A depth-resolved quantitative evaluation method for non-carious cervical lesions treatment with optical coherence tomography.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is prognostic assessment of surface smoothness and the presence of internal bubbles after treatment of non-cancerous cervical lesions (NCCLs) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: After treatment with NCCLs, cross-sectional images of the lesion parts of the sample were non-invasively acquired and analyzed. The surface smoothness between tooth and resin, resin and cemento-enamel junction, and the presence bubble inside resin was confirmed. In addition, using an algorithm that distinguishes between resin and dental structure based on OCT cross-sectional images, we quantitatively analyzed the amount of resin used in treating NCCLs and acquired 3D images. RESULTS: The inner structure of the resin in each sample was checked, and the presence of bubbles was confirmed. In addition, the resin sections were separated from the tomographic images acquired by OCT to visualize 3D images. The volume of resin used in the treatment part of each NCCLs samples was quantitatively analyzed as 3.7216 ∼ 14.889 mm3. CONCLUSIONS: OCT is able to measure not only the surface abrasion provided by existing intraoral scanner, but also the size and depth location of interal bubbles, which is distinctive advantage of our method. Based on our results, OCT is a significant tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis of dental NCCLs treatment before and after treatment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The study used OCT, a non-destructive diagnostic, to reveal the structure of the resin and the location and size of bubbles after NCCLs treatment. These findings could be golden standard in determining the prognosis of NCCLs treatment.

Skin pore imaging using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography: a case report.

Sebum is an important component of the skin that has attracted attention in many fields, including dermatology and cosmetics. Pore expansion due to sebum on the skin can lead to various problems. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the morphological characteristics of sebum. In this study, we used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to evaluate facial sebum areas. We obtained the OCT maximum amplitude projection (MAP) image and a cross-sectional image of skin pores in the facial area. Subsequently, we detected the sebum in skin pores using the detection algorithm of the ImageJ software to quantitatively determine the size of randomly selected pores in the proposed MAP images. Additionally, the pore size was analyzed by acquiring images before and after facial sebum extraction. According to our research, facial sebum can be morphologically described using the OCT system. Since OCT imaging enables specific analysis of skin parameters, including pores and sebum, skin analysis employing OCT could be an effective method for further research.

Effect of Posterior Tibial Slopes on Graft Survival Rates at 10 Years After Primary Single-Bundle Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Recent biomechanical studies have reported that stress on the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) graft increases as the posterior tibial slope (PTS) decreases (flattened) in knees with single-bundle (SB) and double-bundle PCL reconstruction. Clinical studies of SB PCL reconstruction have shown that a flattened PTS is associated with a lesser reduction in posterior tibial translation. There is no long-term study on the clinical outcomes and graft survival rates of SB PCL reconstruction based on the medial and lateral PTSs measured on magnetic resonance imaging. HYPOTHESIS: Flattened medial and lateral PTSs are associated with poor clinical outcomes and graft survival rates at a minimum 10-year follow-up after SB PCL reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: In this cohort study, we retrospectively reviewed 46 patients (mean age, 28.8 ± 9.9 years) who underwent primary SB PCL reconstruction between 2000 and 2009. They were followed up for a minimum of 10 years. The medial and lateral PTSs were measured on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. As a previous study reported that a steeper medial or lateral PTS showed a higher risk of anterior tibial translation at thresholds of 5.6° and 3.8°, respectively, the patients were divided into 2 groups based on the cutoff values of both the medial (≤5.6° vs >5.6°) and lateral (≤3.8° vs >3.8°) PTSs. Clinical scores (International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score, Lysholm score, and Tegner activity score), radiological outcomes (side-to-side difference [SSD] on stress radiography and osteoarthritis progression), and graft survival rates were compared between the groups at the last follow-up. RESULTS: All clinical scores and the progression of osteoarthritis demonstrated no significant difference between the 2 subgroups of both the medial and lateral PTS groups. The mean SSD on stress radiography after SB PCL reconstruction was significantly greater in patients with a medial PTS ≤5.6° than in patients with a medial PTS >5.6° (8.4 ± 3.9 vs 5.1 ± 2.9 mm, respectively; P = .030), while the lateral PTS subgroups after SB PCL reconstruction demonstrated no significant difference. The minimum 10-year graft survival rate was significantly lower in patients with a medial PTS ≤5.6° (68.4% vs 92.6%, respectively; P = .029) and a lateral PTS ≤3.8° (50.0% vs 91.7%, respectively; P = .001). CONCLUSION: A flattened medial PTS (≤5.6°) was associated with an increased SSD on stress radiography, and both flattened medial (≤5.6°) and lateral (≤3.8°) PTSs resulted in lower graft survival rates at a minimum 10-year follow-up after primary SB PCL reconstruction.

