• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2012

Bioaerosols generated from composting facilities and landfills may create health risks for workers and nearby residents. To determine the levels of culturable airborne bacteria and fungi in bioaerosols, samples were seasonally collected at a composting facility and a landfill in Ulsan, Korea with an impaction-type sampler. Concentrations of heterotrophic bacteria averaged (in $MPN/m^3$) $6.5{\times}10^3$ (range $1.5{\times}10^2-1.5{\times}10^4$) in the composting facility and $3.9{\times}10^3$ (range $6.0{\times}10^1-9.3{\times}10^3$) at the entrance of the facility. These concentrations were 460 and 280 times higher than those of reference sites. Coliform bacteria were detected both inside and entrance of the facility. On the landfill, heterotrophic bacterial concentrations averaged (in $MPN/m^3$) $4.9{\times}10^2$ (range $1.7{\times}10^2-1.0{\times}10^3$), while they averaged $3.7{\times}10^2$ (range $4.8{\times}10^1-1.3{\times}10^3$) at the parking lot of the landfill. These concentrations were 35 and 26 times higher than those of reference sites. When we isolated and tentatively identified heterotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas luteola was the most dominant species in bioaerosols from the composting facility, whereas the most abundant one in reference samples was Micrococcus sp. Average concentrations of airborne fungi were measured between $4.8{\times}10^2$ and $7.9{\times}10^2\;MPN/m^3$ depending on sites, which were 2.1-3.4 times higher compared to those of reference sites. While Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Penicillium were commonly identified fungal genera, genus Aspergillus was identified only in bioaerosols from the composting facility.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.251-257
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• 2009

The effects of temperature variations during storage on the quality characteristics of muskmelons (Cucumis melo L.) were investigated. In samples stored at $4^{\circ}C$ and $10^{\circ}C$, weight losses were almost 2.9- and 3.4-fold higher, respectively, compared to samples stored at $0^{\circ}C$. Soluble solids slightly increased except in the samples stored at $10^{\circ}C$, but acidity decreased over the entire storage period. Firmness decreased with storage time, but the samples stored at $0^{\circ}C$ had a lesser decrease in firmness than the samples stored at other temperatures. Water loss from the muskmelon stalk was most inhibited, and vitamin C content was maintained for the longest period, with storage at $4^{\circ}C$. Mineral contents (Ca, Na, Fe, Mg, K) were best maintained in muskmelon samples stored at $10^{\circ}C$ for 15 days, but levels had decreased by 30 days. Microbiological quality was not appreciably different at any storage temperature at 18 days; however, samples stored at $4^{\circ}C$ and $10^{\circ}C$ had deteriorated by 25 days. The results of sensory evaluations indicated that taste was best retained in samples stored at $10^{\circ}C$ for 15 days, although changes in taste were evident at all storage temperatures. When the samples were stored over 22 days at $10^{\circ}C$, retention of texture and overall acceptability were more inferior compared to samples stored at $0^{\circ}C$ and $4^{\circ}C$. These results suggest that storage at $4^{\circ}C$ can be used to reduce deterioration in muskmelons without significant loss of their quality attributes.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.387-394
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• 2015

The red snow crab lives at a depth 200-2,000 m in the east coast. It has a smooth taste with a rich texture. However mostly red snow crab are only utilized materials. For seafood development, research is needed on using red snow crab in various products. In this study, quality changes in fried rice prepared with red snow crab meat, red snow crab emulsion sauce and red snow crab effluent were investigated. Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics were determined during storage at -20, 4 and $25^{\circ}C$ for 5 weeks to assess changes in the quality of the fried rice. The pH and acidity values did not show any significant differences at $-20^{\circ}C$. The VBN and TBA values of fried rice stored at 4 and $25^{\circ}C$ were significantly higher than those of fried rice stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ during the same storage period. The viable cell count of the fried rice stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ changed little during the storage period. During storage at $25^{\circ}C$, the overall quality was initially 8.0, but rapidly decreased to 1.0 after 5 weeks. In conclusion, the best storage temperature for both quality and safety was $-20^{\circ}C$. The storage condition for instant rice containing red snow crab affects the quality and we confirmed the applicability of using materials from red snow crab.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.342-347
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• 2004

A bacterial strain YC4963 with antifungal activity against Colletotrichum orbiculare, a causal organism of cucumber anthracnose was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino in Korea. Based on physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, the bac­terial strain was identified as Pseudomonas aurantiaca. The bacteria also inhibited mycelial growth of several plant fungal pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani on PDA and 0.1 TSA media. The antifungal activity was found from the culture filtrate of this isolate and the active compound was quantitatively bound to XAD adsorption resin. The antibiotic compound was purified and identified as phenazine-l-carboxylic acid on the basis of combined spectral and chemical analyses data. This is the first report on the production of phenazine-l-carboxylic acid by Pseudomonas aurantiaca.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2004

