• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.569-575
• /
• 2002

Two bacterial strains capable of degrading trichloroethylene (TCE), isolated form soils contaminated with various chlorinated alkenes, were identified as Alcaligenes odorous N6 and Nocardia sp. Hl7. In addition, four KCTC strains, including three strains of Pseudomonas putida and one strain of Sphingomonas chlorophenolica, exhibited an ability to degrade toluene. A. odorans N6 and Nocardia sp. H17 degraded 84% of the initial amount of TCE in a basal salts medium (BSM), containing 0.2 mM TCE as the sole source of carbon and energy, in a day. The optimal pH for growth was within a range of 7.0-8.0. A mixed culture of the four toluene-degrading isolates degraded 95% of 0.2 mM TCE with 1.5 mM toluene as an inducer, whereas no TCE was degraded by the same mixture without an inducer. When a mixed culture of all 6 isolates was used, the degradation efficiency of 0.2 mM TCE was 72% without an inducer, in a day, and 82% with toluene as an inducer. In a continuous treatment, 1,000 mg/1 of TCE in an artificial wastewater was completely removed within 18 h when an activated sludge was used along with the microbial mixture, which was 27 h laster than when only an activated sludge was used. Accordingly, it would appear that such a microbial mixture could be effectively applied to the biological treatment of wastewater containing TCE with or without an inducer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.226-233
• /
• 2017

Jeung-pyun, a fermented rice cake, is prepared by fermenting rice sourdough using makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine, in the presence of yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The goal of this study was to conduct biochemical and microbial analyses of five different rice sourdoughs, each fermented with a different commercial makgeolli, using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. All sourdough samples fermented with different makgeolli for 6.5 h showed different profiles in pH, total titratable acidity, organic acid concentration, and microbial growth. LAB belonging to different genera were identified based on colony morphology on modified MRS and sourdough bacteria agar medium. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses of the five sourdoughs showed different bands corresponding to LAB and yeast. 16S/26S rRNA gene sequence analyses of the samples confirmed that the predominant LAB in the five fermented rice doughs was Lactobacillus plantarum, Lb. pentosus, and Lb. brevis. Various other Lactobacillus spp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were common in all five fermented samples. This study provides comprehensive and comparative information on the microflora involved in fermentation of rice sourdough and signifies the need to develop effective starters to enrich the quality of jeung-pyun.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.577-586
• /
• 2018

We recently reported the potential probiotic properties of Lactobacillus brevis SBB07 isolated from blueberries. The present study investigates the effect of culture conditions such as temperature, initial pH, culture time, and medium constituent for industrial application. The ingredients of the medium to improve cell growth were selected by Plackett-Burman design (PBD) and central composite design (CCD) within a desirable range. The PBD was applied with 19 factors: seven carbon sources, six nitrogen sources, and six microelements. Protease peptone, corn steep powder (CSP), and yeast extract were found to be significant factors for the growth of SBB07. The CCD was then applied with three variables found from the PBD at five levels, and the optimum values were decided for the three variables: protease peptone, CSP, and yeast extract. In the case of the growth of SBB07, the proposed optimal media contained 2.0% protease peptone, 2.5% CSP, and 2.0% yeast extract, and the maximum dried-cell weight was predicted to be 2.93963 g/l. By the model verification, it was confirmed that the predicted and actual results are similar. Finally, the study investigated the effects of incubation temperature and initial pH at the optimized medium. It was confirmed that the dried-cell weight increased from $2.2933{\pm}0.0601g/l$ to $3.85{\pm}0.0265g/l$ when compared to the basal medium at $37^{\circ}C$ and initial pH 8.0. Establishing the optimal culture condition for SBB07 provides good potential for applications in probiotics and can serve as the foundation for the industrialization of materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.592-601
• /
• 2015

