• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.294-298
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• 2009

Distribution of isoflavones and fatty acids in soymilk fermented with 7 Lactobacilli (L-type), 7 Bifidobacteria (B-type), or 5 Streptococci (S-type) were monitored. Total isoflavones in fermented soymilk ranged from 5.24 to $8.59{\mu}mol/g$ dry basis while those in unfermented soymilk were $8.06{\mu}mol/g$ dry basis. Depending on the types of inoculated microorganisms, fermented soymilk showed different profiles in isoflavones, especially aglycones and $\beta$-glucosides. Four L-type fermented soymilk had significantly higher aglycone content (33.69-46.21%) and low $\beta$-glucosides compared to control (p<0.05). All B-type fermented soymilk showed significantly high aglycone levels (p<0.05). Out of 5 Streptococci, 4 strains produced over 82.2% aglycones. Lipid content ranged from 162 to 224 mg/g and linoleic acid was the highest, followed by oleic, linolenic, palmitic, and stearic acids. Average ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in control, L-, B-, and S-type fermented soymilks was 6.30, 6.09, 6.30, and 5.94, respectively. This study can help to develop a fermented soymilk containing high isoflavone aglycones and low fat content.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.10
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• pp.1533-1538
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• 2013

The objective of this study is to select an effective microbial strain to enhance the sensory qualities and functionalities of fermented ginseng soymilk. For this purpose, soybean were ground with water extracts of ginseng and fermented with five Lactobacillus strains. All strains grew well in ginseng soymilk, and viable cell counts reached greater than 8 log CFU/mL after 18 h of fermentation. The contents of total ginsenosides were higher in soymilk fermented with L. casei ATCC 393 than those in the other strains. The sensory qualities of the fermented soymilk were observed to increase with the intensity of sourness and showed the best sensory acceptability of soymilk fermented with L. kefir ATCC 35411. Moreover, the antioxidant activities, superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities were significantly enhanced by 2~4 and 4~5 times, respectively, compared to the non-fermented soymilk. In particular, the antioxidant activities of the fermented soymilk by L. kefir ATCC 35411 were the highest among the samples. This result suggests that soymilk fermented by L. kefir ATCC 35411 allowed obtaining a soymilk with enhanced sensory quality and antioxidant activity was able to contribute to the health benefit.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2009

To improve the functional and organoleptic properties of the fermented soymilk with Bacillus subtilis 2829PNU015 which has chungkukjang like flavor, functional materials from the edible plant extracts with well-known health promoting effects were examined by fibrinolytic activity and sensory evaluation. Among five samples such as Corni fructus, garlic, purple sweet potato, aged garlic, and pumpanini were tested, Corni fructus showed the highest fibrinolytic activity. The appearance and taste of the fermented soymilk (FS) was varied to the amount of Corni fructus added, and the highest acceptability of FS was observed from FS containing 1% Corni fructus extracts ($10^{\circ}$Brix) in it. Best way of applying Corni fructus to the fermented soymilk (FFS) was found to be incubating the mixture of soymilk and Corni fructus with Bacillus subtilis. FFS demonstrated dose dependent radical scavenging activities and these activities were found to be higher than those of FS at designated concentration.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.133-136
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• 2017

Fermentation plays a vital role in the nutritional enrichment of food. Korea has a long tradition of adding fermented food to the daily diet and jeotgal is one of the common fermented and salted foods in Korean cuisine. In our study, we added soymilk as an additive to squid jeotgal to improve its functionality. We mixed different concentrations of soymilk (2, 5, and 10 mg/g) with squid jeotgal samples, fermented them for one week, and then tested their antioxidant and anticancer activities to compare with those of squid jeotgal samples without soymilk additive. To investigate the anticancer characteristics, glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-pi enzyme assay was used. To test the antioxidant activities, various assays were performed, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium saltradical cation scavenging assay, and reducing power assay. Samples fermented with a small amount of soymilk showed excellent anticancer activity. The addition of only 2 mg/g of soymilk to squid jeotgal inhibited the activity of GST-pi by almost 50% when compared with the sample with no addition. Moreover, no undesirable bitterness or astringency was noticed. Our results could help to improve the current food status of squid jeotgal and it could be used to reduce the risk of chronic disease along with its basic nutritional function.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.74-83
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• 2016