Our previous research has demonstrated that the bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. NFQ-l capable of utilizing quin­oline (2,3-benzopyridine) as the sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy was isolated and characterized [Yoon et ai. (2003) Kor. J. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 18(3):174-179]. In this study, we have found that Pseudomonas sp. NFQ-l could degrade quinoline as well as benzoate, and extended this work to characterize the catechol 1,2­dioxygenase (C1,2O) purified from the bacterium cultured in benzoate media. Initially, C1,2O has been purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel permeation chromatography, and Source 15Q. After Source 15Q, puri­fication fold was increased to approximately 14.21 unit/mg. Molecular weight of C1,2O was about 33 kDa. Physicochemical characteristics (e.g., substrate specificity, Km, Vmax, pH, temperature and effect of inhibitors) of purified C1,2O were examined. C1,2O demonstrated the activity for catechol, 4-methylcatechol and 3-meth­ylcatechol as a substrate, respectively. The Km and Vmax value of C1,2O for catechol was 38.54 ${\mu}M$ and $25.10\;{\mu}mol{\cdot}min^{-1}{\cdot}mg^{-1}.$ The optimal temperature of C1,2O was $30^{\circ}C$ and the optimal pH was approximately 8.5. Metal ions such as $Ag^+,\;Hg^+,\;Ca^{2+},\;and\;Cu^{2+}$ show the inhibitory effect on the activity of C1,2O. N-terminal amino sequence of C1,2O was analyzed as ^1TVKISQSASIQKFFEEA^{17}.$ In this work, we found that the amino acid sequence of NFQ-l showed the sequence homology of 82, 71, 59 and $53\%$ compared with C1,2O from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA0l, Pseudomonas arvilla C-1., P. putida KT2440 and Pseudomonas sp. CA10, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.251-256
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• 2009

Leaf samples and bulbs showing characteristic symptoms of virus infection were collected from Gang-won, Chung-nam, and Jeju Province of Korea in 2008-2009. Three viruses, Lily symptomless virus (LSV), Lily mottle virus (LMoV), and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) were detected by RT-PCR. Virus-infected plant samples were identified; 12 plants with LSV, 20 plants with LMoV, and 1 plant with CMV. Of the twelve LSV infected samples, seven samples were found to be mix-infected with LMoV and LSV. Symptoms of LMoV and LSV mixed infection were fairly severe, like as vein clearing, leaf curling, leaf mottling, leaf mosaic, and yellow streaking. Mixed infection with LMoV and LSV was also found in lily bulbs which have been stored under unfavorable environmental conditions. LMoV predominated in our tests, whereas spread of Lilyvirus X (LVX) was not found. The nucleotide sequences of coat protein (CP) region of seven isolates (4 LMoV, 2 LSV, and 1 CMV) were compared with the corresponding regions of LMoV (AJ564636), LSV (AJ516059) and CMV(AJ296154). The nucleotide sequence homologies between reference viruses and seven isolates were 95-99%. Complete sequencing of seven isolates is necessary to obtain more information on the molecular characteristics of these viruses as well as to increase sensitivity and rapidity of viral detection.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.244-250
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• 2008

To evaluate bacteriological water quality, samples were taken from drinking water dispensers placed at S company (S-C) and U highschool (U-H) in Ulsan. The medians of heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) were 53 CFU/ml for the 74 water samples of S-C and 80 CFU/ml for the 36 cold water samples of U-H, and 38% of the S-C and 42% of the U-H samples showed HPC bacterial concentrations higher than 100 CFU/ml. Coliform bacteria were detected from one sample of S-C. To determine the major source of bacterial contamination, water samples were taken daily for $6\sim8$ days from the bottled water containers as well as the faucets of an experimental water dispenser. While the average HPCs in the bottled water containers were 33 CFU/ml for the first and 132 CFU/ml for the 2nd analysis, the HPC concentration in the cold water samples was 1,022 CFU/ml for the 2nd analysis. These results suggest that the majority of bacteria detected in the cold water samples were originated from the biofilms on the surface of water passages within the water dispensers. There was no significant increase in HPC bacterial concentrations within the bottled water container after installation on the water dispenser. We could isolate and tentatively identify 3 genera 6 species of Gram-positive and 7 genera 7 species of Gram-negative bacteria from the plate count agar plates of U-H samples. Among the isolates, 72% were observed as Gram-positive, and Micrococcus spp. was the most abundant with 54% of the total, followed by Sphingomonas paucimobilis with 16%. It appears that most of the HPC bacteria detected in water dispensers originate from indoor airborne bacteria, which may play important roles in the formation of biofilms on the surface of water passages within the water dispensers.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.278-285
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• 2016