Rubus coreanus is known as Korean black raspberry, native to Korea, Japan, and China. Preliminary studies evaluating their potential for cancer treatment in mammalian test systems are ongoing. In recent years, interest has been renewed due to their high levels of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins in black raspberry are important due to their potential health benefits as dietary antioxidant, anti-inflammatory compound, and as a chemopreventive agent. In the present study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae BA29 was isolated from black raspberry fruit and fruit juice as a biogenic amine non-producing strain for manufacturing of black raspberry wine, after which we investigated its characteristics: biogenic amine-producing ability, cell growth ability, alcohol-fermentation ability, and resistance to alcohol, glucose, and sulfur dioxide. Based on preliminary experiments, we optimized culture medium compositions for improving dried cell weight of S. cerevisiae BA29 by response surface methodology (RSM) as a statistical method. Design for RSM used a central composite design, and molasses with the industrial applicability was used as a carbon source. Through statistical analysis, we obtained optimum values as follows: molasses 200 g/L, peptone 30 g/L, and yeast extract 40 g/L. For the model verification, we confirmed about 3-fold improvement of dried cell weight from 6.39 to 20.9167 g/L compared to basal yeast peptone dextrose medium. Finally, we manufactured black raspberry wine using S. cerevisiae BA29 and produced alcohol of 20.33%. In conclusion, S. cerevisiae isolated from black raspberry fruit and juices has a great potential in the fermentation of black raspberry wine.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.161-169
• /
• 2018

This study aimed to evaluate seaweed polysaccharide extracts as a cosmetic material. To assess anti-microbial efficacy, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was treated with seaweed polysaccharide extracts and zones of inhibition were measured. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect was confirmed in RAW 264.7cells, and seaweed polysaccharide extracts was applied to the dorsal skin of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to evaluate single-dose toxicity. As a results, seaweed polysaccharide extracts did not exhibit cytotoxicity at concentrations up to $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ in skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, when S. aureus was treated with 1% seaweed polysaccharide extracts, clear zones of $1.52{\pm}0.34cm$ formed, confirming sufficient anti-microbial activity. When RAW 264.7 cells were treated with seaweed polysaccharide extracts extract, nitric oxide (NO) production decreased in a concentration-dependent manner and the production of inflammation-related cytokines, such as interleukin 1 beta ($IL1{\beta}$), tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF{\alpha}$), and prostaglandin E2(PGE2), decreased. When seaweed polysaccharide extracts extract was applied at various concentrations to rats, symptoms did not change for more than 14 d, and there was no change in body or organ weights. In conclusion we found that seaweed polysaccharide extracts is not cytotoxic and has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, it is suitable for use as a cosmetic material.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.681-686
• /
• 2019

In this work, the effect of the culture medium composition on microbial growth and ethanol production in Clostridium autoethanogenum culture was investigated to enhance the ethanol productivity. D-Ca-pantothenate, vitamin B₁₂ (as vitamins), and sodium sulfide (as sulfur source) were selected as examined components, and the effects of components' concentration on cell growth and ethanol production was investigated. For D-Ca-pantothenate concentrations varing from 0.5, 5, 50 and 500 mg/L, a slight increase in the ethanol production was observed at the 0.5 mg/L, but negligible differences in microbial growth and ethanol production were measured for the concentration ranges examined. The effect of vitamin B₁₂ concentrations from 0.1, 1.0, 10, and 100 mg/L on the microbial growth and ethanol production was investigated, and it was found that the ethanol production using a 0.1 mg/L of vitamin B₁₂ concentration increased by 245% compared to that of using the basic medium concentration (10 mg/L). The effect of sodium sulfide concentrations (0.5, 5, and 10 g/L) on the microbial growth and ethanol production was also studied, and the inhibition of microbial growth was observed when the sodium sulfide usage was over 0.5 g/L. In conclusion, changes in D-Ca-pantothenate and sodium sulfide concentrations did not affect the ethanol production, whereas even a 100 times lower concentration of vitamin B₁₂ than that of the basic medium improved the production.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.28 no.7
• /
• pp.757-763
• /
• 2006

