• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.335-341
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• 2019

Beta-carotene is the most prominent member of the group of carotenoids, natural colorants that occur in the human diet. Beta-carotene is also an effective source of vitamin A in both conventional foods and vitamin supplements, and it's generally safe. In this study, we explored the beta-carotene contents in agricultural products widely and specifically grown in Korea. The beta-carotene contents were ranging from 223 to $27,908{\mu}g/100g$ in leaves, and 0 to $7,588{\mu}g/100g$ in vegetables. In leaves and vegetables, the amount of beta-carotene was the highest in green tea powder ($27,908{\mu}g/100g$), followed by pepper ($7,588{\mu}g/100g$). In fruits, the beta-carotene content was found to range from $0{\mu}g/1,011g$ to maximum of $293.66{\mu}g/100g$(plumcot). However, there beta-carotene was not detected in strawberry. In the case of cereals and specialty crops, the beta-carotene contents were $326{\mu}g/100g$ for non-glutinous rice, $313{\mu}g/100g$ for glutinous rice, $57{\mu}g/100g$ for amaranth and $15{\mu}g/100g$ for pine nut, respectively. However, the beta-carotene content was not detected in other samples. This study revealed the presence of beta-carotene content in agricultural products specifically grown in Korea for nutritional information and food composition database.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 2021

Insects affect crop harvest yield and quality, making plant response mechanisms to insect herbivores a heavily studied topic. However, analysis of plant responses to honeybees is rare. In this study, comprehensive metabolic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to honeybees was performed to investigate which metabolites were changed by the insect. A total of 85 metabolites-including chlorophylls, carotenoids, glucosinolates, policosanols, tocopherols, phytosterols, β-amyrin, amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and starch-were identified using high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The metabolite profiling analysis of Arabidopsis exposed to honeybees showed higher levels of stress-related metabolites. The levels of glucosinolates (glucoraphanin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin), policosanols (eicosanol, docosanol, tricosanol, tetracosanol), tocopherols (β-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol), putrescine, lysine, and sugars (arabinose, fructose, glucose, mannitol, mannose, raffinose) in Arabidopsis exposed to honeybees were higher than those in unexposed Arabidopsis. Glucosinolates act as defensive compounds against herbivores; policosanols are components of plant waxes; tocopherols act as an antioxidant; and putrescine, lysine, and sugars contribute to stress regulation. Our results suggest that Arabidopsis perceives honeybees as a stress and changes its metabolites to overcome the stress. This is the first step to determining how Arabidopsis reacts to exposure to honeybees.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.597-604
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• 2020

This study examined the bioactive compound content and the antioxidant activities of bitter melon (Momordica charantia Linn.) leaves. The content of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and total carotenoids was 69.77, 45.68, and 65.08 mg/100 g, respectively. To investigate the antioxidant capacity, bitter melon leaves were extracted using various concentrations of ethanol (60, 80, or 100%). Highest content of total polyphenols (18.07 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) and flavonoids (4.53 mg cathechin equivalent/g) was found in the 100% ethanolic extract of the leaves (E100). Also, the E100 extract showed the highest levels of 2,2'azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and α-α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activities. Reducing power was also the highest (39.21 mg Trolox equivalent/g) in E100 extract. The E100 extract effectively inhibited lipid peroxidation by 91.45% compared to the control group. Also, the E100 extract showed a cytoprotective effect against oxidative stress in HepG2 cells and decreased the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. These results suggest that bitter melon leaves could be regarded as a potential source of natural antioxidants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1622-1631
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• 2022

Carotenoids, which are natural pigments found abundantly in wide-ranging species, have diverse functions and high industrial potential. The carotenoid biosynthesis pathway is very complex and has multiple branches, while the accumulation of certain metabolites often affects other metabolites in this pathway. The DsLCYB gene that encodes lycopene cyclase was selected in this study to evaluate β-carotene production and the accumulation of β-carotene in the alga Dunaliella salina. Compared with the wild type, the transgenic algal species overexpressed the DsLCYB gene, resulting in a significant enhancement of the total carotenoid content, with the total amount reaching 8.46 mg/g for an increase of up to 1.26-fold. Interestingly, the production of α-carotene in the transformant was not significantly reduced. This result indicated that the regulation of DsLCYB on the metabolic flux distribution of carotenoid biosynthesis is directional. Moreover, the effects of different light-quality conditions on β-carotene production in D. salina strains were investigated. The results showed that the carotenoid components of β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin were 1.8-fold and 1.23-fold higher than that in the wild type under red light stress, respectively. This suggests that the accumulation of β-carotene under red light conditions is potentially more profitable.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.08a
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• pp.75-75
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• 2020