The bifunctional PheA protein, having chorismate mutase and prephenate dehydratase (CMPD) activities, is one of the key regulatory enzymes in the aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, and is negatively regulated by an end-product, phenyalanine. Therefore, PheA protein has been thought as useful for protein engineering to utilize mass production of essential amino acid phenylalanine. To obtain feedback resistant PheA protein against phenylalanine, we mutated by using random mutagenesis, extensively screened, and obtained $pheA^{FBR}$ gene encoding a feedback resistant PheA protein. The mutant PheA protein contains substitution of Leu to Phe at the position of 118, displaying that higher affinity (about $290{\mu}M$) for prephenate in comparison with that (about $850{\mu}M$) of wild type PheA protein. Kinetic analysis showed that the saturation curve of $PheA^{FBR}$ against phenyalanine is hyperbolic rather than that of $PheA^{WT}$, which is sigmoidal, indicating that the L118F mutant enzyme has no cooperative effects in prephenate binding in the presence of phenylalanine. In vitro enzymatic assay showed that the mutant protein exhibited increased activity by above 3.5 folds compared to the wild type enzyme. Moreover, L118F mutant protein appeared insensitive to feedback inhibition with keeping 40% of enzymatic activity even in the presence of 10 mM phenylalanine at which the activity of wild type $PheA^{WT}$ was not observed. The substitution of Leu to Phe in CMPD may induce significant conformational change for this enzyme to acquire feedback resistance to end-product of the pathway by modulating kinetic properties.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.585-592
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• 2004

Our previous studies demonstrated that relaxin in concert with estrogen promotes development of the mammary parenchyma during the last third of gestation in gilts, and the specific relaxin-binding sites were present in the mammary gland. This study was conducted to determine if relaxin-binding sites in the mammary gland were functional relaxin receptors. Three cycling cross-bred gilts were bilaterally ovariectomized on day 0 of the experiment. Beginning on day 15 and continuing through day 29 post-surgery, the gilt received an im. injection of estradiol benzoate at 12-hr intervals. Beginning on day 22 post-surgery, highly purified porcine relaxin was administered(lug/hr) into the left fourth mammary gland from the anterior end via miniature osmotic pump. Physiological saline was administered to the right fourth mammary gland. The gilt was sacrificed on day 29 post-surgery and histological characteristics of the mammary parenchyma were examined. The mammary glands treated locally with saline showed little, if any, lobulo-alveolar development, whereas the mammary glands treated with relaxin showed not only marked lobulo-alveolar development but also prominent secretions in the alveoli. The saline-treated glands were characterized by relatively dense and highly organized collagen fiber bundles. Whereas, in the relaxin-treated mammary glands, collagen fiber bundles were dispersed and loosely organized. In conclusion, relaxin-binding sites in the mammary gland are functional relaxin receptors and relaxin acts directly on the pig mammary gland to promote development of the alveoli and remodeling of the extracellular matrix.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.98-109
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• 2016

The study was aimed to investigate the mixing ratio of kiwi and persimmon juices for the production of good quality wine by Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y28. Firstly, the optimum condition of rapidase treatment for the kiwi and persimmon juices was established, thereafter various mixing ratio (10:0, 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, 5:5) of kiwi and persimmon was investigated regarding physiochemical properties and flavor compounds of wine. As the result, the optimum conditions were obtained as 0.3% rapidase for 1 h in kiwi and 0.3% rapidase for 3 h in persimmon. According to higher ration of persimmon, the pH of wines increased from 3.69 to 3.77, while the acidity of wines decreased from 2.07% to 1.51% at 14 days fermentation. The ranges of brix and reducing sugar in wines were decreased which ranges around 9.6 to 8.8 and 6.07 to 6.90 g/L, respectively, after fermentation. Major organic acid in wines were identified as tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid. A small amount of free sugar such as sucrose and glucose were detected in wines, but fructose was completely absent. The soluble phenolic contents were decreased that ranges around 1.00 to 1.25 g/L, in contrast, browning degree were increased ranges around 0.212 to 0.412 after fermentation. The major flavor components were identified as ethyl acetate and hydrazine, and 1,1-dimethyl. Importantly, phenylethyl alcohol was detected from the all wines that have a typical rose like flavor. But sensory test results and preference of kiwi-persimmon (7:3) mixing wine was better than the other wines.