Growth Inhibitory Effect of Garlic Powder and Cinnamon Extract on White Colony-Forming Yeast in Kimchi.

White colony-forming yeast (WCFY), also referred to as film forming yeast or spoilage yeast, that appear on the surface of kimchi can deteriorate the sensory properties of kimchi, such as odor and texture. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a method to inhibit the formation of the white colony in kimchi. First, alterations in kimchi manufacturing and storage conditions, including temperatures, pH, salinity, and anaerobic condition, were investigated to determine if they could inhibit the growth of WCFY (i.e., Kazachstania servazzii, Candida sake, Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia kudriavzevii, and Hanseniaspora uvarum). Thereafter, the anti yeast activity of freeze-dried garlic powder (FGP) and cinnamon ethanol extract (CEE) was evaluated against WCFY using the agar-well diffusion assay. Following the direct application of FGP and CEE to the surface of the kimchi, the inhibitory effects on white colony were determined. The results showed that WCFY can grow under various manufacturing and storage conditions of kimchi. Regarding the growth inhibitory effect on WCFY, FGP exhibited anti yeast activity against four WCFYs. It did not show anti yeast activity against K. servazzii. However, CEE showed anti yeast activity against K. servazzii. In particular, the mixture of 10% FGP and 1.75% CEE, which was manufactured considering the influence of sensory properties in kimchi, exhibited anti yeast activity against all WCFY. Furthermore, the application of the FGP and CEE mixture supplemented with 0.02% xanthan gum to kimchi to enhance adhesion to the kimchi surface, led to a delay in the formation of a white colony on the surface of the kimchi by an average of 17 d at 10 °C compared to the control group. Collectively, the use of a FGP, CEE, and xanthan gum mixture could be an effective method for the inhibition of white colony formation on the surface of kimchi, extending its shelf life.

Factors increasing poly-γ-glutamic acid content of cheongguk-jang fermented by Bacillus subtilis 168.

Cheongguk-jang is a Korean traditional food produced by natural fermentation of boiled soybean. In cheongguk-jang, bacilli are dominant bacteria and produce highly viscous poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), which improves human health functions. The purpose of this experiment was to find maximum production condition for the γ-PGA content during fermentation of cheongguk-jang with Bacillus subtilis 168. The most viscous cheongguk-jang was produced when soybean was cooked at 121 °C for 60 min in the presence of 50%(w/w) added water, followed by fermentation at 40 °C for 2 days. Additional conditions for maximum production of γ-PGA were the addition of 0.1%(w/w) FeCl3·6H2O, 3.0%(w/w) lactose and 3.0%(w/w) yeast extract as nutrients of inorganic salts, carbon source and nitrogen source, respectively. The three conditions did not show cumulative effect on the γ-PGA production and the addition of iron salt induced the most γ-PGA (0.97 ± 0.05%(w/w)), which corresponded to 2.7 times of the content in control cheongguk-jang.

Production of a low calorie mandarin juice by enzymatic conversion of constituent sugars to oligosaccharides and prevention of insoluble glucan formation.

Over 99% of sucrose in mandarin juice (57.1 g/l in original juice to 428.4 g/l in concentrated juice) was enzymatically converted to glucooligosaccharides using 3 U dextransucrase/ml prepared from Leuconostoc mesenteroides at 28 °C. The oligosaccharide synthesis yields were 51 and 47% for the original and the concentrated mandarin juice, respectively. The degree of polymerization of oligosaccharides in the enzyme-modified juice was 2-7. Calories in the original and modified mandarin juice were 433 and 301 kcal/l (30.5% reduction). Compared with the original juice, the enzyme-modified juice showed 82% decrease of insoluble glucan formation by mutansucrase from Streptococcus mutans. A sensory evaluation of the juices revealed that the original and modified mandarin juices had sweetness values of 4.5 and 4.9 and the same values for overall acceptability.

Effects of bamboo shoot consumption on lipid profiles and bowel function in healthy young women.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the short-term effect of bamboo shoot consumption as a dietary fiber source on blood glucose, lipid profiles, hepatic function, and constipation symptoms in healthy women. METHODS: Eight subjects, 21- to 23-y-old women, with normal health status received a dietary fiber-free diet (control), a diet containing 25 g of cellulose, and a diet containing 360 g of bamboo shoots, with each diet segment lasting 6 d. At the end of each diet, blood biochemical parameters, such as glucose, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and atherogenic index were measured and a questionnaire test for the evaluation of fecal excretion was taken. For statistical analysis, analysis of variance was performed. RESULTS: Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the atherogenic index were decreased with the bamboo shoot diet feeding compared with the dietary fiber-free diet. There were no differences in serum glucose levels among the tested diets. Fecal volume and bowel movement frequency in subjects fed the bamboo shoot diet were significantly increased. CONCLUSION: Bamboo shoots as a dietary fiber source has beneficial effects on lipid profile and bowel function.

Involvement of ROS and JNK1 in selenite-induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells.

Selenium is a dietary essential trace nutrient with important biological roles. Selenocompounds were reported to induce apoptosis in many types of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the signaling pathway involved in the selenite-induced apoptosis using Chang liver cells as a non-malignant cell model. The Chang liver cell apoptosis induced by selenite (10 microM) was confirmed by DNA fragmentation and typical apoptotic nuclear changes. Treatment of selenite increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and c-Jun N-terminal kinase1 (JNK1) phosphorylation. The selenite-induced cell death was attenuated by SP600125, a specific inhibitor of JNK, and by dominant negative JNK1 (DN-JNK1). Antioxidants such as glutathione (GSH), N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin (EC) inhibited selenite-induced intracellular ROS elevation and JNK1 phosphorylation. Our results suggest that selenite-induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells was preceded by the ROS generation and JNK1 activation.