• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.200-204
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• 2006

The enzymology of an activated sludge system for a petroleum wastewater purification process was investigated. Leucine-aminopeptidase (L-AMP), ${\beta}$-glucosidase (${\beta}-GLC$), and lipase (LIP) were selected for the study. It was found that more than 81.7% of enzymatic activity was associated with microbial cells in the activated sludge floc. The metabolic response of a mixed microbial population to increased phenol concentration showed that L-AMP activity increased in the activated sludge, whereas activities of ${\beta}-GLC$ and LIP decreased, due to the inhibitory effect of the phenol which varied from 100 mg/l to 500 mg/l.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.365-367
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• 1999

A fuel cell type biosensor for lactate was developed using a metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens IR-1. Under the operational conditions, the bacterial cell suspension generated the current without an electrochemical mediator in the presence of lactate. The current was proportional to the lactate concentration up to 30 mM.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.453-458
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• 1994

Intestinal microbial flora comprise one third of the large intestinal contents in human. They play a significant effects through beneficial and harmful action on the human health. This is the first study which examined the composition of the microflora of the general population in Korea. Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium, Peptostreptococcus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, total aerobic bacteria and total anaerrobic bacteria were counted using various selective and non-selective media. Among the bacteria studied the number of Bifidobacterium were greatest in breast-fed infants(30-90 days old), whereas Streptocuccus and Bifidobacterium in bottle-fed infants. In 20-40 age group Bacteroides were predominant followed by Bifidobacterium and Eubacterium. In early group(over 65 years old) Bacteroides were predominant followed by Eubacterium and bifidobacterium. The frequency and number of Cl. perfringens were highest in dlderly group. These results confirm that the microfloral pattern in large intestine change during the life cycle of humans.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.1344-1348
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• 2008

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been regarded as noble clean energy technology that can directly convert biomass to electricity. However, its low power density is a main limitation to be used as a new energy source. To overcome this limitation, we focused on the anode improvement in a mediator-type MFC using P. vulgaris as a biocatalyst. Fuel cell performance increased when the anode was coated with carbon black or polypyrrole. The best performance was observed when polypyrrole/carbon black (Ppy/CB) composite material was coated on a carbon paper electrode. Our obtained value of 452 mW $m^{-2}$ is the highest value among the reported ones for the similar system. The effects of amount of Ppy/CB, mediator concentration, and amount of P. vulgaris have also been examined.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1481-1484
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• 2006

In this study, glucose and glutamate (copiotrophic conditions) were used to enrich electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). The enriched population consisted primarily of ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria (36.5%), followed by Firmicutes (27%) and O-Proteobacteria (15%). Accordingly, we compared our own enrichments done under many different conditions with those reported from the literature, all of which support the notion that electrochemically active bacteria are taxonomically very diverse. Enrichments with different types and levels of energy sources (fuels) have clearly yielded many different groups of bacteria.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.3726-3729
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• 2011

Biofilm formation is inevitable in a bioelectrochemical system in which microorganisms act as a sole biocatalyst. Cathodic biofilm (CBF) works as a double-edged sword in the performance of the air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Proton and oxygen crossover through the CBF are limited by the robust structure of extracellular polymeric substances, composition of available constituents and environmental condition from which the biofilm is formed. The MFC performance in terms of power, current and coulombic efficiency is influenced by the nature and origin of CBF. Development of CBF from different ecological environment while keeping the same anode inoculums, contributes additional charge transfer resistance to the total internal resistance, with increase in coulombic efficiency at the expense of power reduction. This study demonstrates that MFC operation conditions need to be optimized on the choice of initial inoculum medium that leads to the biofilm formation on the air cathode.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.815-820
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• 2008

Two culture-independent methods, namely ribosomal DNA libraries and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), were adopted to examine the microbial community of a Malaysian light crude oil. In this study, both 16S and 18S rDNAs were PCR-amplified from bulk DNA of crude oil samples, cloned, and sequenced. Analyses of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and phylogenetics clustered the 16S and 18S rDNA sequences into seven and six groups, respectively. The ribosomal DNA sequences obtained showed sequence similarity between 90 to 100% to those available in the GenBank database. The closest relatives documented for the 16S rDNAs include member species of Thermoincola and Rhodopseudomonas, whereas the closest fungal relatives include Acremonium, Ceriporiopsis, Xeromyces, Lecythophora, and Candida. Others were affiliated to uncultured bacteria and uncultured ascomycete. The 16S rDNA library demonstrated predomination by a single uncultured bacterial type by >80% relative abundance. The predomination was confirmed by DGGE analysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1568-1574
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• 2012