In order to improve the sour taste and foul odor of fermented soymilk, bacteria were isolated from kimchi and identified. Of the 89 bacterial strains isolated from kimchi, 3 isolates produced fermented soymilk with a sour taste and foul odor. The selected bacterial strains R53, R83, and R84 were identified by morphological, biochemical, and 16S rRNA analyses as Weissella koreensis. The strain R83, which produced fermented soymilk having the mildest sour taste and foul odor, was selected for further investigation and named W. koreensis KO3. The optimum culture condition for the fermentation of soymilk by W. koreensis KO3 was at $30^{\circ}C$ for 12 h. When soymilk was fermented under the optimum culture conditions, the viable cell count reached up to $8.71{\times}10^8CFU/ml$ and pH and acidity reached as low as 6.02 and as high as 0.33%, respectively. Twenty-seven amino acids and their derivatives were detected in fermented soymilk. The amounts of serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, and aspartic acid, which contribute to a sweeter taste, increased during fermentation. Orinithine, which was not detected before fermentation, increased during fermentation. Sensory evaluation showed that W. koreensis KO3-fermented soymilk has improved bean, roasted nut, and sour flavors as well as an enhanced mouthfeel, appearance, preferability, and overall acceptability compared with those of standard fermented soymilk. With further study and development, soymilk fermented by W. koreensis KO3 could serve as a health-promoting food with favorable sensory qualities.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1298-1300
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• 2009

To develop a dietary beverage with functionalities of cheonggukjang, soymilk was fermented with Bacillus subtilis and its antioxidant activities were examined. Antioxidative capacities of fermented soymilk (FS) with 5 different B. subtilis were significantly different. Among these, FS with 2829PNU015 revealed the greatest antioxidant activities. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation inhibition of FS with 2829PNU015 were increased by 150, 140, and 240%, respectively, compared with those of unfermented soymilk (p<0.05). Further study for the improvement of sensory properties of FS with B. subtilis is required for a commercial production.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.393-399
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• 2013

Asian populations are thought to receive significant health benefits from traditional diets rich in soybeans due to high isoflavone contents. However, available epidemiologic data only weakly support this hypothesis. The present study was carried out to assess the pharmacokinetics of isoflavones in South Korean women after ingestion of soy-based foods. Twenty-six healthy female volunteers (20-30 y old) consumed three different soy products (i.e., isogen, soymilk, and fermented soybeans) with different aglycone/glucoside ratios. Plasma and urine isoflavone concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after ingestion of one of the soy products. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using the WinNonlin program. The area under the curve (AUC) for plasma daidzein levels of the soymilk group ($2,101{\pm}352ng{\cdot}h/mL$) was significantly smaller than those of the isogen ($2,628{\pm}573ng{\cdot}h/mL$) and fermented soybean ($2,593{\pm}465ng{\cdot}h/mL$) groups. The maximum plasma concentration ($C_{max}$) of daidzein for the soymilk group ($231{\pm}44$ ng/mL) was significantly higher than those of the isogen ($160{\pm}32$ ng/mL) and fermented soybean ($195{\pm}35$ ng/mL) groups. The half-lives of daidzein and genistein in the soymilk group (5.9 and 5.6 h, respectively) were significantly shorter than those in the individuals given isogen (9.6 and 8.5 h, respectively) or fermented soybean (9.5 and 8.2 h, respectively). The urinary recovery rates of daidzein and genistein were 42% and 17% for the isogen group, 46% and 23% for the fermented soybean group, and 33% and 22% for the soymilk group. In conclusion, our data indicated that soy products containing high levels of isoflavone aglycone are more effective for maintaining plasma isoflavone concentrations. Additional dose-response, durational, and interventional studies are required to evaluate the ability of soy-based foods to increase the bioavailability of isoflavones that positively affect human health.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2002

