• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.121-128
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• 2022

The rapid development of biotechnology has increased the importance of microorganisms or their genetic information. Thus, the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization was established, and countries are working to secure industrially and academically useful bioresources to deal with the agreement. In the case of Korea, because 67% of bioresources are imported from abroad, we are required to secure domestic bioresources as well. The number of isolated foodborne illness-causing microorganisms is predicted to invrease based on the incresing number of outbreaks of foodborne illness each year. Consequently, appropriate long-term preservation methods are necessary to secure the isolated microorganisms for the purpose of research and resourcification. Therefore, the long-term preservation methods for bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa were investigated in this study, from domestic and international bioresource banks, and the functions of the cryoprotectants were reviewed and discussed. This review should be informative in the preservation of microorganisms and contribute to the development of biotechnology.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.260-263
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• 2006

In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial effect of 14 different herbal petal extracts on various foodborne and food spoilage bacteria. Herbal petal extracts were prepared with 70% ethanol followed by sequential hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water fractionation. Antimicrobial activity was highest in the ethanol fraction from roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) petals as determined by the paper disc method. The roselle ethanol extract retarded the growth of food spoilage bacteria in kimbap (rice rolled in dried laver). Foodborne microorganisms (e.g. Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens), on the other hand, were most efficiently inhibited by the ethyl acetate fraction of the roselle petal extract as determined by growth inhibition curves. Our study shows that roselle petals harbor antimicrobial activity against foodborne and food spoilage microorganisms. The critical ingredient is highly enriched in the ethyl acetate fraction of the extract.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.240-254
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• 2016

Background: Foodborne pathogens are a growing concern with respect to human illnesses and death. There is an increasing demand for improvements in global food safety. However, it is a challenge to detect and identify these harmful organisms in a rapid, responsive, suitable, and effective way. Results: Rapid developments in biosensor designs have contributed to the detection of foodborne pathogens and other microorganisms. Biosensors can automate this process and have the potential to enable fast analyses that are cost and time-effective. Various biosensor techniques are available that can identify foodborne pathogens and other health hazards. Conclusions: In this review, biosensor technology is briefly discussed, followed by a summary of foodborne pathogen detection using various transduction systems that exhibit specificity for particular foodborne pathogens. In addition, the recent application of biosensor technology to detect pesticides and heavy metals is briefly addressed.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.145-153
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• 2006

Hwangryeon (Coptidis rhizoma) was extracted by methanol and its antimicrobial activities against food spoilage and foodborne disease microorganisms were investigated by the paper-disc method. The microorganisms used in this experiment included 5 species of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus) and 3 species of fungi (Fusarium solani, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium citreonigrum). The Hwangryeon extract showed antimicrobial effect against P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. typhimurium, and K. pneumonia. The minimum inhibitory concentration on S. aureus, S. typhimurium, and K. pneumoniae was 300 mg/mL, but on P. aeruginosa it was 200 mg/mL. In the methanol extracts from Hwangryeon, 190 compounds were separated by GC/MS. The extraction yields of phenols, furans, alcohols, acids and esters, ketones, and miscellaneous compounds were 28.10%, 2.67%, 1.79%, 12.89%, and 2.35%, respectively. The phenolic compounds, generally understood to be an antimicrobial active substance, was measured at 28.10%, a relatively remarkable amount.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1368-1371
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• 2008

In this study, 50 rump samples of raw beef obtained from local Korean supermarkets were analyzed to survey microbial distributions. As results, mesophilic microorganisms ranged from $(1.4{\pm}0.01){\times}10^2$ to $(1.6{\pm}0.05){\times}10^5\;CFU/g$, and total coliforms ranged from 0 to $(1.3{\pm}0.04){\times}10^4\;CFU/g$. Major foodborne pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp., were not found among the samples. However, Staphylococcus aureus was isolated with 4% frequency. Other isolated microorganisms included Enterobacter amnigenus (4%), Enterobacter cloacae (24%), E. coli (24%), Listeria innocua (8%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (56%), Staphylococcus xylosus (10%), and Staphylococcus warneri (8%).

