• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.23 no.4 s.75
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• pp.348-353
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• 1995

Biodegradability of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) by Penicillium pinophilum was investigated by the modified Sturm Test. The biodegradability measurement by this method was more reproducible than other conventional activated sludge methods. Optimum inoculum size for the PHB biodegradation was 1% (v/v). The degradation appeared to occur not only on the sample surface but also inside the sample because the biodegradation did not increase quite proportionally with the sample surface area. The biodegradation rate increased to an asymptotic value as the nitrogen content in the test medium increased, indicating the nitrogen source was needed for the synthesis of the PHB depolymerase.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.430-434
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• 2017

Essential oils are fragrant oils extracted from the leaves, stems, peels, petals and roots of aromatic plants cultivated by natural means or using organic agricultural techniques. Essential oils have commonly been used as antibacterial and antifungal agents. In the present study, essential oil was extracted from lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum [Raf.] Shinn.) and tested for antifungal activities against three eumycetes (Penicillium pinophilum, Chaetomium glogosum and Aspergillus niger). Lisianthus essential oil showed high antifungal activities against three eumycetes, especially against Aspergillus niger, for which the resulting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.005 mg/ml. In addition, the extracted essential oil was shown to have antimicrobial activity against ten intestinal pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) according to the disc diffusion method and was also shown to exhibit strong antibacterial activity against an additional three pathogenic bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus). These results indicate that lisianthus essential oil could be used as an antibiotic against harmful bacteria that produce intestinal illnesses. From the present study, we suggest that lisianthus extracts can be utilized as potential antifungal and antibacterial agents and for the development of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.75-83
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• 2015

This study discusses the long-term antifungal effect and antifungal performance of Hwangtoh mortars with various natural antifungal substances on five types of mold: Chaetomium globosum, Aspergillus niger, Aureobasidium pullulans, Gliocladium virens, and Penicillium pinophilum, which can be easily detected in the indoors and outdoors of buildings in damp environments. The antifungal performances of various natural antifungal substances extracted from Marjoram, Phytoncide, Thyme, Ginkgo leaves, and Chitosan (oligosaccharide) were investigated on the five types of mold, as a basic experiment. Using the natural antifungal substances selected for the basic experiment, antifungal mortars were made, and their antifungal performance and long-term antifungal effects were also investigated. The results clearly showed that the marjoram extract and their associated mortars had excellent antifungal performance. Also, their long-term antifungal effects were outstanding and at an equivalent level to those of the mortars with organic chemical antifungal agents. The optimum addition rate of the marjoram extract in the mortar was 5% by mass of binder. It was also shown that the phytoncide extract in the mortar needed an addition rate of more than 10% according to the mass of binder, considering the long-term antifungal effect and the antifungal performance.