Abstract
Reportedly, the intake of koji amazake, a beverage made from steamed rice fermented by Aspergillus oryzae, improves defecation frequency. However, its functional ingredients and mechanism of action remain unclear. To compare the effects of koji amazake and a placebo beverage on defecation frequency and to identify the functional ingredients and mechanism of action, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel-group comparative trial was performed on two groups. The koji amazake had 302 ± 15.5 mg/118 g of A. oryzae cells, which was not in the placebo. Compared with the placebo group, the koji amazake group showed a significant increase in weekly defecation frequency at 2 weeks (5.09 days vs. 4.14 days), 3 weeks (5.41 days vs. 4.18 days), and 4 weeks (5.09 days vs. 3.95 days), along with an increase in the weekly fecal weight at 4 weeks (724 g vs. 501 g). The intake of koji amazake did not induce significant intergroup differences in the fecal SCFA concentration, whereas it significantly decreased the relative abundance of Blautia and significantly increased that of Bacteroides at 3 weeks. Therefore, koji amazake intake improved defecation frequency, and A. oryzae cells played potentially important roles as functional ingredients.
Highlights
Several fermented beverages and food products consumed globally are produced by the action of microorganisms and/or their enzymes
To reveal functional components in koji amazake manufactured by A. oryzae-derived fermentation process, we intensively investigated contents of oligosaccharides, GlcCer, and
Panose and kojibiose was contained at only low level, but these oligosaccharides were produced by A. oryzae
Summary
Several fermented beverages and food products consumed globally are produced by the action of microorganisms and/or their enzymes. A representative fermented food product, contains lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, which reportedly improve defecation frequency in healthy individuals. The second study showed that in the comparison of defecation frequencies between two groups with the intake of koji amazake and its mixture with Lactobacillus sakei UONUMA, the defecation frequency was significantly higher in the koji amazake group [8] Both reports lacked scientific evidence, including information on the functional ingredients and mechanism of action underlying the increase in defecation frequency, which are essential parameters for the Japanese approval system of Foods for Specified Health Use [9]. The information obtained was used to determine the active functional ingredients of koji amazake and the mechanism of action
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