This technology is a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating gentamicin-induced ototoxic hearing loss, using malic acid—an organic acid abundant in fruits like apples—as an active ingredient. It includes both a health functional food composition for preventing and improving hearing loss and a reagent composition for inhibiting hair cell damage caused by gentamicin.
Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is essential for treating conditions like enterococcal endocarditis. However, reactive oxygen species generated by the antibiotic-calcium complex cause the death of inner ear hair cells, leading to irreversible hearing loss and kidney damage. Previous protective candidates relied on blocking reactive oxygen species, which weakened the antibiotic's efficacy by binding to it and lacked sufficient effectiveness due to non-specific action.
This technology confirms that treating gentamicin-damaged hair cells with malic acid restores the number of normal hair cells. Based on this, it utilizes malic acid—a TCA cycle intermediate and common food acidulant—as an ototoxic hearing loss protective agent. It can be applied to hearing loss prevention supplements for ICU patients on aminoglycosides, hearing-protective beverages or tablets, and cell-protective reagents for inner ear toxicity testing, enabling the development of accessible hearing protection products using an organic acid with proven safety as a food additive.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Knowledge-Convergence Network-Based Design Platform for Accelerating the Synthesis and Evaluation of Hybrid Nanocomposites.
This technology is a pharmaceutical composition that uses calcium citrate tetrahydrate as an active ingredient to prevent and treat ototoxic hearing loss caused by the use of the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin. It also includes a health functional food composition for preventing and improving hearing loss, and a research reagent composition for inhibiting gentamicin-induced hair cell damage using the same ingredient.
While gentamicin has been widely used for a long time due to its effectiveness against Staphylococcus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, continuous exposure to cochlear cells causes hair cells in the organ of Corti to die due to reactive oxygen species, leading to permanent hearing loss. Most protective drugs currently in clinical trials are strong nucleophiles that block reactive oxygen species, but they form complexes with antibiotics, reducing their antibacterial efficacy, and their non-specific action results in minimal protective effects.
Based on the finding that treating gentamicin-damaged hair cells with calcium citrate tetrahydrate increases the number of normal hair cells, this technology uses a safe inorganic salt in the form of a calcium-citrate hydrate as a hearing protection agent. It can be applied as a co-administered hearing protection agent for patients receiving intravenous gentamicin, a calcium-supplementing health functional food for patients on long-term antibiotic therapy, and a hair cell protection reagent for ototoxicity mechanism research. This offers a way to reduce auditory side effects without discontinuing antibiotic treatment, using an ingredient already familiar as a calcium supplement.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Knowledge-Convergence Network-Based Design Platform for Accelerating the Synthesis and Evaluation of Hybrid Nanocomposites.
This technology is a hydrogel composition and manufacturing method containing oxidized diol-modified hyaluronic acid (odHA) with diol groups introduced into the side chains and then oxidized, hydrazide-modified hyaluronic acid (hHA), and alginate. A gel is formed simply by mixing the odHA/alginate solution with the hHA solution, making it suitable for use as an ink for 3D bioprinting.
Hyaluronic acid is an extracellular matrix component that aids in cartilage and bone regeneration, making it widely used as a bioink. However, oxidizing the backbone with sodium periodate reduces its hydrolytic stability, leading to a significant decrease in molecular weight. Furthermore, most polysaccharide hydrogels have weak mechanical properties, preventing them from maintaining their shape after 3D printing without a separate frame, and they often require additional post-processing such as UV crosslinking or coagulation baths.
This technology oxidizes only the diol groups on the side chains rather than the backbone to create aldehyde groups, resulting in almost no loss of molecular weight. A dual network is formed through electrostatic interactions between the carboxyl groups of odHA and the hydrazide groups of hHA, as well as acylhydrazone bonds between the aldehyde and hydrazide groups. Alginate, which is crosslinked by divalent cations such as calcium or barium, is added at 0.5 to 2 parts by weight relative to odHA to enhance tensile strength and toughness. The oxidation degree is 10–50%, the hydrazide substitution degree is 20–80%, and the weight ratio of the two HAs is 3:1 to 1:3. Applicable to 3D printed scaffolds for cartilage regeneration, self-healing extrusion bioinks, and injectable cell delivery scaffolds, it enables the creation of robust hyaluronic acid structures that are self-supporting immediately after printing without the need for separate frames or post-crosslinking.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for complex tissue regeneration using 3D bioprinting methods.