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2012

This study analyzed the antibacterial activity of a Rubus coreanum (Bokbunja) ethanol extract. The antimicrobial activity was determined by disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and growth inhibition methods with seven kinds of bacteria related to foodborne illness (Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhimurium). In the results, disc diffusions of the ethanol extract from R. coreanum (9.8-17.5 mm at $4,000{\mu}g/disc$) clearly showed the antimicrobial activity of the extract against all tested microorganisms. Rubus coreanum promoted an inhibitory effect as follows: E. coli O157:H7 > P. aeruginosa > L. monocytogenes > E. coli > S. aureus > B. cereus ${\geq}$ S. typhimurium. In the MIC test, R. coreanum showed high antimicrobial effect against L. monocytogenes at 500 ppm. Moreover, the R. coreanum ethanol extract showed strong growth inhibition against microorganisms, similar to the MIC results. These results show that a R. coreanum ethanol extract has powerful antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms, suggesting that R. coreanum will be useful as a potential natural preservative.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2022

This study was performed to investigate the contamination status of microorganisms that cause food poisoning in shellfish distributed in the metropolitan area of South Korea. The analyses were conducted according to the sample type, season, and region. In particular, the genotype of food poisoning viruses that explosively cause collective food poisoning was analyzed. Total 483 each of four types of shellfish (Crassostrea gigas, Mytilus coruscus, Pectea albicans albicans, and Scapharca subcrenata) were collected from four distribution sites located in the metropolitan area. We investigated foodborne pathogen by multiplex PCR and RT/Nested PCR from shellfish. As a result, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Bacillus cereus were detected in 13 and 21 samples and Norovirus (NoV) GI and GII were detected in 7 and 12 samples, respectively. V. parahaemolyticus and NoV GI and GII showed differences in types of shellfish and seasons, and no correlation was confirmed with regional differences. Also, as a result of genotyping for the detected NoV GI and GII, they were confirmed as NoV GI.7, GI.5 and GII.3, which are causes of collective food poisoning. Therefore, cross-infection with shellfish can cause food poisoning. In particular, attention must be paid to the handling and cooking of shellfish in organizations that implement group feeding, and it is necessary to establish a management system for microorganisms that cause food poisoning in the process of shellfish farming and distribution.

• Safe Food
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.8-18
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• 2006

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the perception and attitudes of middle school students toward food safety between those who possess high behavioral intentions to prevent contracting a foodborne illness and those who do not. The survey collected 871 usable data from several middle schools in Seoul, Korea in July 2007. Using six behavioral intention measurement items, a two-step cluster analysis approach was conducted resulting in a strong intention group and a weak intention group. Perception and attitudes toward foods safety were different between the two groups. Students with strong behavioral intentions to prevent foodborne illness tended to possess a stronger perception and attitude toward various food safety issues. Students with strong intentions were more certain of consumer's right to purchase safe foods, more concerned about foodborne illness and food safety, believed that the government should put more efforts toward establishing a safe food chain, possess more distrust for food suppliers, were more aware of specific foodborne illness pathogens, had more food safety education/training, and washed their hands more frequently than those with less strong intentions. No significant differences were found between the groups but,overall, chemical residues and food additives were perceived as more harmful and more serious food safety issues than those of foodborne illness pathogens despite that microorganisms are the main cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in schools. Participants seemed to underestimate the importance of temperature control for preventing foodborne outbreaks. Several implications and suggestions on how to improve the behavioral intentions of middle school students to prevent possible foodborne illness were provided.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.227-235
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• 2018

Foodborne illness represents a major threat to public health and is frequently attributed to pathogenic microorganisms on fresh produce. Recurrent outbreaks often come from vegetables that are grown close to or within the ground. Therefore, the first step to understanding the public health risk of microorganisms on fresh vegetables is to identify and describe microbial communities. We investigated the phyllospheres on Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis, N = 54). 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing targeting the V5-V6 region of 16S rRNA genes was conducted by employing the Illumina MiSeq system. Sequence quality was assessed, and phylogenetic assessments were performed using the RDP classifier implemented in QIIME with a bootstrap cutoff of 80%. Principal coordinate analysis was performed using a weighted Fast UniFrac matrix. The average number of sequence reads generated per sample was 34,584. At the phylum level, bacterial communities were composed primarily of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The most abundant genera on Chinese cabbages were Chryseobacterium, Aurantimonadaceae_g, Sphingomonas, and Pseudomonas. Diverse potential pathogens, such as Pantoea, Erwinia, Klebsiella, Yersinia, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and Clostridium were also detected from the samples. Although further epidemiological studies will be required to determine whether the detected potential pathogens are associated with foodborne illness, our results imply that a metagenomic approach can be used to detect pathogenic bacteria on fresh vegetables.