• Mycobiology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 2008

Hypoglycemic effects of exo-biopolymers (EBP) produced by submerged mycelial cultures of Coriolus versicolor, Cordyceps sinensis, Paecilomyces japonica, Armillariella mellea, and Fomes fomentarius were investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The rats from each experimental group were orally administered with EBPs (100 mg/kg BW) daily for 2 weeks. Though the hypoglycemic effect was achieved in all the cases, however, C. versicolor EBP proved as the most potent one. The administration of the C. versicolor EBP substantially reduced (29.9%) the plasma glucose level as compared to the saline administered group (control). It also reduced the plasma total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels by 9.22, 23.83, 16.93, and 27.31%, respectively. The sugar and amino acid compositions of this EBP were also analyzed in detail.

• Mycobiology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2007

Hypolipidemic effect of biopolymers extracted from culture broth (CP), mycelia (MP), and fruiting bodies (FP) of Auricularia auricula-judae was investigated in dietary-induced hyperlipidemic rats. The experimental animals were administrated (100 mg/kg body weight) with different biopolymers, daily for 4 weeks. Hypolipidemic effects were achieved in all the experimental groups, however, FP was proved to be the most potent one. The administration of the FP reduced the plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and atherogenic index by 24.3, 28.5, 36.4, and 40.9%, respectively, while increased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (9.0%), when compared to the saline (control) administered group.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.121-131
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• 2023

Clay sedimentation has been widely analyzed for its application in a variety of geotechnical constructions such as mine tailing, artificial islands, dredging, and reclamation. Chemical flocculants such as aluminum sulfate (Al₂(SO₄)₃), ferric chloride (FeCl₃), and ferric sulfate (Fe(SO₄)₃), have been adopted to accelerate the settling behaviors of clays. As an alternative clay flocculant with natural origin, this study investigated the settling of xanthan gum-treated kaolinite suspension in deionized water. The sedimentation of kaolinite in solutions of xanthan gum biopolymer (0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% in a clay mass) was measured until the sediment height was stabilized. Kaolinite was aggregated by xanthan gum via a direct electrical interaction between the negatively charged xanthan gum molecules and positively charged edge surface and via hydrogen bonding with kaolinite particles. The results revealed that the xanthan gum initially bound kaolinite aggregates, thereby forming larger floc sizes. Owing to their greater floc size, the aggregated kaolinite flocs induced by xanthan gum settled faster than the untreated kaolinite. Additionally, X-ray computed tomography images collected at various depths from the bottom demonstrated that the xanthan gum-induced aggregation resulted in denser sediment deposition. The findings of this study could inspire further efforts to accelerate the settling of kaolinite clays by adding xanthan gum.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.200-207
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• 2017

A new approach to the solubilization of waste activated sludge (WAS) using alginate-quaternary ammonium complex beads was investigated under controlled mild alkaline conditions. The complex beads were prepared by the reaction of sodium alginate (SA) with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl-octadecyldimethylammonium chloride (TSA) in acid solution, followed by crosslinking with $CaCl_2$. Treatment of WAS with SA-TSA complex beads was effective for enhancing the efficacy of WAS solubilization. The highest value of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) concentration (3,900 mg/L) was achieved after 10 days of treatment with 30% (v/v) SA-TSA complex beads. The WAS solubilization efficacy of the complex beads was also evaluated by estimating the concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The maximum value of VFAs was 2,961 mg/L, and the overall proportions of VFAs were more than 75% of SCOD. The main components of VFAs were acetic, propionic, iso-butyric, and butyric acids. These results suggest that SA-TSA complex beads might be useful for enhancing the solubilization of WAS. The potential use of VFAs as the external carbon substrate for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) by a mixed microbial culture (MMC) was also examined. The enrichment of PHA-accumulating MMC could be achieved by periodic feeding of VFAs generated from WAS in a sequencing batch reactor. The composition of PHA synthesized from VFAs mainly consisted of 3-hydroxybutyrate. The maximum PHA content accounted for 25.9% of dry cell weight. PHA production by this process is considered to be promising since it has a doubly beneficial effect on the environment by reducing the amount of WAS and concomitantly producing an eco-friendly biopolymer.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.185-190
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• 2001

