• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.584-591
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• 2019

Of all the various types of tea that are available, Pu-erh tea has attracted much attention because of its healthpromoting effects. The objective of this study was to investigate the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of two types of Pu-erh tea, Gushu Pu-erh and typical Pu-erh, extracted at 80 and 100℃, respectively. The Gushu Pu-erh extracts showed lower pH but higher antioxidant potential at both the temperatures, as compared to the typical Pu-erh. The mineral content of the tea extracts was greater at 100℃ than at 80℃. Among the seven categories of the flavor compounds that were detected, the peak area of esters was the highest in the Gushu Pu-erh extracts. The type of tea and the extraction temperature significantly affected the physicochemical and functional properties of these tea extracts. This study revealed that Gushu Pu-erh extracted at 100℃ for 3 min with 30 s of shaking provides better results in terms of the antioxidant potential and mineral content.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.58-65
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• 2023

Pu-erh tea, a popular and traditional Chinese tea, possesses various health-promoting effects, including inhibiting tumor cell progression and preventing type II diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. However, the precise anti-inflammatory mechanisms are not well understood. In present study, we elucidated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Pu-erh tea in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 cells. We explored the effects of Pu-erh tea on the levels of inflammatory-related genes, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, we investigated its regulatory effects on nuclear factor-kappa B (NF)-κB and hypoxia-inducible-factor (HIF)-1α activation. The findings of this study demonstrated that Pu-erh tea inhibited the LPS-increased inflammatory cytokines and PGE₂ release, as well as COX-2 and iNOS expression. Moreover, we confirmed that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Pu-erh tea occurs via the inhibition of NF-κB and HIF-1α activation. Conclusively, these findings provide experimental evidence that Pu-erh tea may be useful candidate in the treatment of inflammatory-related diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.401-407
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• 2019

This study compares and analyzes inorganic components of four different Pu-erh tea species consumed in Korea. The criteria for the inorganic components was based on the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) recommendations. Out of the 19 general items: potassium, manganese, silicon and fluorine were detected in amounts exceeding the maximum allowable concentration by 5~23, 57~91, 1.6~1.8 and 9~18 times respectively. Out of the 15 potentially harmful elements: aluminum and nickel were exceeded the Maximum allowable concentration by 9~14 times and 0.8~1.2 times respectively. To reduce the concentration of inorganic elements in excess of the maximum allowable concentration, the extraction time of tea should be less than 1 minute in addition to limiting the amount. The amount of Pu-erh tea for extraction was about 0.1 g manganese, about 0.3 g potassium, about 0.5 g fluoride and about 2 g silicon. Therefore, the maximum amount of tea for extraction should be 0.1 g in regards to the safety of Pu-erh tea. Based on the recommended maximum daily intake of inorganic ingredients by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, it is desirable that the number of extractions be less than three.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.248-254
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• 2021

Ulcerative colitis (UC), chronic inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by severe inflammation in the colon. Tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide. Pu-erh tea, a unique Chinese tea produced by microbial activities, possesses a broad range of health-promoting effects, including anti-aging, anti-Alzheimer's disease, antioxidation and anti-obesity. However, the inhibitory effect of Pu-erh tea on intestinal inflammation and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. The present study was designed to evaluate the regulatory effect of Pu-erh tea extract (PTE) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis clinical signs by analyzing the weight loss and colon length in mice. The inhibitory effects of PTE on inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were also determined in DSS-treated colitis tissue. We observed that PTE treatment significantly inhibited the DSS-induced clinical symptoms of weight loss, decrease,in colon length, and colon tissue damage in mice. Moreover, PTE attenuated the DSS-induced levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in colon tissue. We also demonstrated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of PTE by suppressing the activation of NF-κB in DSS-treated colon tissues. Collectively, the findings provide experimental evidence that PTE may be effective in preventing and treatment of intestinal inflammatory disorders, including UC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7389-7394
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• 2014

Background: Chemotherapy is one of the major means for control of malignancies, with cisplatin (CDDP) as one of the main agents, widely used for the treatment of various malignant solid tumors. However, prevention of hepatotoxicity from cisplatin is one of the urgent issues in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of pu-erh tea on hepatotoxicity through body weight and tissue antioxidant parameters like, liver coefficient, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), malondialdehyde(MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, and light microscopic evaluation by histological findings. Materials and Methods: The rats were randomly divided into five groups: Control (n=10), cisplatin (3 mg/kg p.i., n=10), cisplatin+pu-erh (0.32 g/kg/day i.g., n=10), cisplatin+pu-erh (0.8 g/kg/day i.g., n=10) and cisplatin+pu-erh (1.6 g/kg/day i.g., n=10). Pu-erh tea powder was administrated for 31 consecutive days. The rats were sacrificed at the end on the second day after a single dose of cisplatin treatment for measuring indices. Results: Pu-erh tea powder exhibited a protective effect by decreasing MDA and GSH and increasing the SOD and GSH-PX levels and GSH-PX/MDA ratio in camparison with the control group. Besides, pu-erh tea was also able to alleviate the pathological damage to some extent. Conclusion: Pu-erh tea powder is protective against cisplatin-induced liver oxidative damages, especially at the medium dosage (0.8 g/kg/d).

