• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.434-440
• /
• 2019

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kimchi were studied for their ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activity. Among the 156 strains tested, 52 strains utilized glucuronic acid as a carbon source and their intracellular ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activities were significantly higher than their extracellular activities. Leuconostoc mesenteroides KFRI 73007 isolated from turnip kimchi exhibited the highest intracellular ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activity of $0.77{\pm}0.01U/mg$ protein, which was further increased to $1.14{\pm}0.01U/mg$ protein under optimized reaction conditions (pH 7, $37^{\circ}C$). The activity of ${\beta}$-glucuronidase was notably decreased by the addition of divalent cations, and glucuronic acid was the best carbon source to produce ${\beta}$-glucuronidase in Leu. mesenteroides KFRI 73007.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.116-122
• /
• 2002

The partial 165 rDNA sequences of 6 lactic acid bacterial strains isolated from Kimchi were determined. Two strains were Leuconostoc mesenteroides and the rest were incorrectly classified and turned out to be Lactobacillus. As the case of dairy lactic acid bacteria, the strains isolated from Kimchi also had cell-envelope proteinase (CEP) activity. As the result of partial CEP gene amplification with CEP-specific primers, the expected 1.2-kb amplificate was obtained not from Leu. mesenteroides but from Lactobacillus strains. The deduced amino acid sequence of PCR product amplified from the genomic DNA of Lactobacillus pentosus KFR1821 showed 95％ and 92％ homology with those of PrtPs from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei, respectively. The PCR amplificate was used as a probe and the result of Southern hybridization illuminated the location of CEP gene in chromosomal DNA of Lb. pentosus KFR1821.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.247-251
• /
• 1997

Effects of amino acids on the lactic acid bacteria in kimchi were studied. 73 different lactic acid bacteria have been isolated during the kimchi fermentation at $15^{\circ}C$. Among these bacteria, dextran formers were occupied by 69.9%, of which Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus were 4.1% and 65.8%, respectively. All isolates didn't grow in a medium added with 500 ppm of tyrosine, whereas such an inhibition was not exhibited in kimchi with the same concentration of tyrosine. In kimchi added with tyrosine the lactic acid bacteria were less diverse than in the natural kimchi but the ratio of dextran formers were similar. As contrasted with natural kimchi, Leuconostoc was rather increased up to 41.4% and Lactobacillus was decreased down to 29.3%. Dominant species in each genus were Leu. mesenteroides and Lac. minor. Thus it is believed that tyrosine had inhibition effect for the growth of most Lactobacillus in kimchi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.298-303
• /
• 2021

Comparative genomic analysis was performed on eight species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-Lactococcus (L.) lactis, Lactobacillus (Lb.) plantarum, Lb. casei, Lb. brevis, Leuconostoc (Leu.) mesenteroides, Lb. fermentum, Lb. buchneri, and Lb. curvatus-to assess their glutamic acid production pathways. Glutamic acid is important for umami taste in foods. The only genes for glutamic acid production identified in the eight LAB were for conversion from glutamine in L. lactis and Leu. mesenteroides, and from glucose via citrate in L. lactis. Thus, L. lactis was considered to be potentially the best of the species for glutamic acid production. By biochemical analyses, L. lactis HY7803 was selected for glutamic acid production from among 17 L. lactis strains. Strain HY7803 produced 83.16 pmol/μl glutamic acid from glucose, and exogenous supplementation of citrate increased this to 108.42 pmol/μl. Including glutamic acid, strain HY7803 produced more of 10 free amino acids than L. lactis reference strains IL1403 and ATCC 7962 in the presence of exogenous citrate. The differences in the amino acid profiles of the strains were illuminated by principal component analysis. Our results indicate that L. lactis HY7803 may be a good starter strain for glutamic acid production.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.443-450
• /
• 1984

Chemical and microbial changes during Kimchi (a group of Korean seasoned pickles) fermentation were carried out at various temperatures and salt concentrations. The time reaching optimum ripening of Kimchi varied depending upon fermentation temperature and salt concentration. At high temperature and low salt content Kimchi fermentation was faster than at low temperature and high salt content. The ratio of volatile to non-volatile acids reached its maximum at the optimum ripening time of Kimchi and decreased thereafter. Leu. mesenteroids, Lac. brevis, Lac. plantarum, Ped. cerevisiae, Str. faecalis and low acid producing Lactobacilli were isolated from Kimchi samples. However, the main microorganism responsible for Kimchi fermentation was Leu. mesenteroides and Lac. plantarum was the main acidifying organism. Total viable count increased rapidly in the beginning of fermentation and reached its maximum number at optimum ripening time and then decreased slowly as the acidity of Kimchi increased. While the total aerobic bacteria and fungi decreased during Kimchi fermentation, the yeast increased significantly at lower temperature.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.142-158
• /
• 2019

Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented vegetable probiotic food. The use of high quality ingredients and predominant LAB (lactic acid bacteria)-whether it be ambient bacteria or adding starters, low temperature and facultative anaerobic condition for the fermentation are important factors for preparing kimchi with better taste and functionality. The predominated LAB genera are Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Weissella in kimchi fermentation. The representative species are Leu. mesenteroides, Leu. citrium, Lab. plantarum, Lab. sakei, and Wei. koreensis. Kimchi, especially the optimally fermented kimchi, has various health benefits, including control of colon health, antioxidation, antiaging effects, cancer preventive effect, antiobesity, control of dyslipidemic and metabolic syndrome, etc.; due to the presence of LAB, various nutraceuticals, and metabolites from the ingredients and LAB. The kimchi LAB are good probiotics, exhibiting antimicrobial activity, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticancer effects, as well as immunomodualatory effect, antiobesity, and cholesterol and lipid lowering effects. Thus, kimchi ingredients, LAB, fermentation methods, and metabolites are important factors that modulate various functionalities. In this review, we introduced recent information showing kimchi and its health benefits in Korean Functional Foods (Park & Ju 2018).