This technology is a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention and treatment of muscle atrophy, using an ethanol extract of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus fruit (Ogaja) containing hyperoside as a key metabolite as its active ingredient. The same extract is also formulated into food compositions for preventing and improving muscle atrophy and health functional food compositions for muscle strengthening.
Muscle atrophy is a condition characterized by a loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength due to various causes, such as immobility, aging, cachexia, or medications like glucocorticoids, and is particularly severe in the elderly who are bedridden for long periods. While sarcopenia has become significant enough to receive a disease code, there is a lack of safe natural materials capable of correcting the imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation, and the muscle-improving effects of Ogaja, already recognized for blood pressure improvement, had not been identified.
This technology fractionated Ogaja extract to identify hyperoside as the core metabolite in the most active fraction. This extract and its fractions inhibit the expression of MAFbx/atrogin-1, a muscle protein degradation factor induced by the inflammatory agent LPS, thereby maintaining myotube thickness. The extract concentration in the composition is 100–200μg/ml. It can be applied to health functional foods for geriatric sarcopenia, supplements to prevent muscle loss in long-term bedridden patients, and muscle-strengthening beverages for middle-aged adults, allowing for the rapid development of muscle health products that inhibit inflammatory muscle protein degradation using Ogaja, which is already recognized as a food ingredient.
This technology is a low-fat patty composition for plant-based meat, where a portion of the vegetable shortening is replaced with bacterial cellulose in paste form. The base patty is made from textured vegetable protein, pea protein isolate, potato starch, methylcellulose, and red beet powder. As a fat substitute, the bacterial cellulose is used as a 3.0% solids paste and blended with shortening at a weight ratio of 1:3 to 1:1.
While plant-based meat is considered a healthy option, it often contains high amounts of vegetable fats like coconut or canola oil to mimic the juiciness and flavor of real meat, meaning it is not necessarily lower in calories—which contradicts the health goals of many consumers. Bacterial cellulose paste, with its milky appearance and smooth texture similar to fat, has great potential as a fat substitute, but it has not previously been applied to meat alternatives.
This technology uses bacterial cellulose—a 3D network hydrogel produced by acetic acid bacteria—ground into a paste. By limiting the ratio of this paste to shortening, we minimize diameter reduction, thickness changes, and cooking loss while improving texture. It has minimal impact on sensory properties, allowing for fat reduction without compromising taste. Applicable to low-calorie vegan burger patties, diet-friendly plant-based nuggets and meatballs, and low-fat school lunch sides, this familiar microbial cellulose (similar to nata de coco) reduces the high fat content of meat alternatives while curbing shrinkage and moisture loss during cooking.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of new food-tech source technologies to enhance the meat-mimicry of plant-based alternatives.
This technology features a composition for inhibiting platelet aggregation, containing 2-((1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-N-phenylhydrazinecarboxamide or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts, which possess a novel bioisostere scaffold. The same compound is formulated into pharmaceutical compositions for the prevention and treatment of thrombotic and cardiovascular diseases, as well as food compositions for their prevention and improvement.
Platelet aggregation is a primary cause of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, coronary artery disease, and pulmonary embolism. Existing GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors directly compete with fibrinogen binding, leading to side effects like intracranial hemorrhage, retroperitoneal bleeding, and thrombocytopenia. Due to diagnostic uncertainty, many elderly patients are often unable to receive antiplatelet therapy, creating a need for effective and safer antiplatelet agents with new mechanisms of action.
Instead of directly blocking fibrinogen binding, this technology uses small-molecule compounds that target the GPIIb/IIIa activation step triggered by the interaction between the cytoskeletal protein talin and the GPIIIa tail to inhibit platelet aggregation. Target conditions include thrombotic diseases such as arterial and venous thrombosis, cerebral infarction, pulmonary infarction, and thrombophlebitis, as well as cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, and arrhythmia. It can be applied to acute coronary syndrome drug candidates, oral antithrombotic agents for preventing recurrent cerebral infarction, and health functional foods for blood circulation, offering a new antiplatelet treatment option that reduces the bleeding risks associated with existing GPIIb/IIIa antagonists.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the discovery and efficacy validation of novel antiplatelet agents targeting Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inside-out signaling.