In our previous studies, we have isolated bacteria from BTEX-contaminated sediment, which utilized BTEX as a sole carbon source and $NO_3$-N as an electron acceptor. For the possibility of field application, we have applied co-culture of those isolates in the BTEX-contaminated soil and evaluated their biodegradation efficiencies. To investigate the relationship between the isolates and indigenous microorganism in soil, changes of microbial community structure in soil samples with respect to time were monitored. To examine this, soil samples were artificially contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene. BTEX-degrading bacteria such as Pseudomonas stutzeri strain 15(DQ 202712), Klebsiells sp. strain 20(DQ 202715) and Citrobacter sp. strain A(DQ 202713) were injected into the soil samples in the ratio of 2:1:1. Our results showed that the highest BTEX biodegradation efficiency was achieved when both BTEX and $NO_3-N$ existed simultaneously. The change in soil microbial community structure was characterized by PCR-DGGE analysis comparing the relative DGGE band intensities. The band intensities of indigenous microorganisms in the soil were reduced by injecting co-culture of the three isolates. On the contrary, the relative band intensities of the isolates were increased. Among the three isolates, Pseudomonas stutzeri strain 15 rendered the highest band intensity. This indicates that the Pseudomonas stutzeri was the dominant microbial species found in the soil samples.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.325-332
• /
• 2021

This study sought to investigate the effects of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) and ethanol treatment (EOH) for improving the quality and storage stability of Tteokbokki Tteok. The quality characteristics were evaluated by moisture, pH, color, texture profile analysis, and observing the microbial properties after the heat-moisture treatment or ethanol treatment. As the storage period increased, the moisture content of Tteokbokki Tteok tended to decrease except for the HMT group (p<0.05) while the pH did not show significant variation except for the EOH group (p<0.05). While measuring the color, the L-value tended to increase in all groups during the storage period. The a-value and the b-value showed the highest values in the HMT group and the control (CON) group, respectively. In the texture profile analysis, all groups showed a significant tendency to increase levels of hardness and chewiness as the storage period increased (p<0.05). The HMT group showed an increase in hardness and adhesiveness, which are characteristics of the HMT treatment. The results of examining the microbial properties of Tteokbokki Tteok showed that the total microbial count in the HMT group was 4.52 on the 8^th day of storage, which was lower than the level in the CON group and the EOH group on the 4^th day of storage. Yeast and mold were not measured during the storage period. Thus the results of this study showed that when manufacturing Tteokbokki Tteok, the heat-moisture treatment of rice powder increased the storage stability by delaying microbial growth and also had positive effects on quality.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.165-192
• /
• 2022

The microbial metagenome characteristics of bioaerosols and particulate matter (PM) in the outdoor atmospheric environment and the effects of climate and environmental factors on the metagenome were analyzed. The concentrations of bacteria and fungi in bioaerosols and PM were determined by sampling different regions with different environmental properties. A variety of culture-independent methods were used to analyze the microbial metagenome in aerosols and PM samples. In addition, the effects of meteorological and environmental factors on the diversity and metagenomes of bacteria and fungi were investigated. The survival, growth, and dispersal of the microorganisms in the atmosphere were markedly affected by local weather conditions and the air pollutant concentration. The concentration of airborne microorganisms increased as the temperature increased, but their concentration decreased in summer, due to the effects of high temperatures and strong ultraviolet rays. Humidity and microbial concentration were positively correlated, but when the humidity was too high, the dispersion of airborne microorganisms was inhibited. These comprehensive data on the microbial metagenome in bioaerosols and PM may be used to understand the roles and functions of microorganisms in the atmosphere, and to develop strategies and abatement techniques to address the environmental and public health problems caused by these microorganisms.

• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.58-67
• /
• 2020

Microbial electrosynthesis has recently been considered a potentially sustainable biotechnology for converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable biochemicals. In this study, bioelectrochemical acetate production from CO₂ was studied in an H-type two-chambered reactor system with an anaerobic microbial consortium. Metal-rich mud flat was used as the inoculum and incubated electrochemically for 90 days under a cathode potential of -1.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Four consecutive batch cultivations resulted in a high acetate concentration and productivity of 93 mmol/L and 7.35 mmol/L/day, respectively. The maximal coulombic efficiency (rate of recovered acetate from supplied electrons) was estimated to be 64%. Cyclic voltammetry showed a characteristic reduction peak at -0.2~-0.4 V, implying reductive acetate generation on the cathode electrode. Furthermore, several electroactive acetate-producing microorganisms were identified based on denaturing- gradient-gel-electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA sequence analyses. These results suggest that the mud flat can be used effectively as a microbial source for bioelectrochemical CO₂ conversion.