Cheonggukjang, a savory fermented soybean paste commonly served on Korean tables, has drawn attention after a study found it may alleviate colonic barrier damage caused by hyperlipidemia.

Ji-woo Kim, a third-year undergraduate researcher in the Molecular Metabolic Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), presented a mechanistic study on the health-functional effects of cheonggukjang as a poster at the recent annual conference of the Korean Society of Food and Nutrition and received the Outstanding Poster Award.

In this study, Kim provided molecular metabolic evidence that colonic barrier damage caused by hyperlipidemia can be ameliorated through cheonggukjang consumption, and elucidated a mechanism by which restoration of the gut microbiota balance directly contributes to mitigation of intestinal damage. The Korean Society of Food and Nutrition also noted that integrating the functions of traditional fermented foods with modern molecular metabolic nutrition could expand research into functional foods based on K-Food.

This research is the result of the '2025 Traditional Jang Functional Identification (Safety Monitoring) Project' jointly conducted by the JBNU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Fermented Microbial Industry Promotion Foundation. It demonstrates that the JBNU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is positioning itself as a 'K-Food Functional Research Hub' by combining traditional fermented food research with modern molecular metabolic nutrition.

Kim said, 'I joined the laboratory as a second-year undergraduate and have grown step by step while learning experiments and analyses. This award is thanks to the professor and senior researchers who worked with me. After graduating, I plan to continue to graduate school to more deeply explore the relationship between the gut microbiota and metabolic diseases.'

Anna Han, the advising professor (JBNU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition), said, 'It is highly unusual for an undergraduate to produce meaningful results and receive an award at a conference after only one year of research participation. Her meticulous focus and spirit of inquiry demonstrated during the experimental process were remarkable. We will continue to actively support students so they can grow through research.'