This technology is a browning prediction and control method that derives a four-stage correlation by measuring the electrical conductivity of anti-browning agents at various concentrations and the browning index of treated fruits and vegetables over storage days. The final equation links storage days, browning index, and electrical conductivity, specifically for Vitamin C or trehalose-based anti-browning agents.
While the market for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables—which are washed, cut, and packaged—is growing rapidly, browning caused by cutting and air exposure significantly impacts freshness and shelf life. Previous research focused on providing anti-browning compositions, but lacked specific control methods to maintain browning below target levels or systems to predict shelf life through browning analysis.
This technology creates an integrated equation by deriving concentration-conductivity and storage-browning index formulas, then linking the conductivity and the slope of the browning index function. By measuring conductivity, one can predict the storage duration required to meet a target browning index, or conversely, calculate the necessary anti-browning agent conductivity for a desired shelf life. It includes a composition of Vitamin C and trehalose (1:0.1 to 1:1.5) for apples and a computer program to execute the method. Applicable to fresh-cut apple production lines, shelf-life setting for fruit packs, and automated smart factory management, it allows for real-time concentration adjustments based on simple conductivity measurements.
This technology is a pharmaceutical and food composition for preventing and treating kidney disease in mothers and offspring caused by exposure to fine dust during pregnancy or lactation, using Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) as an active ingredient. The composition is administered to the mother during pregnancy and lactation to prevent kidney damage in offspring during the fetal or nursing stages.
Fine dust, particularly PM2.5, deposits in the body, causing oxidative stress and inflammation. Some particles circulate through the blood, leading to respiratory, cardiovascular, and skin diseases. While concerns about the health impacts of fine dust have grown with rising concentrations and exposure durations, no specific means existed to prevent kidney damage in offspring resulting from maternal exposure.
This technology uses maternal Vitamin D3 administration to inhibit glomerular and tubular malformations, glomerular mesangial expansion, tubular cast formation, and interstitial changes, while reducing CD68-positive macrophage infiltration into the renal cortex. It also restores VDR, ACE, and NF-κB p50 expression in offspring kidneys and regulates VDR, Klotho, and TNF-α expression in maternal kidneys. Applicable as a nutritional supplement for pregnant women in polluted areas, a kidney-protective health supplement for nursing mothers, and in environmental toxicology research, it uses widely available Vitamin D3 to protect both mother and baby from fine dust.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the effects of maternal fine dust exposure on neonatal kidney development and the protective effects of Vitamin D.
This technology is a composition for preventing, improving, and treating skeletal muscle atrophy and sarcopenia, using an ethanol extract from the roots of the medicinal plant Stellaria dichotoma as an active ingredient. This extract contains five components—glucodicotomin B, dicotomin B, schaftoside, dicotomin A, and isoschaftoside—and can be formulated into pharmaceutical, food, or feed compositions.
Skeletal muscle mass decreases by approximately 8% every decade starting in one's 40s, with the rate of decline accelerating to 15% by the 70s. Muscle atrophy caused by aging, lack of exercise, cachexia, or chronic disease increases the risk of falls, fractures, and metabolic disorders. While natural products like coptis, ginseng, and black soybeans have been studied for muscle atrophy inhibition, the potential of Stellaria dichotoma, traditionally used as an antipyretic, to prevent or improve skeletal muscle atrophy was previously unknown.
This technology utilizes beta-carboline alkaloid dicotomins and flavonoid glycoside schaftosides found in Stellaria dichotoma ethanol extract to increase muscle fiber thickness and inhibit atrophy. The target conditions include not only sarcopenia but also disuse atrophy, denervation-induced atrophy, cachexia, drug-induced or nutritional deficiency-induced atrophy, and muscular dystrophy. It can be applied to health supplements for geriatric sarcopenia, muscle loss prevention for long-term bedridden or casted patients, and functional feed for senior pets, repurposing Stellaria dichotoma from a simple antipyretic into a low-side-effect muscle health ingredient.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of methods to identify compound combinations with equivalent efficacy representing the overall activity of natural products.
