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This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary fiber from Chinese cabbage outer‐leaf powder, which is a main by‐product of kimchi, on the quality, texture properties, and sensory evaluation of muffins. The kimchi by‐product powder (KBP, 36.2% dietary fiber) was added at 1%–4% dietary fiber content, by replacing wheat flour (w/w basis). The physico‐chemical and sensory properties of the baked muffins were measured. The height and volume of the muffins decreased with the addition of KBP. Increasing the KBP content resulted in increased hardness and reduced chewiness. No significant difference was observed in the overall acceptance among the muffins, up to the 2% added dietary fiber group, and the positive effect of the incorporated KBP was also confirmed in the sensory evaluation. These results indicate that it is possible to produce functional muffins with increased dietary fiber content by adding KBP in place of flour.

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Lithospermum erythrorhizon, which has traditionally been used as a vegetable and to make the liquor Jindo Hongju, contains several naphthoquinone pigments, including shikonin. This study aimed to evaluate the antiobesity effects of Lithospermum erythrorhizon ethanol extract (LE) and elucidate the underlying mechanism. C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal or high-fat diet with or without LE supplementation for 8 weeks. LE reduced high-fat diet-induced increases in body weight, white adipose tissue mass, serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, and hepatic lipid levels while decreasing lipogenic and adipogenic gene expression. Furthermore, acetylshikonin suppressed adipocyte differentiation in a dose-dependent manner and significantly attenuated adipogenic transcription factor expression in 3T3-L1 cells. These findings suggest that Lithospermum erythrorhizon prevents obesity by inhibiting adipogenesis through downregulation of genes involved in the adipogenesis pathway and may be a useful dietary supplement for the prevention of obesity.

We report the production of taxadiene by transformation of N. benthamiana with a taxadiene synthase gene. The production was significantly increased by an elicitor treatment or metabolic pathway shunting. Paclitaxel (Taxol(®)) was first isolated from the bark of the pacific yew tree as an anticancer agent and has been used extensively to treat various types of cancer. Taxadiene, the first committed product of paclitaxel synthesis is cyclized from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), and further complex hydroxylation and acylation processes of the unique taxane core skeleton produce paclitaxel. To accomplish de novo production of taxadiene, we transformed Nicotiana benthamiana with a taxadiene synthase (TS) gene. The introduced TS gene under the transcriptional control of the CaMV 35S promoter was constitutively expressed in N. benthamiana, and the de novo production of taxadiene was confirmed by mass spectroscopy profiling. Transformed N. benthamiana homozygous lines produced 11-27 μg taxadiene/g of dry weight. The highest taxadiene production line TSS-8 was further treated with an elicitor, methyl jasmonate, and metabolic pathway shunting by suppression of the phytoene synthase gene expression which resulted in accumulation of increased taxadiene accumulation by 1.4- or 1.9-fold, respectively. In summary, we report that the production of taxadiene in N. benthamiana was possible by the ectopic expression of the TS gene, and higher accumulation of taxadiene could be achieved by elicitor treatment or metabolic pathway shunting of the terpenoid pathway.

For centuries, mushrooms have been used as a part of the human diet and also as medicinal ingredients because they are a good source of nutrients and have biological activities. More than half of the mushrooms produced for human consumption worldwide are processed, mainly in canned form. Recently, various studies have been conducted to increase the application of mushrooms in processed foods. However, limited information is available regarding the various applications of edible mushrooms. Therefore, the conventional and current applications of edible mushrooms as well as their processing considerations were reviewed in this article. Mushrooms were directly added to various products to increase the quality characteristics and beneficial health effects of processed foods. Indirectly, mushrooms were used as a substitute for enzymes or other functional compounds. To keep or improve mushroom quality during processing and temperature extremes, pretreatment as well as irradiation conditions were proposed. Practical Applications Many varieties of mushrooms are considered to be useful natural products because they are a good source of nutrients and have other biological activities, such as hypotensive, antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects. Recently, various studies have been conducted to increase the application of mushrooms in processed foods in both direct and indirect ways. This review regarding conventional and current applications of edible mushrooms as well as their processing considerations will provide valuable information to the scientific community, to industries that are interested in mushroom processing conditions, and to the development of new functional products using mushrooms.

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