume fermented by the excellent strain of GABA production L. brevis GABA100 shows the antioxidant function and the effect of suppressing the increase in blood pressure.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.104-110
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• 2011

This study was conducted to improve the food functional and sensory food quality of Hizikia fusiforme by the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria. Seven strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Korean fermented food were inoculated and cultivated in H. fusiforme water extract. Among them, Lactobacillus brevis LB-20, isolated from Kimchi, was selected for further study by considering the results of bacterial growth, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and sensory evaluation. No significant differences in proximate compositions (moisture, crude protein, crude fat, and crude ash) were observed by the fermentation of L. brevis LB-20. The most dramatical change was the conversion from glutamate to ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in H. fusiforme water extract fermented by L. brevis LB-20. The GABA content increased approximately 60-fold after 48 hr of fermentation. The bacterial fermentation also resulted in low-molecularization of the extract. The particle size of the fermented extract became approximately 4-fold smaller than that of the law extract. In addition, the analysis of volatile flavor compounds using GC/MS revealed that the bacterial fermentation dramatically removed off-flavors such as acetaldehyde, haxanal, diallyl disulphide and 1-penten-2-ol in the H. fusiforme extract.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.102-109
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• 1992

The microfloral changes of lactic acid bacteria during Kimchi fermentation at 5, 20 and $30^{\circ}C$ were compared by using various selective media, and the lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated and identified. The patterns of microfloral changes in each lactic acid bacterial group, leuconostoc, lactobacilli, streptococci and pediococci, were similar at different fermentation temperature, and the changes were accelerated by increased temperature. Among them, leuconostoc and lactobacilli showed high population, and at low temperature the number of leuconostoc were higher than at high temperature. Leuconostoc and streptococci were increased in number from the beginning, but they rapidly decreased after the optimum ripening period. Pediococci increased their number after streptococci, but they were rapidly decreased later. Lactobacilli were highly distributed throughout the whole fermentation period. However, they were slightly declined as the acidity increased. Those strains of leuconostoc, streptococci, pediococci and lactobacilli were identified as Luuconostoc mesenteroida subsp. musenteroides, Streptococcus fuecalzs, S, faeciurn, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plarttarum, L. sake and L. brevis. Among lactobacilli, Id. sake and L. brmk, and L. plantarum were isolated mainly at the beginning and around the overripening period of fermentation, respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.233-239
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• 2008

A new approach to the solubilization of excess activated sludge by the inoculation of lactic acid bacteria was studied to reduce the amount of sludge produced in the activated sludge treatment process. Aerobic microorganism in sludge was lysed in anaerobic condition and the cytoplasmic substance eluted was utilized as a carbon source by lactic acid bacteria. On the basis of sludge solubilization efficiency, Lactobacillus brevis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp mesenteroides were selected the best candidates among five kinds of Lactobacillus sp. and seven kinds of Leuconostoc sp. The sludge solubilization efficiency by heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria was more efficient than that of homofermentative bacteria. Initial value of soluble COD (sCOD) was 1050 mg/L at the initial inoculation time increased to 3070 mg/L (192% solubilization) at 96 h of the incubation time. The inoculation of lactobacillus brevis to the sludge resulted in 2824% increase in sCOD value after 96 h of incubation than the control experiment. Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp mesenteroides showed 152% increase of solubilization and 30% increase of S-COD/T-COD on 96 h of incubation time. Considering the increase of S-COD by the inoculation of Leuconostoc sp. on 24 h, 10% inoculation of lactic acid bacteria to the sludge was most effective.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.515-520
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• 2007

Vaginal lactic acid-producing bacteria of 80 pre-menopausal women were studied by isolation on Blood and DeMan-Rogosa-Sharpe agar, PCR with group-specific primers for Lactobacillus-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and PCR with specific primers for V3 region in 16S rRNA-temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE). Conventional isolation method on media detected only one lactobacillus (Lactobacillus brevis) while TTGE detected only Lactobacillus sp. DGGE detected seven Lactobacillus species; L. coleohominis, L. crispatus, L. iners, L. reuteri, L. rhamnosus, L. vaginalis, and Leuconostoc lactis. L. acidophilus and L. gasseri, which are prevalent in Western women, were not detected in Korean women. Furthermore, L. rhamnosus, Leuc. lactis, L. coleohominis, and Weissella cibaria, which were not previously reported in the vaginal microbiota of Korean women, were detected. The five most prevalent LABs in vaginal microbiota in Korean women were L. iners, Enterococcus faecalis, L. crispatus, Leuc. lactis, and W. cibaria.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1619-1627
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• 1999

