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The root of Angelica gigas (Korean angelica) is traditionally used to treat women's ailments that are caused by an impairment of menstrual blood flow and cycle irregularities. This study evaluated the effect particle size of Korean angelica powder on its efficacy for treating estrogen-related symptoms of menopause. Initially, Korean angelica roots were pulverized into ultrafine powder, and orally administered to the rats at a concentration of 500 mg/kg body weight for 8 weeks. The effects of Korean angelica powder particle size on extraction yield, contents of bioactive compounds (decursin and decursinol angelate), levels of serum ovarian hormones (estradiol and progesterone), reproductive hormones (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone), and experimental osteoporosis parameters (mineral density, strength, and histological features) were determined. A significant increase (fivefold) in the contents of decursin and decursinol angelate in the extract of the ultrafine Korean angelica powder was observed compared to coarse Korean angelica powder. Rats were divided into shamoperated or ovariectomized (OVX) groups that were fed coarse (CRS) or ultrafine (UF) ground Korean angelica root. The serum levels of estradiol in the OVX_UF group were 19.2% and 54.1% higher than that of OVX_CRS group. Serum bonealkaline phosphatase/total-alkaline phosphatase index in the OVX_UF group was half that of the OVX_CRS group. In addition, less trabecular bone loss and thick cortical areas were observed in rats administered ultrafine powder. Therefore, ultrafine grinding may enhance the bioactivity of herbal medicines and be especially useful when their extracted forms lose bioactivity during processing, storage, and oral intake.

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Combination of oleogelators has recently started to receive scientific attention since single oleogelator may not adequately compensate for the diverse roles of solid fat in a complicated food system. In this study, grapeseed oil oleogels were prepared with candelilla wax (CDW) and glyceryl monostearate (GMS) blends at varying mass ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 [w/w]), and their physicochemical characteristics were characterized in terms of thermal, rheological, and microstructural properties. The oleogel with CDW and GMS at a blending ratio of 75 and 25 (CDW-75:GMS-25) exhibited the lowest melting point, implying a eutectic behavior. The CDW-75:GMS-25 oleogel also had a harder texture, greater viscoelasticity, and lower oiling-off characteristics that were highly attributed to its small crystals and dense structural network observed from phase-contrast microscopic images. When GMS from different vendors were examined for melting behavior and hardness of oleogels, it was found that the oleogel properties were highly dependent on the detailed composition of GMS. NMR study showed that the ternary system of CDW, glyceryl 1-monostearate, and glyceryl 1,3-distearate was responsible for the eutectic behavior of the CDW-75:GMS-25 oleogel. This study reports the unique and improved melting and physical properties of oleogels with the mixture of CDW and GMS, which can increase the feasibility of the oleogel technology in actual food products. However, caution should be taken in selecting the oleogelators because their detailed composition and properties can vary depending on sources and processing conditions.

This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of adding nanopowdered eggshell (NPES) into yogurt to improve the functionality of yogurt and the effects of adding NPES on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of the products during storage. The pH and mean lactic acid bacteria counts of NPES-added (0.15-0.45%, wt/vol) yogurt ranged from 4.31 to 4.66 and from 6.56 × 10(8) to 8.56 × 10(8)cfu/mL, respectively, whereas these values ranged from 4.13 to 4.44 and 8.46 × 10(8) to 1.39 × 10(9), respectively, for the control samples during storage at 5 °C for 16d, which indicates a prolonged shelf-life with NPES-supplemented yogurt. Color analysis showed that the lightness (L*) and position between red and green (a*) values were not significantly influenced by the addition of NPES. However, the position between yellow and blue (b*) value significantly increased with the addition of the concentration (0.45%, wt/vol) of NPES at d 16 of storage. Sensory evaluation revealed that NPES-added yogurts showed a notably less sourness score and a higher astringency score than the control. An earthy flavor was higher in 0.45% NPES-supplemented yogurt compared with the control. Based on the results obtained from the current study, the concentration (0.15 to 0.30%, wt/vol) of NPES can be used to formulate NPES-supplemented yogurt without any significant adverse effects on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties.