Production and nutritional characteristics of extract from fermented brown rice

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The extract from brown rice (ER) fermented by Aspergillus Oryzae is recognized as a functional food in Japan. Dried ER is expected to be usefull as a dietary supplement because it contains the following nutritional ingredients, in grams per 100 grams of ER: protein, 39; carbohydrate, 19; fiber, 20; free amino acids, 3; nucleic acids, 4; and other trace elements. We studied the effects of dietary ER on the maturity and digestive function of the small intestine in growing rats. Twenty‐seven male Wistar rats (3 weeks old) were equally divided into three groups: control (C), nucleic acid (NA) and ER groups. The NA and ER groups were both fed diets containing 5g of nucleic acids per kilogram diet, but the NA diet contained yeast RNA and salmon sperm DNA. The three groups of rats had the same body weight gain and food intake. The liver weight was significantly lower in the NA group than in the C group. The lengths of the jejunum and ileum were significantly greater in the ER group than in the NA group. The mucosal weight of the small intestine was significantly greater in the ER group than the other groups. However, the villous height, crypt depth and wall thickness in the ileum did not differ among the three groups. These results suggest that ER in the diet increases the growth and maturity of the rat digestive tract. The functional elements in ER may not be only nucleic acids but may also include other macro and micronutrients.