• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate microbiological contamination of fresh vegetables in Korea. Twenty types of vegetables were tested for total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, yeast and mold, and pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Cronobacter sakazakii, Shigella, and Campylobacter. Levels of total aerobic bacteria and coliform on 20 vegetables were between 3.74 and 8.04 log CFU/g, and 0.16 and 5.02 log CFU/g, respectively. The highest contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria were observed on water dropwort, sprouts, mungbean sprout, and ballflower root. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in microbial contamination levels of total aerobic count, coliform, E. coli, yeast and mold between organic and nonorganic vegetables. When isolation methods using selective agars were applied, L. monocytogenes, B. cereus, Salmonella and Campylobacter were isolated from some fresh vegetable samples. Results of API kit tests showed that L. monocytogenes was identified on Chinese cabbage, cucumber, soybean sprouts, and iceberg lettuce while Salmonella was identified on Korean leek. Furthermore, Campylobacter jejuni was also identified in more than 50 of the 100 samples. However, when positive samples from API kit were tested for real-time PCR or 16S rRNA sequencing method, only B. cereus from perilla leaf, carrot, water dropwort, and sprouts showed positive results. These results indicate that selective agar and API kit detection methods might result in false positive results for some pathogens. Therefore, studies need to improve isolation or confirmation methods for such pathogens.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.834-841
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of traditional Korean ash glazes by using locally available sources; 10 kinds of grain stems,2 kinds of husks (pod, chaff), and 4 kinds of vegetables (spinach, radish leaf and stem, pumpkin leaf and stem, pepper stem), and to develop their practical uses as ash glazes. The test results of these ash glazes indicate that these ashes can be classified into four categories. The first group, which includes perilla stem ash, sesame stem ash, black bean stem ash and red-bean stem ash, shows strong milky white due to relatively lower content of $SiO_2$, and relatively higher content of CaO and P$_2$O$\_$5/ content (10% higher than others), and their glazes were found to be suitable for opaque glaze as they show relatively stable bright greenish color. The second group includes pepper stem ash, spinach ash, pod ash, radish leaf and stem ash, and bean stem ash, and this group was found to contain even quantity of every component. And their glaze show somewhat greenish color because of especially high content of MgO and more than 2% of Fe$_2$ $O_3$. They were found to be suitable for basic glaze of IRABO glaze. The third group, which includes com stalk ash, white bean ash, pumpkin leaf and stem ash, has more $SiO_2$ and Al$_2$ $O_3$ than other ashes, and it also contains 3～5% of Fe$_2$ $O_3$. As a result of those components, this third group shows the greatest change of color and chroma, and was found to be suitable glazes as basic glaze of Temmoku and black glazes. The fourth group (reed ash, rice straw ash, indian millet stalk ash and chaff ash) has as much as 45～82% of $SiO_2$ and relatively lower content of Fe$_2$ $O_3$ and P$_2$ $O_3$. This group shows blue or greenish white color, and was found to be suitable as the basic glaze of white glaze.