Three-dimensional reconstructing undersampled photoacoustic microscopy images using deep learning.

Spatial sampling density and data size are important determinants of the imaging speed of photoacoustic microscopy (PAM). Therefore, undersampling methods that reduce the number of scanning points are typically adopted to enhance the imaging speed of PAM by increasing the scanning step size. Since undersampling methods sacrifice spatial sampling density, by considering the number of data points, data size, and the characteristics of PAM that provides three-dimensional (3D) volume data, in this study, we newly reported deep learning-based fully reconstructing the undersampled 3D PAM data. The results of quantitative analyses demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits robustness and outperforms interpolation-based reconstruction methods at various undersampling ratios, enhancing the PAM system performance with 80-times faster-imaging speed and 800-times lower data size. The proposed method is demonstrated to be the closest model that can be used under experimental conditions, effectively shortening the imaging time with significantly reduced data size for processing.

Enhanced delivery to brain using sonosensitive liposome and microbubble with focused ultrasound.

Glioblastoma is considered one of the most aggressive and dangerous brain tumors. However, treatment of GBM has been still challenged due to blood-brain barrier (BBB). BBB prevents that the chemotherapeutic molecules are extravasated to brain. In this study, sonosensitive liposome encapsulating doxorubicin (DOX) was developed for enhancement of GBM penetration in combination with focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubbles. Upon ultrasound (US) irradiation, microbubbles induce cavitation resulting in the tight junction of BBB endothelium to temporarily open. In addition, the composition of sonosensitive liposome was optimized by comparison of sonosensitivity and intracellular uptake to U87MG cells. The optimal sonosensitive liposome, IMP301-DC, resulted 123.9 ± 38.2 nm in size distribution and 98.2 % in loading efficiency. Related to sonosensitivity of IMP301-DC, US-triggered release ratio of doxorubicin was 69.2 ± 12.3 % at 92 W/cm2 of US intensity for 1 min. In the in vivo experiments, the accumulation of DiD fluorescence probe labeled IMP301-DC-shell in the brain through the BBB opening was increased more than two-fold compared to that of Doxil-shell, non-sonosensitive liposome. US exposure significantly increased GBM cytotoxicity of IMP301-DC. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that IMP301-DC could serve as an alternative solution to enhance the penetration to GBM treatment via BBB opening by non-invasive FUS combined with microbubbles.

Ultrasound-Responsive Liposomes for Targeted Drug Delivery Combined with Focused Ultrasound.

Chemotherapeutic drugs are traditionally used for the treatment of cancer. However, chemodrugs generally induce side effects and decrease anticancer effects due to indiscriminate diffusion and poor drug delivery. To overcome these limitations of chemotherapy, in this study, ultrasound-responsive liposomes were fabricated and used as drug carriers for delivering the anticancer drug doxorubicin, which was able to induce cancer cell death. The ultrasound-sensitive liposome demonstrated a size distribution of 81.94 nm, and the entrapment efficiency of doxorubicin was 97.1 ± 1.44%. The release of doxorubicin under the ultrasound irradiation was 60% on continuous wave and 50% by optimizing the focused ultrasound conditions. In vivo fluorescence live imaging was used to visualize the doxorubicin release in the MDA-MB-231 xenografted mouse, and it was demonstrated that liposomal drugs were released in response to ultrasound irradiation of the tissue. The combination of ultrasound and liposomes suppressed tumor growth over 56% more than liposomes without ultrasound exposure and 98% more than the control group. In conclusion, this study provides a potential alternative for overcoming the previous limitations of chemotherapeutics.