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2006

Puh-erh tea was extracted with water and then fractionated sequentially with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol to find antioxidative compounds. The fractions were examined on the antioxidant activity using two different methods, free radical scavenging activity measurement and reductive potential. Those antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol. EA fraction of Pu-erh tea was showed excellent antioxidative activities over BHA and BHT.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2012

Green tea leaves were fermented for 15 and 30 days with Monascus pilosus which is known to produce functional statins (TMs), and the content of various biochemical constituents such as total polyphenol (TP), total flavonoid (TF), theaflavin, and thearubigin were analyzed and compared with that of non-fermented green tea (GT) and Pu-erh Chinese post-fermented tea (PU). In addition to the electron donating ability (EDA), ferric iron reducing power (FIRP), xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, iron chelating activity (ICA) and hydrogen peroxide contents were also measured and compared with that of GT and PU. Content of TP and TF in the water and ethanol extracts in TMs were lower than those in GT and PU. Theaflavin and thearubigin contents of water and ethanol extracts in TMs were higher than those of GT. And, these components were increased depending on the period of fermentation. While, EDA and FIRP of TMs were lower than those of GT, XO inhibitory activity of TMs was higher than non-fermented tea. While, ICA of TMs was slightly higher than GT and PU, the content of hydrogen peroxide in TMs was markedly lower than GT. This results suggested that the green tea fermented by M. pilosus was valuable for oxidative stress-induced diseases by decreasing hydrogen peroxide, and forming theaflavins and thearubigins with functionality of genus Monascus.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2017

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world. The three main types are green, black, and post-fermented. Post-fermented teas are produced by the microbial fermentation of sun-dried green tea leaves (Camellia sinensis). In this study, the composition of the bacterial communities involved in the production of traditional oriental post-fermented teas (Korean algacha, dancha, and Chinese pu-erh) were investigated using 16S rRNA gene analysis. The dominant microorganisms present in the post-fermented teas included the ${\alpha}$-proteobacteria Rhodobacteraceae and Sphingomonas, and the ${\gamma}$-proteobacteria Pantoea. Cluster analysis confirmed that the microbial populations present in both Korean and Chinese post-fermented teas grouped into the same class. Interestingly, the dominant microorganism present in the Korean post-fermented teas was a bacterium, while for the Chinese post-fermented tea, it was a fungus.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.269-276
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• 2016

Aspergillus luchuensis is known as an industrially important fungal species used for making fermented foods such as awamori and shochu in Japan, makgeolli and Meju in Korea, and Pu-erh tea in China. Nonetheless, this species has not yet been widely studied regarding mating-type genes. In this study, we examined the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 gene ratio in black koji molds (A. luchuensis, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus tubingensis) and in Aspergillus welwitschiae isolated from Meju, a fermented soybean starting material for traditional soy sauce and soybean paste in Korea. The number of strains with the MAT1-1 locus was 2 of 23 (A. luchuensis), 6 of 13 (A. tubingensis), 21 of 28 (A. niger), and 5 of 10 (A. welwitschiae). Fungal species A. tubingensis and A. welwitschiae showed a 1 : 1 ratio of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 mating-type loci. In contrast, A. luchuensis revealed predominance of MAT1-2 (91.3%) and A. niger of MAT1-1 (75%). We isolated and identified 2 A. luchuensis MAT1-1 strains from Meju, although all strains for making shochu in Japan are of the MAT1-2 type. These strains may be a good resource for breeding of A. luchuensis to be used in the Asian fermented-food industry.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.460-469
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• 2017

The aim of this work was to study the comparison of anti-oxidative activity in a single serving size of commercial coffees and teas. Commercial regular coffees and teas, including, brand regular coffees ($BC_A$, $BC_B$, $BC_C$, $BC_D$, and $BC_E$), green tea ($GT_A$, $GT_B$, $GT_C$, and $GT_D$), black tea ($BT_A$, $BT_B$, and $BT_C$), pu-erh tea ($PT_A$, $PT_B$, and $PT_C$), chamomile tea ($CT_A$, $CT_B$, and $CT_C$), peppermint tea ($P_A$, $P_B$, and $P_C$), polygonatum odoratum tea ($POT_A$, $POT_B$, and $POT_C$), and jujube tea ($JT_A$, $JT_B$, and $JT_C$) were assayed for the levels of ascorbic acid, caffeine, total content of polyphenols and flavonoids, and ability to scavenge free radicals, using two in vitro antioxidant assays. The scavenging abilities of $BC_A$ and $BC_C$ were $664.91{\pm}48.87mg$ ascorbic acid equivalent/serving size and $624.36{\pm}16.18mg$ ascorbic acid equivalent/serving size, respectively. The four beverage samples ($BC_A$, $BC_C$, $GT_D$, and $BT_A$) significantly reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and intracellular oxidative stress induced by $H_2O_2$. These results suggest that the beverages possess significant radical scavenging ability, which may be due to the presence of antioxidants. Furthermore, the significant reducing level of ROS evidences the potential antioxidant effects of these beverages in human cells.