Article history: Available online xxxKeywords: fermented fish fish products jeot jeotgal (젓갈) Korea traditional fermented fish a b s t r a c t Jeotgal (醢) is a traditional Korean fermented food with thousands years of history with kimchi and other jang (fermented soybean products, 醬). The history was proved by research from historical literature and antique architecture. Jeotgal was developed along with jang (豆醬), fish jang (魚醬), meat jang (肉醬) as a part of jang (醬) up to the Chosun Dynasty and it was always offered during the ancestral rites or ceremonies. According to antique documents written by women, jeotgal had been used as seasonings or condiments that were popular especially for women rather than as food served for ancestral rites. In Southeast Asia and other countries, jeotgal uses varieties of fish and seafoods to provide rich and varied flavors, and thanks to the next generation sequencing technology, we can identify microorganisms that are involved in the fermentation process. Major microorganisms in jeotgal are Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Micrococcus, Pediococcus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Halobacterium. Recently, much research on various health function of jeotgal has been conducted, reflecting increasing interest in the safety and the functionality of jeotgal. Many reports on functionalities of jeotgal such as supplying essential amino acids, and having antioxidant and antitumorgenic have been published recently. Because of the diverse flavor, types, and their function, jeotgal is expected to continue to develop as an important seasoning in the world sauce market.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean food prepared by fermenting vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage and radishes, which are seasoned with various ingredients, including red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, green onion, fermented seafood (Jeotgal), and salt. The various unique microorganisms and bioactive components in kimchi show antioxidant activity and have been associated with an enhanced immune response, as well as anti-cancer and anti-diabetic effects. Red pepper inhibits decay due to microorganisms and prevents food from spoiling. The vast amount of biological information generated by academic and industrial research groups is reflected in a rapidly growing body of scientific literature and expanding data resources. However, the genome, biological pathway, and related disease data are insufficient to explain the health benefits of kimchi because of the varied and heterogeneous data types. Therefore, we have constructed an appropriate semantic data model based on an integrated food knowledge database and analyzed the functional and biological processes associated with kimchi in silico. This complex semantic network of several entities and connections was generalized to answer complex questions, and we demonstrated how specific disease pathways are related to kimchi consumption.

Black rice bran extract (BRBE), containing various biologically active compounds, such as anthocyanin, has antioxidant activity and numerous pharmacological effects. Here, we aimed to confirm the immunostimulatory effects of BRBE in cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced immunosuppressed cells. Our results confirmed that BRBE exerted an immunostimulatory effect. In vitro, BRBE treatment enhanced cell proliferation, activity of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and production of CP-repressed cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, and IL-12, and immunoglobulins G and A in isolated splenocytes. Additionally, in vivo, BRBE treatment increased the number of immune cells, such as white blood cells, lymphocyte counts, mid-range absolute counts, and neutrophils in CP-induced immunosuppressed rats. Furthermore, BRBE increased the serum levels of abovementioned inflammatory cytokines and immunoglobulins in CP-induced immunosuppressed rats. In addition, BRBE protected against CP-mediated spleen and thymic tissue damage. Our findings suggest that BRBE could be potentially used as a component of functional food for immunity enhancement.

BackgroundHansik, a traditional Korean diet, may have a beneficial impact on metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk as dietary westernization increases its prevalence. We examined the hypothesis that adherence to the hansik diet may be inversely associated with the risk of MetS and its components and sought to understand the gender differences in 58,701 men and women aged over 40.Materials and methodsHansik was defined using 14 components from which the Korean dietary pattern index (Kdiet-index) was generated by summing their scores. Low-hansik intake was defined as the Kdiet-index with <8. MetS was categorized based on the 2005 revised NCEP-ATP III criteria modified for Asians.ResultsThe Kdiet-index score was negatively associated with the dietary inflammation index and showed that the high intake of a meal with multigrain rice, fruits, and their products, and nuts, and low intake of fried foods were inversely associated with MetS by 0.707, 0.864, 0.769, and 0.918 times, respectively, after adjusting for covariates. More women and participants with more educated and lower income belonged to the high-hansik group, and participants with high self-rated health scores consumed more hansik. All participants on a high-hansik diet were associated with a 0.87 time lower risk of MetS. Specifically, the association between hansik intake and MetS risk was not significant among men following stratification by gender. Body composition, including the body mass index, waist circumference, and fat mass, was inversely associated with hansik intake, while the skeletal muscle mass index was positively associated with the hansik intake in each gender and all participants. In all the participants in the high-hansik group, no significant changes were seen in the serum glucose and HDL concentration. However, a high-hansik intake showed lower blood pressure and serum LDL and triglyceride concentrations only in men and a higher glomerular filtration rate in both genders.ConclusionsHansik intake might improve MetS risk, with its primary beneficial effects on body composition, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure gender-dependently.

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