Ideal Combination of Anatomic Tibial and Femoral Tunnel Positions for Single-Bundle ACL Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is preferred over nonanatomic ACLR. However, there is no consensus on which point the tunnels should be positioned among the broad anatomic footprints. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: To identify the ideal combination of tibial and femoral tunnel positions according to the femoral and tibial footprints of the anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL) anterior cruciate ligament bundles. It was hypothesized that patients with anteromedially positioned tunnels would have better clinical scores, knee joint stability, and graft signal intensity on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) than those with posterolaterally positioned tunnels. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 119 patients who underwent isolated single-bundle ACLR with a hamstring autograft from July 2013 to September 2018 were retrospectively investigated. Included were patients with clinical scores and knee joint stability test results at 2-year follow-up and postoperative 3-dimensional computed tomography and 1-year postoperative MRI findings. The cohort was divided into 4 groups, named according to the bundle positions in the tibial and femoral tunnels: AM-AM (n = 33), AM-PL (n = 26), PL-AM (n = 29), and PL-PL (n = 31). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences among the 4 groups in preoperative demographic data or postoperative clinical scores (Lysholm, Tegner, and International Knee Documentation Committee subjective scores); knee joint stability (anterior drawer, Lachman, and pivot-shift tests and Telos stress radiographic measurement of the side-to-side difference in anterior tibial translation); graft signal intensity on follow-up MRI; or graft failure. CONCLUSION: No significant differences in clinical scores, knee joint stability, or graft signal intensity on follow-up MRI were identified between the patients with anteromedially and posterolaterally positioned tunnels.

The efficacy of intraarticular viscosupplementation after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of viscosupplementation after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial of 47 patients who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy was conducted between March 2020 and March 2021. Patients were randomized into two groups: a viscosupplementation group (n = 23) and a control group (n = 24). A single-dose intraarticular hyaluronic acid injection was used as viscosupplementation. The 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain assessment was measured at baseline and at 1 day, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months post-surgery. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Tegner, Lysholm, and Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores and range of motion (ROM) of the knee were measured at baseline, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. RESULTS: The 100 mm VAS score for pain was significantly lower in the viscosupplementation group at 2 weeks post-surgery (27.5 mm vs. 40.7 mm, P = 0.047). ROM was significantly greater in the viscosupplementation group than in the control group at 2 weeks (131.5° vs. 121.0°, P = 0.044) post-surgery. No significant differences were observed in the IKDC or in the Tegner, Lysholm, and WOMAC scores between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Viscosupplementation after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy significantly reduced pain at 2 weeks post-surgery and improved ROM of the knee at 2 weeks post-surgery. There might be some benefits in terms of pain and functional recovery of viscosupplementation after arthroscopic surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This randomized controlled trial was registered at cris.nih.go.kr # KCT0004921 .

Non-Invasive Optical Coherence Tomography Data-Based Quantitative Algorithm for the Assessment of Residual Adhesive on Bracket-Removed Dental Surface.

The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the residual adhesive on orthodontic ceramic bracket-removed dental surface. In orthodontic process, ceramic bracket was repeated debonding physically, then the adhesive remained on the dental surface. The residual adhesive caused a lack of adhesive strength between dental and ceramic bracket. Since commonly used adhesive in orthodontics is translucent, residual adhesive is hard to be detected with conventional microscopes. Therefore, 1310 nm center wavelength swept-source OCT system based on laboratory customized image processing algorithm was used for the precise detection of residual adhesive on tooth surface. The algorithm separates residual adhesive from dental surface by comparing the height of adjacent B-scan images, while providing color-scaled images emphasizing the thickness information of residual adhesive. Finally, the acquired results were compared with microscopic and adhesive remnant index scoring gold standards, while the comparison confirmed the potential merits and the improvements of the proposed method over gold standards.

Combination Therapy with Doxorubicin-Loaded Reduced Albumin Nanoparticles and Focused Ultrasound in Mouse Breast Cancer Xenografts.

