Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
Norihisa Kato
Hiroshima University, Japan
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
Traditionally, Aspergillus species have been widely used for the production of Japanese fermentation foods such as miso, soy souse, sake, etc. However, there is limited study on the application of Aspergillus for the functional foods production. Previously, we found the marked elevation in colon Bifidobacterium by feeding of Aspergillus fermented burdock when compared with durdock powder. Recently, our study has found a marked elevation in colon Bifidobacterium of rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet supplemented with an Amano protease preparation (Protease A â??Amanoâ? SD, derived from Aspergillus oryzae, Amano Enzyme Inc.). The current study was conducted to examine if dietary supplementation with an acid protease (AcP) purified from A. oryzae also leads to the elevation of Bifidobacterium levels in the colon. Rats were fed a HF diet containing the AcP purified from the Amano protease preparation for 2 weeks. The abundance of in the cecum and feces of rats fed with a HF diet with the addition of the 0.1% Amano protease preparation was markedly elevated by the addition of 0.1% Amano protease. However, the Bifidobacterium levels were unaffected by the addition of the purified AcP (0.0096%) at a level equivalent to the amount of AcP found in the 0.1% Amano protease. In contrast, the Bifidobacterium levels significantly elevated (P<0.05) when rats were fed a HF diet containing 0.0384% AcP (a four-fold higher content of AcP in the diet containing 0.1% Amano protease). The effect on cecum Bifidobacterium was not observed in the inactivated 0.0384% AcP group. These results suggest that the consumption of the Aspergillus-derived active AcP elevates the Bifidobacterium levels in the colon.
Norihisa Kato has completed his PhD (1980) from Nagoya University, Japan. Currently, he is a Professor in Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition, Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University. His research interests are in elucidation of anti-disease food factors and the molecular mechanisms. He is an expert Editor of Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology and has published more than 200 papers. He was given the Award for Excellence in Research Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science (2012).
Email: nkato@hiroshima-u.ac.jp