Three Holstein steers in the growing phase, each with a ruminal cannula, were used to test the hypothesis that the synchronization of the hourly rate of carbohydrate and nitrogen (N) released in the rumen would increase the amount of retained nitrogen for growth and thus improve the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (EMPS). In Experiment 1, in situ degradability coefficients of carbohydrate and N in feeds including Korean rice wine residue (RWR) were determined. In Experiment 2, three total mixed ration (TMR) diets having different rates of carbohydrate and N release in the rumen were formulated using the in situ degradability of the feeds. All diets were made to contain similar contents of crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) but varied in their hourly pattern of nutrient release. The synchrony index of the three TMRs was 0.51 (LS), 0.77 (MS) and 0.95 (HS), respectively. The diets were fed at a restricted level (2% of the animal's body weight) in a $3{\times}3$ Latin-square design. Synchronizing the hourly supply of energy and N in the rumen did not significantly alter the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, NDF or acid detergent fiber (ADF) (p>0.05). The ruminal $NH_3$-N content of the LS group at three hours after feeding was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the other groups; however, the mean values of ruminal $NH_3$-N, pH and VFA concentration among the three groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). In addition, the purine derivative (PD) excretion in urine and microbial-N production (MN) among the three groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). In conclusion, synchronizing dietary energy and N supply to the rumen did not have a major effect on nutrient digestion or microbial protein synthesis (MPS) in Holstein steers.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2018

Different packaging methods and storage temperatures were tested to determine the storage stability of beef dry-aged for 21 days based on microbial, physicochemical, and sensory qualities. After completion of the dry aging, the dried surface of beef sirloin was trimmed off, and the beef was packaged using two different methods (oxygen-permeable wrap or vacuum packaging) and stored at different temperatures ($3{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ or $-23{\pm}2^{\circ}C$) for 0, 7, 14, or 21 days. Lipid oxidation and the sensory quality of the dry-aged beef were not affected by the packaging method and storage temperature during storage. No microbial growth was observed over the storage period in the vacuum-packaged dry-aged beef, regardless of the storage temperature. However, dry-aged beef in the oxygen-permeable wrap packaging showed microbial spoilage with 8.82 log CFU / g at day 7 of the refrigerated storage. The vacuum-packaged dry-aged beef showed the lowest values (p < 0.05) in $a^*$ and chroma at days 14 and 21 at $3^{\circ}C$, and days 7 and 14 at $-23^{\circ}C$, respectively. Therefore, it is recommended that dry-aged beef with wrap packaging stored in refrigerated conditions should be consumed as quickly as possible due to microbial growth. For long-term storage, dry-aged beef should be frozen because freezing can extend the color stability up to day 21 of storage without adverse effects on the hygienic or meat quality aspects of dry-aged beef.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.219-227
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• 2023

Lettuce is one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide. However, it has potential risks associated with pathogenic bacterial contamination because it is usually consumed raw. In this study, we investigated the changes in the bacterial community on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in Chungcheong-do, South Korea, and the prevalence of foodborne pathogens on lettuce in different seasons using 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing. Our data revealed that the Shannon diversity index showed the same tendency in term of the number of OTUs, with the index being greatest for summer samples in comparison to other seasons. Moreover, the microbial communities were significantly different between the four seasons. The relative abundance of Actinobacteriota varied according to the season. Family Micrococcaceae was most dominant in all samples except summer, and Rhizobiaceae was predominant in the microbiome of the summer sample. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Bacillus was greatest in spring samples, whereas Pseudomonas was greatest in winter samples. Potential pathogens, such as Staphylococcus and Clostridium, were detected with low relative abundance in all lettuce samples. We also performed metagenome shotgun sequencing analysis on the selected summer and winter samples, which were expected to be contaminated with foodborne pathogens, to support 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing dataset. Moreover, we could detect seasonal biomarkers and microbial association networks of microbiota on lettuce samples. Our results suggest that seasonal characteristics of lettuce microbial communities, which include diverse potential pathogens, can be used as basic data for food safety management to predict and prevent future outbreaks.