Potatoes were first introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, and have become an integral part of much of the world's food. Potatoes were first introduced into Europe in the 16th century and Korea in the early 19th century. Potatoes have a short growing season, high production per unit area, relatively strong environmental adaptability, and are cultivated in more than 130 countries around the world. It is the world's fourth-largest crop, following rice, wheat, bean and maize. In the nutritional aspects, potatoes contain abundant vitamins and minerals, as well as an assortment of phytochemicals such as carotenoids and natural phenols. Due to the high content of potato functional compounds, it has known that potatoes are effective in the prevention of various human diseases. In particular, the potato contains a large amount of polar compounds, including the saponin in the polar compounds, and the physiological activity of the saponins, such as immunity enhancement, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory is known. In this study, the antioxidative activity of polar compounds from five potatoes was examined by cell based anti-oxidation assay. The smallest amount of ROS(Reactive oxygen species) was generated when the compound was derived from 'Haryung' and 'hongyoung' and strong SOD(Superoxide dismutase) activity was observed in 'Sumi' and 'Jayoung'. The results of this study reveal the antioxidative effect of polar compounds extracted from various kind of potatoes, which will enable the acquisition of new bioactive candidates and the establishment of new profit generation models for farmers

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.314-324
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• 1997

This study was conducted to investigate whether 1) photosynthetic pigments(chlorophylls and carotenoids) are formed in dodder plant(Cuscuta australis), 2) there are any characteristics in the pigment biosynthesis, compared to that of other normal plants, and 3) dodder responds to some herbicides having target site on chloroplast. 1. Chlorophyll content of dodder tendrill grown under a natural daylight was 9 times and 50 times lower than that of field bindweed stem and leaf, respectively. 2. The photosynthetic pigment contents varied in different tissues, being higher in a apical region than in a lower region of seedling or tendrill. Chlorophyll wasn't almost observed below the 4th internode from the upper. 3. Pigment contents were greatly dependent on light intensity so that there were 4 to 6 times difference among light conditions. When the shoot containning low pigment contents under natural light, was incubated in growth chamber with various light intensities, the pigment contents were increased by 3 times of initial contents at about 97${\mu}E$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$PAR. While the change in pigment contents was not observed at above 450${\mu}E$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$PAR 4. Exogenous supply of 5mM 5-aminolevulinic acid increased protochlorophyllide by 7 times and 1.4 times in the etiolated shoot from field bindweed rhizome and in dodder stem, respectively, showing that dodder relatively has a low response to 5-aminolevulinic acid. 5. Pigment loss was observed in the treatment of paraquat, norflurazon, oxyfluorfen and diuron, and protoporphyrin IX was accumulated by oxyfluorfen as in normal plants Based on above results, several chracteristics of pigment biosynthesis in dodder seem to be summerized as follows. Photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis in Cuscuta australis runs even in low level. The pigment contents is differentially distributed in different regions and their contents seem significantly to be controlled by light intensities. Especially, chloroplast rapidly tends to degenerate with the development of tissue. Some herbicides having target site on chloroplast induce damage to dodder stem but are unlikely to control it well in field, except paraquat, due to low chloroplast activity and parasitic mode of nutrition.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.232-239
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• 1994

In order to determine the utilization of ascidian tunic, which has been blamed for problems of costal environmental pollution when discharged into the sea after being used as a natural dietary pigment sources for rainbow trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss), fingerlings were fed on experimental diets containing acetone-extracts for 6 weeks. The amounts of acetone-extracts were 11,000mg/Kg and contained 50mg/100g wet tissues of carotenoid and $6\%$ of carotenoids were astaxanthin. From the results of feeding experiments, the growth rate in the extract group was a little higher than that of the control and pink groups after 6 weeks. The redness and yellowness of the fish skin and muscle in the extract group were similar to the pink group. Therefore, acetone-extracts of ascidian tunic were judged to be a natural dietary pigment source suitable as a substitute synthetic pigment for aquaculture use.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.226-235
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• 2017