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 1998

The characteristics of Kimchi, associated with proceeding velocity of fermentation, and microbial changes, were investigated during fermentation where kimchi were prepared by the addition of different kinds of minor ingredients. In all samples, total acidity increased, and the pH and total reducing sugar content decreased as the fermentation proceeded. Redox potentials decreased from early to middle fermentation period but thereafter increased and had the lowest value at optimum ripening stage. The counts of total viable and lactic acid bacteria increased rapidly at the begining and decreased slowly. These bacterial counts of kimchi samples containing ginger, red pepper powder, and mixture of all minor ingredients were higher than those of other samples. The number of Leuconostoc mensenteroides reached the maximum at the optimum fermenting stage, Lactobacillus plantarum appeared at the time when Leu. mesenteroides reduced. All these phenomena were observed earlier in the samples containing raw red pepper and later in the samples added garlic than in other samples. It is suggested that garlic is the ingredient which improved storage capacity by prolonging fermentation period by lactic acid bacteria beneficial to less acidification, and ginger and red pepper powder are materials which gave better taste to kimchi by stimulating the growth of Leu. mesenteroids. And redox potential was an useful indicator in choosing optimum ripening time during fermentation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.249-255
• /
• 2004

Chinese cabbage ('Baechu') Kimchi was fermented at the three different temperatures right after it was prepared. Samples were taken everyday for measuring bacterial populations, pH, and titratable acidity through the whole periods of fermentation up to 50 days. pH values and developed acidity were significantly affected by the fermenting temperatures of 4, 10, and $20^{\circ}C$, suggesting that different bacterial flora has been established by the temperatures exposed. The modified MRS agar containing vancomycin (300 $\mu$g/mL) was used for isolating the vancomycin-resistant LAB strains and 127 isolates were finally obtained. Of the LAB isolates, 13 isolates were subjected to the identification experiments based on the biochemical characteristics and the molecular-typing approach, an ITS-PCR, whether they belong to the genus Leuconostoc or not. The data obtained from API 50 CHL kit resulted that six isolates were identified as the members of Leuconostoc and six as Lactobacillus brevis strains except for a single isolate YKI 30-0401, which was not able to be identified because its biochemical traits were not matched to the database of API 50 CHL kit. It was noted that some isolates were distinct in a couple of some biochemical characteristics compared with those of the reference Leuconostoc species. To overcome the limitations experienced in the commercial identification products above, an ITS-PCR experiment was also conducted for the isolates, resulting that eight isolates belong to Leu. mesenteroides ssp. mesenteroides or dextranicum with a single band of 564 bp, and four to L. brevis strains. The ITS-PCR profiles clearly differentiated the closely-related LAB isolates for which same results were obtained by the biochemical method. This molecular approach, however, failed to produce the amplicons for the YKI 20-1003, leaving the strain unidentified. Judging from the identification data obtained in the Kimchi fermented at $4^{\circ}C$ or $10^{\circ}C$, Leuconostoc spp. including Leu. mesenteroides/dextranicum were likely predominant species in the earlier stage and L. brevis occurred at the high level through the whole period. By contrast, L. brevis, as one of the major flora, possibly lead the fermentation from the beginning in the Kimchi fermented at $20^{\circ}C$.}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.244-251
• /
• 1998

To understand the effect of supplement of water extract of pine needle(WEPN) on shelf-life enhancement of the kimchi, activities of four enzymes and number of lactic acid bacteria, during fermentation of the kimchi, were assayed. Enzyme activities of kimchi fermented for 7 days with supplement by 2% water extract of pine needle showed amylase of 86.4%, protease of 85.8%, polygalacturonase of 61.5% and $\beta$-galactosidase of 58.8% against the control kimchi. WEPN showed weak inhibitory effect when it was applied to the isolated enzymes in vitro then those menifested by the kimchi in vivo. Number of total bacterial cell of WEPN supplemented kimchi increased by 10 folds than control between 7 to 14 days of fermentation. On contrast, number of lactic acid bacteria decreased maximaly to 21% of control by fermentation. The clear zone formed on paper disk by WEPN against L. plantarum was larger than that of Leu. mesenteroides.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.806-813
• /
• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of various kinds of commercial salts including Chunil, Hanju, Guwoon and Bamboo salts on the growth of microorganisms involved in kimchi fermentation. Among various microorganisms related to the kimchi fermentation, the growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, Pichia membranaefaciens and E. coli was examined. Based on the conditions of kimchi fermentation, 3% and 5% concentration of each salt were studied. Also, the temperatures at 1$0^{\circ}C$, 18$^{\circ}C$ and 37$^{\circ}C$ of the cultural condition were examined. The growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides was inhibited depending on the reduction of cultural temperature and increase of concentration of salts. There was no considerable difference on the growth of Leu. mesenteroides in the different the kind of salts. However, the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum was strongly inhibited by the 5% concentration of Bamboo salt during incubation at 18$^{\circ}C$. When Lactobacillus plantarum was cultured at 1$0^{\circ}C$, its growth was remarkably decreased regardless of the kind and concentration of salts. In the case of Pichia membranaefaciens, Bamboo salt strongly inhibited its growth at all cultural temperatures. Apparent inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli was observed by the Bamboo salt treatment during the incubation at 18$^{\circ}C$. At the cultural temperature of 1$0^{\circ}C$, similar results obtained.