Because chemotherapeutic drugs are often associated with serious side effects, the central topic in modern drug delivery is maximizing the localization of drugs at the target while minimizing non-specific drug interactions at unwanted regions. To address this issue, biocompatible nanoparticles have been developed to enhance the drug half-life while minimizing the associated toxicity. Nevertheless, relying solely on the enhanced half-life and enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effects has been ineffective, and designing stimulus-sensitive nanoparticles to introduce the precise control of drug release has been desired. In this paper, we introduce a pH-sensitive, reduced albumin nanoparticle in combination with focused ultrasound treatment. Not only did these nanoparticles have superior therapeutic efficacy and toxicity profiles when compared to the free drugs in xenograft mouse models, but we were also able to show that the albumin nanoparticles reported in this paper were more suitable than other types of non-reduced albumin nanoparticles as vehicles for drug delivery. As such, we believe that the albumin nanoparticles presented in this paper with desirable characteristics including the induction of strong anti-tumor response, precise control, and superior safety profiles hold strong potential for preclinical and clinical anticancer therapy.

Monolithic Interface Contact Engineering to Boost Optoelectronic Performances of 2D Semiconductor Photovoltaic Heterojunctions.

In optoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor heterojunctions, the efficient charge transport of photogenerated carriers across the interface is a critical factor to determine the device performances. Here, we report an unexplored approach to boost the optoelectronic device performances of the WSe2-MoS2 p-n heterojunctions via the monolithic-oxidation-induced doping and resultant modulation of the interface band alignment. In the proposed device, the atomically thin WOx layer, which is directly formed by layer-by-layer oxidation of WSe2, is used as a charge transport layer for promoting hole extraction. The use of the ultrathin oxide layer significantly enhanced the photoresponsivity of the WSe2-MoS2 p-n junction devices, and the power conversion efficiency increased from 0.7 to 5.0%, maintaining the response time. The enhanced characteristics can be understood by the formation of the low Schottky barrier and favorable interface band alignment, as confirmed by band alignment analyses and first-principle calculations. Our work suggests a new route to achieve interface contact engineering in the heterostructures toward realizing high-performance 2D optoelectronics.

Ultrasound-Guided Suction Technique for Trauma-Related Large Consolidated Buttock Hematoma: A Case Report.

CASE: Occasionally, a large, deep, consolidated hematoma is hard to evacuate without an incision, yet there are concerns about possible complications of surgical removal. We present a case of a 21-year-old military recruit with a large submuscular buttock hematoma that was successfully treated with an ultrasound-guided suction technique under local anesthesia using only a stab incision. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasound-guided suction technique for a large hematoma was safe and effective in this patient.

The fates of microbial populations on pig carcasses during slaughtering process, on retail cuts after slaughter, and intervention efficiency of lactic acid spraying.

This study was conducted to detect and identify microbial populations on pig carcasses at different slaughtering stages and on retail pork cuts at 24 h after slaughter as well as to evaluate the intervention efficiency of sprays containing different concentrations (2% and 4%) of lactic acid. The sprays were applied to the carcass surfaces at the end of the slaughter line. Microbial samples were collected from carcass surfaces after bleeding and after eviscerating, and from retail cuts at 24 h after chilling/spraying. The detected microorganisms were identified through using a Microflex identification instrument and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The diversity of the bacterial genera; Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Shigella, Enterococci, Escherichia, Acinetobacter and Corynebacterium spp. showed counts ranging from 2.70 to 4.91 log10 cfu/100 cm2 on the carcasses during slaughter. Most of these genera were also detected on the carcasses after 24 h of chilling. Three species (Staphylococcus hyicus, Acinetobacter albensis, and Corynebacterium xerosis) were also found on the retail cuts of non-sprayed carcasses but not on those of the sprayed groups. Significantly greater reductions in all bacterial species were observed on the carcasses and retail cuts that were sprayed with lactic acid, particularly at the 4% level. Thus, spraying with 4% lactic acid may be an effective intervention for controlling bacterial contamination on pig carcasses to improve the microbiological safety of pork meat.