Carotenoids such as phytoene, lycopene, and ${\beta}-carotene$ are used as food colorants, animal feed supplements, and for human nutrition and cosmetic purposes. Previously, we reported the isolation of a novel marine bacterium, Kocuria gwangalliensis, which produces a pink-orange pigment. Phytoene desaturase (CrtI), encoded by the gene crtI, catalyzes lycopene formation from phytoene and is an essential enzyme in the early steps of carotenoid biosynthesis. CrtI is one of the key enzymes regulating carotenoid biosynthesis and has been implicated as a rate-limiting enzyme of the pathway in various carotenoid synthesizing organisms. Here, we report the cloning of the crtI gene responsible for lycopene biosynthesis from K. gwangalliensis. The gene consisted of 1,584 bases encoding 527 amino acid residues. The nucleotide sequence of the crtI gene was compared with that of other species, including Kocuria rhizophila and Myxococcus xanthus, and was found to be well conserved during evolution. An expression plasmid containing the crtI gene was constructed (pCcrt1), and Escherichia coli cells were transformed with this plasmid to produce a recombinant protein of approximately 57 kDa, corresponding to the molecular weight of phytoene desaturase. Lycopene biosynthesis was confirmed when the plasmid pCcrtI was co-transformed into E. coli containing the plasmid pRScrtEB carrying the crtE and crtB genes required for lycopene biosynthesis. The results from this study will provide valuable information on the primary structure of K. gwangalliensis CrtI at the molecular level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.135-140
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• 2014

Pre-storage ultra-violet (UV) light treatment on fresh produce is known to inactivate the contaminated microorganisms, activate the defense system, and delay ripening extending the shelf life. As UV light emitting diode (LED) becomes available at a relatively low price, continuous or intermittent UV treatment during chilled storage is possible in a container or package. This study attempted an in situ UV LED treatment on fresh produce stored under a refrigerated container in order to see its potential in the fresh produce storage and further optimize its application conditions. The effect of in-container UV LED irradiation on the quality preservation of shredded carrots was investigated in the air and modified atmosphere (MA) conditions. Two sets of experiment with Escherichia coli inoculation and with natural microbial flora in the air (two 30 minute on-off cycles of 1 $diode/dm^2$ per day at a location above 2 cm) showed a clear and significant effect of the UV LED irradiation on the suppression of microbial growth: 280 nm was the most effective by maintaining a lower microbial count by at least 0.5 log (CFU/g) throughout the 6 day storage period. The carotenoids content of shredded carrots subjected to UV LED treatment at 365 and 405 nm in the air was higher than that of the control shredded carrots. In MA condition of $O_2$ of 1.2~4.3% and $CO_2$ of 8.4~10.6% being indifferent with LED wavelengths, 280 nm UV LED irradiation was also effective in inhibiting the microbial growth. While there was no observed difference in the carotenoids content between untreated and UV LED-treated shredded carrots in MA, UV LED irradiation at 365 and 405 nm was slightly better in DPPH radical scavenging activity. The use of UV LED in storage container or package seems to give the benefits of preserving the microbial and nutritional qualities of minimally processed fruits and vegetables.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.94-98
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• 2008

To search functional biomaterials of citrus pressed cake, the chemical constituents were analyzed Moisture content of citrus pressed cake varied slightly with sampling time. Moisture, non-nitrogen compounds, crude protein, crude fat, and ash of citrus pressed cake were 82.23% 16.94% 1.27% 2.5%, 0.58% (all w/w) on average, respectively. The chemical composition of citrus pressed cake was more similar to the peel than to the flesh of Citrus unshiu var: miyakawa. The pH, acid content, and pectin content were 3.57, 0.43% (w/w) and 1.49% (w/w), respectively. The vitamin C content of peel of Citrus unshiu var. miyakawa was 87.1mg/100g, and was higher than the 46.4mg/100g of citrus pressed cake. Total carotenoids of citrus pressed cake, and the peel and flesh of Citrus unshiu var. miyakawa, were 512.2mg/kg, 2,649.5mg/kg, and 199.4mg/kg, respectively. Therefore, citrus pressed cake may be utilized as a natural source of pectin, flavonoids and carotenoids. The major inorganic elements of citrus pressed cake were 201.3mg/100g of K, 47.9mg/100g of Ca, 19.4/100g of P, and 17.8/100g of Mg. The major free sugar contents of citrus pressed cake were 3.05% (w/w) fructose, 2.91% (w/w) glucose, and 4.94%(w/w) sucrose. Total free sugar was 9.91% (w/w), corresponding to 58.5% of 1be non-nitrogen compounds. The main flavonoids of Citrus unshiuwere narirutin, hesperidin, and rutin. Neohesperidin and hesperetin were also detected in trace amounts. Themajor flavonoids of citrus pressed cake were hesperidin and narirutin, and the content of hesperidin was 194.6mg/100g.