The isoflavone glycosides are hydrolyzed by ${\beta}$-glucosidase from gut microbes to the bioactive aglycones. However, the specific bacteria from the human intestinal tract that are involved in the metabolism of these compounds are not known. This study was undertaken to develop a fermented soymilk which converts isoflavones to the more bioactive aglycones form using a Bifidobacterium strain. The ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity of 15 Bifidobacterium strains were measured during cell growth. Among them, Bifidobacterium sp. Int-57 was selected for this study, because it has the highest ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity. Growth, acid development, ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity, and the hydrolysis of daidzin and genistin were investigated in four soymilks inoculated with Bifidobacterium sp. Int-57. After 12 h of fermentation, the counts of viable Bifidobacterium sp. Int-57 in all the soymilks reached a level of more than $10^8$ cfu/ml, which was then maintained. The pH of soymilks started to decrease rapidly after 6 h of fermentation and leveled off after 18 h. The titratable acidity of BL# 1 soymilk, BL#2 soymilk, and JP#l soymilk increased from 0.18 to 1.21, 1.15, and $1.08\%$ over the fermentation period, respectively. After 24 h of fermentation, the $\beta$-glucosidase activity in BL#1 soymilk, BL#2 soymilk, JP#l soymilk, and JP#2 soymilk increased to 59.528, 40.643, 70.844, and 56.962 mU/ml, respectively. The isoflavone glycosides, daidzin and genistin, in soymilks were hydrolyzed completely in the relatively short fermentation time of 18 h. These results show that Bifidobacterium sp. Int-57 can be used as a potential starter culture for developing fermented soymilk which has completely hydrolyzed isoflavone glycosides.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2010

The cholesterol-lowering effects of soymilk fermented with Bacillus subtilis KCCM42923 were studied in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE KO) mice and compared to the cholesterol-lowering effects of soymilk to which cheonggukjang powder had been added. ApoE KO mice were divided into 3 groups (n=7/group). Animals were fed either an atherogenic diet only (AD, control group), an AD supplemented with fermented soymilk containing Corni fructus (FSM group), or an AD supplemented with soymik to which cheonggukjang (CGJ) powder had been added at 5% (w/v) (CPS group) for 8 weeks. The amount of FSM or CPS supplementing the AD was 20.8 mL/kg BW. There were no differences in either body weight gain or organ weights among three groups. In the FSM group, the concentration of plasma total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol (LDLC) were significantly decreased by 26.2% and 30.3% compared with the values of the control group (p<0.05). However, the triglyceride (TG) and HDL-cholesterol (HDLC) levels were not affected. These beneficial effects of FSM on suppressing the increase in plasma cholesterol level by AD were greater than those of CPS, which revealed 15.4% and 16.4% inhibition for TC and LDLC, respectively. However, these differences between FSM and CPS groups were not significantly different. A preventative effect of FSM or CPS on the accumulation of hepatic TC, but not on TG, was observed. FSM and CPS did not demonstrate any effects on fecal lipid excretion. In conclusion, the cholesterol-lowering effects of the soymilk fermented with Bacillus subtilis KCCM42923 were comparable to CGJ powder-added soymilk. These results suggest that drinking FSM might provide beneficial effects on controlling plasma cholesterol levels.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2009

This study investigated the hypoglycemic effect of fermented soymilk extract (FSE) in STZ-induced diabetic mice. FSE was prepared via fermentation of soymilk with Bacillus subtilis followed by methanol extraction. The hypoglycemic effect was determined by inhibitory activities against ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase as well as the alleviation of postprandial glucose level. The non-fermented soymilk extract (SE) was used as control in this experiment. FSE showed higher (p<0.05) inhibitory activities than SE against ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase. The $IC_{50}$ values of FSE for ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase were 0.77 ancd 0.94 mg/mL, respectively, which were comparable or even superior to those of acarbose (0.79 and 0.68 mg/mL, respectively). In addition, a further suppression on the postprandial blood glucose levels were observed in the FSE than SE group for both STZ-induced diabetic mice and normal mice. Furthermore, FSE significantly lowered the incremental area under the curve (AUC) in the diabetic mice and the AUC in normal mice corroborated the hypoglycemic effect of FSE (p<0.05). Results from this study suggest that FSE may help decrease the postprandial blood glucose level via inhibiting ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase and the usefulness of FSE was proven to be better than SE.