Pro-Oxidant Drug-Loaded Au/ZnO Hybrid Nanoparticles for Cancer-Specific Chemo-Photodynamic Combination Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a noninvasive therapeutic strategy involving photosensitizers and external light for the selective destruction of target tumors. Chemo-photodynamic combination therapy has attracted widespread attention to improve the outcome of cancer treatment by PDT only. In this study, light-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated zinc oxide nanorods (PEG-ZnO NRs) were synthesized and complexed with pro-oxidant piperlongumine (PL) to achieve cancer-targeted chemo-photodynamic combination therapy. It was found that PEG-ZnO NRs considerably increased intracellular ROS under UV light irradiation. The loading of PL to PEG-ZnO NRs further increased the intracellular ROS levels in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells due to efficient intracellular delivery of PL. As a result, PL-loaded PEG-ZnO NRs (PL-PEG-ZnO NRs) exhibited a synergistic anticancer activity under UV irradiation compared to free PL and PEG-ZnO NRs. PEG-ZnO NRs were further modified with Au NPs to enhance their capability of generating ROS under light. Au NP-coated PEG-ZnO NRs (Au/PEG-ZnO NRs) with UV irradiation showed higher ROS quantum yields as compared to PEG-ZnO NRs. As a result, PL-loaded Au/PEG-ZnO NRs (PL-Au/PEG-ZnO NRs) exhibited higher cytotoxicity than PL-PEG-ZnO NRs upon UV irradiation. Moreover, PL-Au/PEG-ZnO NRs showed cancer-specific cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells due to the cancer-specific apoptosis induced by pro-oxidant PL. This study demonstrates that PL-Au/PEG-ZnO NRs have high potential for efficient and cancer-targeted chemo-photodynamic combination therapy.

Lactobacillus plantarum (KACC 92189) as a Potential Probiotic Starter Culture for Quality Improvement of Fermented Sausages.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of fermenting temperature on the applicability of Lactobacillusplantarum for production of fermented sausages as starter cultures, and its applicable efficiency was also compared with those inoculated with commercial starter culture or non-inoculated control. The L. plantarum isolated from a naturally-fermented meat, identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and again identified by denovo Assembly Analysis method was used as a starter culture. Six treatments: 3 with L. plantarum at different fermenting temperatures (20, 25 and 30°C), and other 3 treatments (1 with commercial starter culture, 1 with its mixture with L. plantarum and 1 non-inoculated control) fermented under the same conditions (25°C) were prepared. Results revealed that the fermenting temperature considerably affected the pH change in samples added with L. plantarum; the highest pH drop rate (1.57 unit) was obtained on the samples fermented at 30°C, followed by those at 25°C (1.3 unit) and 20°C (0.99 unit) after 4 days fermentation. Increasing the temperature up to 30°C resulted in significantly lower spoilage bacteria count (5.15 log CFU/g) and lipid oxidation level in the products inoculated with L. plantarum. The sensory analysis also showed that the samples added with L. plantarum at 30°C had significantly higher odor, taste and acceptability scores than those fermented at lower temperatures. Under the same processing condition, although the L. plantarum showed slightly lower acidification than the commercial starter culture, however, it significantly improved the eating quality of the product.

The effects of pre-and post-slaughter spray application with organic acids on microbial population reductions on beef carcasses.

As an attempt to control bacterial cross-contamination of beef carcasses, in the present investigation acetic acid and lactic acid (3% v/v) were used for bacterial decontamination. For the decontamination, cows were sprayed with each above acid at two different stages; (i) on live animal's hides, (ii) on carcass surfaces immediately after slaughter. Microbiological samples were taken on different hide areas of animals before spraying and on carcass surfaces at 24h after spraying. Meat quality traits were also analyzed on the sprayed animals. The detected microorganisms were identified using 16SrRNA gene sequencing. A diversity of bacterial species such as Staphylococcus, Shigella, Bacillus, Escherichia and Salmonella etc. were found on both external hide and carcass surface samples. The decontamination sprays significantly reduced the numbers (2-5 log unit) of all aforementioned bacterial species on carcass surfaces as compared with non-sprayed control. Thus, the two times-spray applications with the acid could be an effective tool for reducing bacterial cross-contaminations of beef carcass without adverse effect on meat quality.

Photo-triggered antibacterial and anticancer activities of zinc oxide nanoparticles.

ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained more attention in recent years due to their ability to induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light irradiation. Photo-triggered ROS generation by ZnO NPs and the resulting phototoxicity in cells have found use in antibacterial and anticancer applications. This review highlights recent advances in the development of ZnO NPs and hybrid-type functionalized ZnO NPs for photo-triggered antibacterial and anticancer activities. In addition, various chemical modifications including metal doping, metal hybridization, modification with polymers, and sensitization by organic photosensitizers have been further introduced to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency and ROS generation capability of ZnO NPs. The enhanced ROS generation efficiency of modified ZnO NPs consequently increases their antibacterial and anticancer activities. Additionally, we offer some insights into the design and engineering of next-generation ZnO NPs for more effective antibacterial and anticancer applications.

