Hardening Properties of Cheeses by Latilactobacillus curvatus PD1 Isolated from Hardened Cheese-Ddukbokki Rice Cake.

Hardening of cheese is one of major issues that degrade the quality of Home Meal Replacement (HMR) foods containing cheese such as Cheese-ddukbokki rice cake (CD, stir-fried rice cakes with shredded cheese). The quality of cheese, such as pH, proteolytic, and flavor properties, depends on various lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used in cheese fermentation. The hardening of cheese is also caused by LAB. In this study, various LAB strains were isolated from CD samples that showed rapid hardening. The correlation of LAB with the hardening of cheese was investigated. Seven of the CD samples with different manufacturing dates were collected and tested for hardening properties of cheese. Among them, strong-hardening of cheese was confirmed for two samples and weak-hardening was confirmed for one sample. All LAB in two strong-hardening samples and 40% of LAB in one weak-hardening sample were identified as Latilactobacilluscurvatus. On the other hand, most LAB in normal cheese samples were identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus casei. We prepared cheese samples in which L. curvatus (LC-CD) and L. mesenteroides (LM-CD) were most dominant, respectively. Each CD made of the prepared cheese was subjected to quality test for 50 days at 10 °C. Hardening of cheese with LC-CD dominant appeared at 30 days. However, hardening of cheese with LM-CD dominant did not appear until 50 days. The pH of the LC-CD was 5.18 ± 0.04 at 30 days, lower than that of LM-CD. The proteolytic activity of LC-CD sample was 2993.67 ± 246.17 units/g, higher than that of LM-CD sample (1421.67 ± 174.5 units/g). These results indicate that high acid production and high protease activity of L. curvatus might have caused hardening of cheese.

Isolation and Characterization of Kimchi Starters Leuconostoc mesenteroides PBio03 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides PBio104 for Manufacture of Commercial Kimchi.

This study was focused on developing and obtaining a kimchi starter for use in commercial kimchi production. Kimchi varieties made with selected starters are of high quality, have high levels of mannitol, and extended shelf life. The starters were screened for properties such as mannitol production, low gas/acid production, and acid resistance. Finally, kimchi fermentation testing was performed using selected LAB starters. Kimchi samples were prepared with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starters, including Leuconostoc mesenteroides PBio03 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides PBio104. The LAB starters are isolated from kimchi and can grow under pH 3.0 and low temperature conditions of 5°C. Four kimchi samples were fermented and stored for 28 days at 5°C. The kimchi samples made with starters (PBio03 and PBio104) had better quality (production of mannitol and maintenance of heterofermentative LAB dominance) than the non-starter kimchi samples. In the starter kimchi, Leu. mesenteroides was the dominant LAB, comprising 80% and 70% of total LAB counts at 7 and 21 days, respectively. Mannitol content of the kimchi with Leu. mesenteroides PBio03 was 1,423 ± 19.1 mg/ 100 g at 28 days, which was higher than that of the non-starter kimchi sample (1,027 ± 12.2 mg/100 g). These results show the possibility of producing kimchi with improved qualities using Leu. mesenteroides PBio03 and PBio104 as starters.

Effect of weight-bearing wrist movement with carpal-stabilizing taping on pain and range of motion in subjects with dorsal wrist pain: A randomized controlled trial.

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized control trial. INTRODUCTION: During weight-bearing wrist movement, potential stabilizing forces caused by carpal stabilizing taping (CST) may restrict movement of the carpal bones, allowing greater wrist joint extension. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of study was to investigate the effect of CST during weight-bearing wrist movement on pain intensity and range of motion (ROM) of wrist extension in subjects with dorsal wrist pain. METHODS: Thirty participants with dorsal wrist pain when weight bearing through the hand were randomly allocated into 2 groups: (1) a CST group using rigid tape and (2) placebo taping (PT) group using elastic tape. Subjects performed weight-bearing wrist movements with CST or PT in 6 sessions for 1 week. Active and passive ROM (AROM and PROM), and the visual analog scale (VAS) were assessed at baseline and after the intervention. RESULTS: The AROM and PROM of wrist extension increased significantly in both groups compared with preintervention values (P < .01). Comparing the PT and CST groups, the differences between preintervention and postintervention AROM (mean difference [MD] = +8.6°) and PROM (MD = +6.8°) were significantly greater in the CST group than in the PT group (P < .01). The CST group also showed greater improvement in VAS compared with the PT group (MD = -18 mm) (P < .01). CONCLUSION: We recommend CST during weight-bearing wrist movement as an effective intervention for both increasing wrist extension ROM and decreasing pain in patients with dorsal wrist pain during weight bearing through the hand.

Effects of natural antimicrobials with modified atmosphere packaging on the growth kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes in ravioli at various temperatures.

The objective of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of cultured sugar/vinegar (CSV) blend and nisin to control the risk of Listeria monocytogenes in ready to cook (RTC) ravioli. Ravioli dough was prepared with 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1% CSV blend and 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% nisin. Inoculated spinach or artichoke raviolis with 2.0 ± 0.5 log cfu/g of L. monocytogenes were packed aerobically or using modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and then stored at 4, 10, 17, and 24 °C for 60 days. Growth kinetic parameters of the observed data fit well to the Baranyi equation. Ravioli with spinach filling materials yielded a higher risk than that with artichoke. L. monocytogenes was able to survive in ravioli with artichoke, but did not grow. The addition of 1% CSV blend or 0.3% nisin in spinach ravioli with the combination of MAP effectively controlled the growth of L. monocytogenes at the temperature below 10 °C. The organoleptic quality of spinach ravioli was not also affected by the application of 1% CSV blend. Therefore, the CSV blend can be recommended to improve the microbial safety and quality of natural RTC ravioli at retail market. Practical applications: The risk of ravioli was affected by the filling materials of ravioli at retail market. Addition of 1% cultured sugar/vinegar blend in dough substantially contributes to the extension of shelf-life of MAP spinach raviolis. classification and regression tree analysis results indicate that refrigeration temperature is the main control factor to affect lag time and growth rate, while packaging method is critical for maximum population density.