This technology is a manufacturing method for producing semi-dried fish with a moisture content of 50–59% by washing and trimming frozen fish in 9.1% brine, salting it in 4% brine, and drying it under vacuum using infrared rays. By optimizing the conditions for each process—washing, salting, and drying—it reduces the bacteria and volatile compounds that cause off-odors.
While demand for semi-dried fish as a convenience food is growing, its fishy odor has hindered mass-market appeal. Using frozen fish exacerbates this odor due to the thawing process and long distribution periods. Small-scale processors often rely on traditional air-drying due to cost constraints, leading to poor quality control; in fact, common bacteria, coliforms, and staphylococci have been detected in commercial semi-dried rockfish products.
This technology involves washing fish in brine for 60 minutes while removing inedible parts like viscera and bones, followed by salting for 3.5 to 4.5 hours, and drying under 31,325 Pa vacuum pressure using infrared rays at 35°C for 12 hours or 40°C for 6 hours. After each process, bacterial colonies and volatile basic nitrogen levels drop below standards, and trimethylamine, a key fishy odor component, is not detected. Applicable to producing seafood convenience foods like semi-dried rockfish or croaker, improving hygiene in seafood plants using frozen raw materials, and upgrading facilities for small-scale local processors, it reduces both odor and bacterial contamination while producing consistent quality faster than air-drying.
This technology features an edible sweet potato starch film and a meat product casing made from it. The film is created through dual modification: esterifying sweet potato starch with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA), followed by moisture-controlled high-temperature heat treatment. The modified starch is then mixed with glycerol, pectin, and calcium, and gelatinized to form the film.
Edible food packaging films are typically made from materials like gelatin, collagen, or wheat gluten. However, gelatin films often have an unpleasant texture, poor barrier properties, and lack antioxidant or antimicrobial functions. While sweet potatoes are starch-rich, significant amounts are discarded annually. Furthermore, because sweet potato starch does not dissolve in water at room temperature, it has been difficult to process into edible films, and there has been little research on using it as a primary ingredient.
This technology significantly enhances the oxygen-barrier properties of the film by applying a two-step process: primary chemical modification with OSA, followed by secondary physical modification through heat treatment at 100–120°C with a moisture content of 20–30%, and finally gelatinization while stirring at 85–95°C. When used as a casing, this film inhibits lipid oxidation in the meat inside, improving shelf life. It can be applied as an edible coating for ham, sausage, and bacon, as a casing for blood sausage (sundae) to replace pig intestines, or as an edible coating for food and pharmaceuticals. This allows for the use of discarded sweet potatoes while extending the shelf life of meat products by delaying rancidity.
This invention was developed with support from the Rural Development Administration’s project for the mass production and utilization of beneficial sweet potato components.
This technology provides a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and treating sepsis caused by traumatic peritonitis, containing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) at a concentration of 10–100 ng/mL, as well as a health functional food composition for sepsis improvement using the same ingredient. The composition acts by inhibiting the expression of pAMPK or IkBα.
Sepsis is a condition characterized by a severe systemic inflammatory response to microbial infection. Despite advancements in antibiotic therapy and intensive care, it remains a critical condition, ranking as the third leading cause of death in developed countries. While immune deficiency and excessive lymphocyte apoptosis have been identified as primary causes of mortality, no fundamental treatment has yet been established.
This technology utilizes BDNF, a glycoprotein that supports neuronal survival, formulated within a verified narrow concentration range and administered at a dosage of 5–10 mg/kg to simultaneously reduce the expression of pAMPK, an energy metabolism regulator, and IkBα, an inflammatory signaling protein. Applicable as an adjuvant therapy for ICU patients with abdominal trauma, an injectable to suppress sepsis progression after peritonitis surgery, or a health functional food for patients in recovery, it offers a novel pathway using neurotrophic factors to mitigate systemic inflammatory responses in sepsis that are difficult to manage with antibiotics alone.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the validation of myokine utility as a sepsis biomarker and mechanisms of innate immune regulation.