Alginate, a well-known biopolymer, is universally applied for immobilization of microbial cells. Biosorption characteristics of lead by waste biomass of immobilized A. niger beads, used in fermentation industries to produce citric acid, were studied. The immobilized A. niger beads, prepared via capillary extrusion method using calcium chloride, were applied in the removal of lead. Pb uptake was the highest in A. niger beads cells grown for 3 days with medium producing citric acid (12% sucrose, 0.5% $NH_4NO_3$, 0.1% $KH_2PO_4$, and 0.025% $MgSO_4$). Lead uptake by the immobilized A. niger beads and free A. niger mycellia beads increased sharply with time. However, while uptake by the immobilized A. niger beads continued to increase slowly, that by free A. niger mycellia beads stopped after 30 min. The optimum pH and temperature of lead uptake were found to be 6 and $35^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximum uptake of lead was achieved with $50{\sim}100$ beads and 50 ml lead solution in a 250-ml Erlenmeyer flask, while, at over 100 beads, uptake of the lead decreased. The order of biosorption capacity for heavy metals was Pb>Cu>Cd. Pb uptake capacity of the immobilized A. niger beads treated with 0.1 M $CaCI_2$, 0.1 M NaOH, and 0.1 M KOH decreased compared to the untreated beads. On testing the desorption of Pb from the immobilized A. niger beads, re-uptake of Pb was found possible after desorption of the binding metal with 0.1 M HCI.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.596-603
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• 2009

This study aimed to examine the influence of adding an oxygen vector, n-dodecane, on hyaluronic acid (HA) production by batch culture of Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Owing to the high viscosity of culture broth, microbial HA production during 8-16 h was limited by the oxygen transfer coefficient $K_La$, which could be enhanced by adding n-dodecane. With the addition of n-dodecane to the culture medium to a final concentration of 5% (v/v), the average value of $K_La$ during 8-16 h was increased to $36{\pm}2h^{-1}$, which was 3.6 times that of the control without n-dodecane addition. With the increased $K_La$ and dissolved oxygen (DO) by adding 5% (v/v) of n-dodecane, a 30% increase of HA production was observed compared with the control. Furthermore, the comparison of the oxygen mass transfer in the absence and presence of n-dodecane was conducted with two proposed mathematical models. The use of n-dodecane as an oxygen vector, as described in this paper, provides an efficient alternative for the optimization of other aerobic biopolymer productions, where $K_La$ is usually a limiting factor.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.782-790
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• 2011

The effects of soy protein isolate (SPI) and red bean protein isolate (RBPI) on gelling properties of pork myofibrillar protein (MP) in the presence of microbial transglutaminase (MTG) were studied at 0.45 M NaCl. MP paste was incubated with MTG (0.1%) at various levels (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1%) of SPI and RBPI before incubating at $4^{\circ}C$ for 4 h. The rheological property results showed that MP gel shear stress increased with increasing RBPI concentration. Cooking yield (CY) of the MP gel increased with increasing RBPI and SPI, whereas gel strength (GS) was not affected by adding RBPI or SPI. Thus, effects of incubation time (0, 4, 8, 10, and 12 h) were measured at 0.1% SPI and RBPI. GS values of the MP gel at 10 and 12 h were similar and were higher than those of the others. CY values were highest when RBPI (0.1%) was added, regardless of incubation time. The protein patterns indicated that incubating the MP with MTG for 10 h resulted in protein crosslinking between MP and RBPI or SPI. Based on these results, RBPI and SPI could be used as an ingredient to increase textural properties and cooking yield of meat protein gel.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.154-159
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• 2008

To investigate the rheological properties of protein mixed gels mediated by microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), pork myofibrillar protein (MFP), sodium caseinate (SC) and their mixture (MS), the various gels were incubated at different temperatures for various times. Extracted MFP, SC and their mixture (MS, 1:1) were incubated at different temperatures ($4^{\circ}C$ vs $37^{\circ}C$) for various times (0, 0.5, 2, 4 hr), and assessed for viscosity, gel strength and other characteristics using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). DSC measurements showed that incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ rather than $4^{\circ}C$ caused marked changes in thermal transition, and MS displayed similar thermal curves (three endothermic transitions) to MFP and SC alone. After incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 2 hrs, the viscosity (cP) of MS increased (p<0.05) due to induction by MTGase, whereas no differences were observed at $4^{\circ}C$. However, gel strength values were no different, regardless of incubation temperatures and times. Future research will address how longer incubation times affect the functionality of protein mixed gels mediated by MTGase.