Evaluation of ginsenoside bioconversion of lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi.

Background: is a physiologically active plant widely used in traditional medicine that is characterized by the presence of ginsenosides. Rb1, a major ginsenoside, is used as the starting material for producing ginsenoside derivatives with enhanced pharmaceutical potentials through chemical, enzymatic, or microbial transformation.

Methods: To investigate the bioconversion of ginsenoside Rb1, we prepared kimchi originated bacterial strains WiKim19, WiKim20, WiKim47 WiKim48, and WiKim49 and analyzed bioconversion products using LC-MS/MS mass spectrometer.

Applicability of a colorimetric method for evaluation of lactic acid bacteria with probiotic properties.

Rapid colorimetric methods using various indicator reagents have been developed to monitor bacterial viability. Here, we examined the applicability of a method based on the reduction of resazurin or water-soluble tetrazolium salt-8 (WST-8) to screen lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for growth, tolerance against bile acid and low pH. The resazurin reduction test proved unsuitable for screening LAB such as Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides since it reacted with acid present in the cultures.

Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus sakei Strain wikim 22, Isolated from Kimchi in Chungcheong Province, South Korea.

We report the draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus sakei strain wikim 22, a Lactobacillus species isolated from kimchi in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea, having 155 contigs with 2,447 genes and an average G+C content of 40.61%.

Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum wikim18, Isolated from Korean Kimchi.

This report describes the draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum strain wikim18, isolated from the traditional Korean food kimchi. The reads generated by Ion Torrent PGM were assembled into 327 contigs. RAST annotation of the genome revealed 12 tRNAs and 3,316 protein-coding gene sequences.