This technology involves the Rhodotorula taiwanensis P1 yeast strain, isolated and identified from pears, and a composition for removing alternariol containing this strain or its culture broth. It is used by fermenting the strain or applying the composition to contaminated food, agricultural products, or feed to reduce the fungal toxin alternariol.
Alternariol is a toxin produced by Alternaria fungi in grains and fruits like tomatoes and apples. It is cytotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic, and because it is heat-stable, it often persists even after cooking or processing. Physical and chemical removal methods, such as adsorption or ozone degradation, have limitations in that they can damage food quality and nutritional content, and no biological methods have previously been reported to remove alternariol to a satisfactory level.
This technology establishes conditions for maintaining high alternariol removal efficiency by culturing the P1 strain, which has the ITS sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, in a live state at 25–30°C for at least 48 hours. The composition can also be used as a food or feed additive. It can be applied to toxin reduction processes for processed tomato products, detoxification of grain and meal feed ingredients, and management of mycotoxins in stored fruits, providing a biological way to remove heat-resistant alternariol without compromising food components.
This invention was developed with support from the Rural Development Administration's project for the development of technology for automatic collection and utilization of hazard and safety data at each stage of post-harvest management of agricultural products.
This technology covers the seeds, plants, and breeding methods for 'Ojeong19' (KCTC19246P), a new butterhead lettuce variety developed by crossing the 'Cherna Gyumyurdzinska' line as the female parent and 'Eline' as the male parent, followed by generations of selection and stabilization.
With the rising demand for salads, imports of head lettuce and salad lettuce seeds surged from $2.03 million in 2023 to $2.94 million in 2024, highlighting a heavy reliance on foreign butterhead varieties. Domestic breeding has historically focused on yield and stress resistance, often overlooking quality traits like leaf sweetness that drive consumer preference. Furthermore, butterhead lettuce is sensitive to high temperatures during harvest, leading to poor heading and premature bolting, which compromises both quality and yield.
This technology involves selecting individuals with superior growth and marketability from the F1 generation, and those with ideal butter-type phenotypes, head density, and leaf yield from the F2 generation. These were then repeatedly cultivated until the F4 generation to ensure genetic stability. As a result, 'Ojeong19' features darker, thicker green leaves compared to the 'Green Ball Butterhead' control variety, with a leaf sweetness of 2.20–2.38 Brix, a weight of 336–435g per plant, and 20–27 leaves forming a large, dense head. Suitable for packaged salad production and high-quality greenhouse cultivation, this domestic variety can replace imported seeds and boost farm income with its superior sweetness and size.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of bolting-resistant lettuce through genetic analysis of the reproductive growth transition phase.
This technology involves drying minced garlic, onion, and red pepper, then processing them through coarse, fine, and ultra-fine grinding to reach a particle size of 20μm or less. The resulting powder is sifted, stirred, and mixed with sugar, water, and soy sauce. The three powders are blended in a weight ratio of 1:0.5–2:0.5–2.
Marinades for grilled or stir-fried meats typically contain red pepper, onion, and garlic. Large particles of these ingredients burn easily during cooking, ruining the dish's appearance and creating harmful substances. Benzopyrene, in particular, is a Group 1 carcinogen classified by the IARC. Previous efforts to address this have been limited, focusing mostly on passive measures like low-temperature cooking rather than reducing the charring of the sauce itself.
This technology uses a multi-stage process: drying ingredients to under 10% moisture, coarse grinding to over 100μm, fine grinding to 20–100μm using a high-speed centrifugal mill, and ultra-fine grinding to 20μm or less via jet mill. Smaller particles ensure even heat distribution, significantly reducing charring compared to sauces with standard powders. Applicable to BBQ marinades, HMR stir-fry sauces, and franchise standards, it prevents blackening, preserves the dish's color, and lowers concerns regarding carcinogens from burnt sauce.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups for the development of high-value seafood sauces using microbiome analysis-based customized natural antimicrobial materials and ultra-fine flavor materials.
