Food Tech｜푸드테크

Connecting FoodTech research with the food industries of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam

With a regional focus on Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, we pursue FoodTech research, education, and industry collaboration that respond to the needs of local food industries. We investigate useful ingredients from plant and marine resources and food processing by-products, and evaluate their potential applications through chemical analysis and quality standardization. Our work connects ingredient characterization with plant-based foods, functional ingredients, and food upcycling, while examining changes in composition and quality during processing, storage, and distribution.

We use Korea’s ten priority areas for FoodTech as a framework for connecting research, education, and industry collaboration, applying our expertise in analysis, separation, and quantification to practical challenges faced by regional companies. Focusing on convenience foods, quality management during storage and distribution, and higher-value applications of marine food resources, we aim to expand collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes, and local governments. Through these efforts and the training of skilled professionals, we seek to strengthen the technological capabilities of the food industries across Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam.

Natural Products Chemistry

Discovering useful constituents and linking chemical structures to biological activities

We explore natural products from plants and marine organisms, isolate constituents that contribute to biological activity, and elucidate their chemical structures. Extraction, fractionation, isolation, and purification procedures are designed according to sample characteristics, while structural analysis integrates one- and two-dimensional NMR with mass spectrometric information. Our research encompasses the structural diversity and biological activities of natural products, including lignans and coumarins.

We investigate the anti-inflammatory activities, potential to modulate skin inflammation, and antibiotic-potentiating effects of isolated constituents, and examine relationships between chemical structure and activity. By connecting these findings with the composition and constituent content of the original extracts, we seek to explain the functional properties and quality of natural product materials. This work supports the scientific development of ingredients for functional foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications.

Food Analysis

Chemical characterization and quantitative assessment of food quality

We identify and quantify food constituents and investigate chemical changes associated with raw material origin, processing, and storage. HPLC-based chemical profiles and NMR-based chemical fingerprints are used to compare the composition of complex food materials and explore markers associated with their quality characteristics. GC–MS analysis, complemented by LC–MS through shared research facilities, provides complementary information on volatile and nonvolatile constituents.

Our research connects chemical identification and quantification with quality assessment, authenticity testing, marker selection, and the standardization of food ingredients and products. We examine analytical accuracy and reproducibility across sample preparation, instrumental analysis, and data interpretation to develop methods that provide reliable evidence for research and industrial applications.

Centrifugal Partition Chromatography｜CPC

Separating natural products through liquid–liquid partitioning

Centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) separates compounds according to differences in their distribution between two immiscible liquid phases. One liquid phase is retained as the stationary phase by centrifugal force, while the other flows through the system as the mobile phase. We apply this liquid–liquid partitioning principle to fractionate complex natural product and food materials and selectively isolate and purify useful constituents.

Biphasic solvent systems are selected by considering sample solubility and the partition coefficients of individual constituents. We then design operating conditions, including stationary and mobile phase selection, flow rate, and rotor speed. Elution–extrusion operation is combined with qNMR analysis to evaluate constituent distribution across fractions, purity, recovery, and mass balance. Through this approach, we aim to develop separation processes that connect natural product exploration with the preparation of constituents needed for quantification and standardization.

Quantitative NMR｜qNMR

Quantifying constituents and assessing purity in complex natural product and food materials

We use quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) to determine constituent content and assess the purity of natural product and food materials. Using our JEOL NMR system, we analyze sample and reference signals and evaluate acquisition conditions and calibration strategies to develop reproducible quantitative methods. These measurements support extract standardization, purity assessment of isolated compounds, and the evaluation of constituent recovery and distribution during processing.

Our research places particular emphasis on HiFSA-based spin analysis and quantum mechanical quantitative NMR (QM-qNMR). Chemical shifts, spin–spin coupling constants, and linewidths are used in total-line-shape fitting to compare calculated and experimental spectra, interpret overlapping signals, and quantify constituents in complex mixtures. We also investigate the use of digital reference standards alongside quantitative method validation to improve reproducibility and facilitate the reuse of natural product analytical data.

Sulfated Polysaccharide Research

Understanding the relationships between marine polysaccharide structures, properties, and biological activities

We extract and isolate sulfated polysaccharides from marine resources, including brown, red, and green algae, and investigate their complex molecular structures and characteristics. Our analyses examine monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkages, branching patterns, and molecular-weight distributions, with particular attention to sulfation patterns. Hydrolysis-based analyses, molecular-weight characterization, and one- and two-dimensional NMR are integrated to elucidate polysaccharide structures.

We investigate how these structural features influence physicochemical properties, such as gel formation and viscosity, as well as biological activities. Structural changes introduced during extraction, purification, and degradation are considered when evaluating reproducibility and developing analytical indicators for quality control. This research provides a basis for the use of marine polysaccharides as functional food ingredients and materials for functional food and cosmetic applications.