Microbiological characteristics of gamma irradiated low salt squid Jeot-gal were examined. Following the fermentation periods, total bacterial cell, Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and yeast cell number were counted on their selective media and some acid forming bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. were identified. As the gamma irradiation dose increased, the microbial density of early fermentation phase was reduced and the growth rate was delayed. The repression effects on microbiological growth by gamma irradiation were to be higher as salt concentration increased. Adequate conditions of salt concentration and gamma irradiation for low-salt squid Jeot-gal preparation were 10% and 10 kGy, respectively. Lactobacillus sp. 2, Micrococcus varians and Streptococcus sp. I were isolated from 5% salt containing squid Jeot-gal, and Micrococcus morrhuae was from 20% only while Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis were widespread. Lactobacillus brevis, Pediococcus halophilus and Pseudomonas diminuta were sensitive and Lactobacillus plantarum, Micrococcus morrhuae and Pseudomonas sp. 3 were resistant to gamma irradiation. The diversity of microflora decreased as salt concentration decreased and gamma irradiation dose increased.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.524-530
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• 2017

Background: Panax ginseng is a physiologically active plant widely used in traditional medicine that is characterized by the presence of ginsenosides. Rb1, a major ginsenoside, is used as the starting material for producing ginsenoside derivatives with enhanced pharmaceutical potentials through chemical, enzymatic, or microbial transformation. Methods: To investigate the bioconversion of ginsenoside Rb1, we prepared kimchi originated bacterial strains Leuconostoc mensenteroides WiKim19, Pediococcus pentosaceus WiKim20, Lactobacillus brevis WiKim47, Leuconostoc lactis WiKim48, and Lactobacillus sakei WiKim49 and analyzed bioconversion products using LC-MS/MS mass spectrometer. Results: L. mesenteroides WiKim19 and Pediococcus pentosaceus WiKim20 converted ginsenoside Rb1 into the ginsenoside Rg3 approximately five times more than Lactobacillus brevis WiKim47, Leuconostoc lactis WiKim48, and Lactobacillus sakei WiKim49. L mesenteroides WIKim19 showed positive correlation with b-glucosidase activity and higher transformation ability of ginsenoside Rb1 into Rg3 than the other strains whereas, P. pentosaceus WiKim20 showed an elevated production of Rb3 even with lack of b-glucosidase activity but have the highest acidity among the five lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rg5 concentration of five LABs have ranged from ${\sim}2.6{\mu}g/mL$ to $6.5{\mu}g/mL$ and increased in accordance with the incubation periods. Our results indicate that the enzymatic activity along with acidic condition contribute to the production of minor ginsenoside from lactic acid bacteria.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 2024

This study was designed to compare the whitening effects of 60% ethanol extracts of Trigonotis radicans var. sericea (TR) and Lactobacillus brevis-fermented T. radicans var. sericea (FTR). Measurement of cytotoxicity in B16-F10 melanoma cells to confirm the whitening effect, FTR showed higher cell viability than TR. FTR showed inhibitory activity on melanin contents similar to the normal group at concentrations of 50 and 100 ㎍/mL. MITF expression was used to confirm the effect on melanogenesis-related protein expression. TR and FTR showed significant concentration-dependent decrease, and FTR showed lower expressions than the normal group at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 ㎍/mL. Additionally, the mRNA expression of melanogenesis-related genes (MC1R, Rab27a, TGF-β1 and Myo5a) were measured by RT-qPCR to confirm the whitening effect. In MC1R expression at a concentration of 100 ㎍/mL in FTR showed effective inhibitory activities, and in TGF-β1 expression, TR and FTR both showed effective activities compared to normal groups even at low concentrations. Results of myo5a and Rab27a, a similar pattern was shown, and FTR showed effective inhibitory activities at a concentration of 100 ㎍/mL. As a result, FTR had higher whitening effects through bioconversion and is expected to be a good material for whitening functional cosmetics.