Effects of Additions of Monascus and Laccaic acid on the Color and Quality Properties of Nitrite-Free Emulsion Sausage during Refrigerated Storage.

This effect of Monascus and Laccaic acid on the chemical composition, physical, texture and sensory properties of sausage were investigated during storage. Eight treatments (T) of sausage such as T1 (12 ppm sodium nitrite), while T2, T3, T4, T5, T6 and T7 were formulated with different ratios of Monascus/Laccaic acid: 63/7.0, 108/12, 135/15, 59.5/10.5, 102/18 and 127.5/22.5 ppm, respectively. The batch formulated without nitrite or Monascus and laccaic acid was served as control (C). The control sausages had higher pH values compared to the treated ones at 3, 10 and 28 d storage (p<0.05). After 10 d storage, the pH values decreased in treated sausage samples (p<0.05). The T1 and T4 presented the lowest yellowness and lightness values, respectively over the storage period. The redness values were increased as increasing Monascus and Laccaic acid amounts (T2-T4, T5-T7). The addition of Monascus and Laccaic acid had significantly higher hardness and springiness values (p<0.05) compared with the control in 3, 19 or 28 d storage. The results indicated that the addition of Monascus and Laccaic acid could improve the redness of the products.

Cholesterol-lowering and lipid oxidation reduction potentials of traditional seasonings in Salchichon dry-fermented sausages.

Five different natural/traditional seasonings including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochu-jang (red pepper paste), fresh medium-hot and hot peppers, and garlic were used, and 1 % (w/w) each was incorporated into formulations of Salchichon fermented sausage type. After ripening for 51 days, the products were assessed for quality parameters, lipid oxidation, cholesterol content and sensory characteristics. In general, incorporation of the seasonings did not cause color or texture defects whereas it had beneficial effects on improvement of product's quality; however the effects differed depending on each type of seasonings added. Noticeably, most treatments with the seasonings significantly reduced the lipid oxidation. Additionally, incorporating doenjang, gochu-jang, medium-hot peppers, hot peppers and garlic resulted in reduction of 32.03, 28.96, 36.30, 19.53 and 33.03 mg cholesterol/100 g sample, corresponding to 26.78, 24.21, 30.35, 16.33 and 27.61 %, respectively. Higher scores for the sensory traits such as aroma, taste, color and acceptability were also observed for the samples with seasonings. The current work demonstrated that the tested seasonings represent potentially natural ingredients for producing healthier Salchichon fermented sausages.

Beneficial Effects of Traditional Seasonings on Quality Characteristics of Fermented Sausages.

Though traditional seasonings are widely used in many dishes, however, no attention has been paid to the investigation of their effects on quality characteristics of food products. The present investigation was undertaken to study the effects of incorporating several traditional seasonings including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochu-jang (red pepper paste), fresh medium-hot, and hot peppers, and fresh garlic on the lipid oxidation, cholesterol content and sensory characteristics of fermented sausages. Six fermented sausage treatments (5 with 1% (w/w) each test seasoning and 1 without added test seasoning (control) were prepared. The addition of seasonings generally had beneficial effects on the improvement of fermented sausage's quality however the effects differed depending on the each type of seasonings added. Significant lower pH values were found in all fermented sausages made with the seasonings while, lower levels of lipid oxidation were found in the treatments with hot peppers and garlic as compared with the control (p<0.05). The treatment with seasonings did not cause color or texture defects in the products whereas the sausages made with gochu-jang had significantly higher Commission International de l'Eclairagea* (redness) value in comparison with the control. Noticeably, incorporating doenjang, medium-hot peppers, hot peppers and garlic resulted in reduction of 26.50, 32.54, 47.04, and 48.54 mg cholesterol/100 g samples, respectively (p<0.05). Higher scores for the sensory traits such as aroma, taste, color and acceptability were also given for the sausages made with seasonings. The current work demonstrates that the test seasonings represent potentially natural ingredients to be used for producing healthier fermented sausages.