Spectroscopic determination of metabolic and mineral changes of soya-chunk mediated by Aspergillus sojae

Solid-state fermentation improves the quality of chrysanthemum waste as an alternative feed ingredient

Chrysanthemum waste (CW) is an agricultural and industrial by-product produced during chrysanthemum harvesting, drying, preservation, and deep processing. Although it is nutritious, most CW is discarded, wasting resources and contributing to serious environmental problems. This work explored a solid-state fermentation (SSF) strategy to improve CW quality for use as an alternative feed ingredient. Orthogonal experiment showed that the optimal conditions for fermented chrysanthemum waste (FCW) were: CW to cornmeal mass ratio of 9:1, Pediococcus cellaris + Candida tropicalis + Bacillus amyloliquefaciens proportions of 2:2:1, inoculation amount of 6%, and fermentation time of 10 d. Compared with the control group, FCW significantly increased the contents of crude protein, ether extract, crude fiber, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, ash, calcium, phosphorus, and total flavonoids (p < 0.01), and significantly decreased pH and saponin content (p < 0.01). SSF improved the free and hydrolyzed amino acid profiles of FCW, increased the content of flavor amino acids, and improved the amino acid composition of FCW protein. Overall, SSF improved CW nutritional quality. FCW shows potential use as a feed ingredient, and SSF helps reduce the waste of chrysanthemum processing.

Relative Assessment of Biochemical Constituents and Antioxidant Potential of Fermented Wheat Grains Using Bacillus subtilis KCTC 13241

High antioxidant levels in food are gradually becoming popular because of enhanced risk of oxidative stress in humans. Bread wheat is rich in vital antioxidants, but a major portion of its bioactive compounds are not available to humans. This study was conducted with the aim to fulfill the antioxidants and nutrients gap between the available and potential levels of wheat grains through fermentation by Bacillus subtilis KCTC 13241. In this experiment, the whole wheat grains were used by keeping in consideration the importance of minerals and to measure an increase in their availability after fermentation. The antioxidants and nutritional potential of different wheat varieties was determined by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl- hydrazyl) and ABTS (3-ethyl-benzothiazo- line-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assays as well as by the concentration of amino acids, flavonoids, minerals, carbohydrates and phenolic compounds. Different wheat varieties were showed different free radical scavenging potential after fermentation, which was significantly higher with respect to their corresponding unfermented wheat varieties. The highest nutritional and free radical scavenging potential was found in a fermented wheat variety, named Namhae, and this combination is highly useful for cereal-based food industries.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 as a New Potential Strain for Augmenting Biochemical and Nutritional Composition of Fermented Soybean

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is a good source of natural antioxidants and commonly consumed as fermented products such as cheonggukjang, miso, tempeh, and sufu in Asian countries. The aim of the current study was to examine the influence of novel endophytic bacterial strain, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 as a starter for soybean fermentation. During fermentation, the cooked soybeans were inoculated with different concentrations (1%, 3%, and 5%) of B. amyloliquefaciens RWL-1. The changes in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities, total phenolic contents, isoflavones (Daidzin, Genistin, Glycitin, Daidzein, Glycitein, and Genistein), amino acids (aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, cysteine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, arginine, and proline) composition, and minerals (calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, nickel, lead, arsenic, and zinc) were investigated. The level of antioxidants, total phenolic contents, isoflavones, and total amino acids were higher in fermented soybean inoculated with 1% B. amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 after 60 h of fermentation as compared to control, 3% and 5% B. amyloliquefaciens RWL-1. Additionally, fermented soybean inoculated with 5% B. amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 showed the highest values for mineral contents. Changes in antioxidant activities and bioactive compounds depended on the concentration of the strain used for fermentation. From these results, we conclude that fermented soybean has strong antioxidant activity, probably due to its increased total phenolic contents and aglycone isoflavone that resulted from fermentation. Such natural antioxidants could be used in drug and food industries and can be considered to alleviate oxidative stress.

Comparison of antioxidants potential, metabolites, and nutritional profiles of Korean fermented soybean (Cheonggukjang) with Bacillus subtilis KCTC 13241

This study was carried out to determine the effect of different concentrations of Bacillus subtilis (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7%) on the antioxidant potential and biochemical constituents of traditional Korean fermented soybean, Cheonggukjang (CKJ). The antioxidant capacity was studied using the reducing power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays and the total phenolic contents (TPC) were measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. CKJ prepared using 1% B. subtilis revealed the highest TPC (5.99 mg/g), total amino acids (7.43 mg/g), DPPH (94.24%), and ABTS (86.03%) radical-scavenging activity and had the highest value of palmitic acid (11.65%), stearic acid (2.87%), and linolenic acid (11.76%). Results showed that the calcium, iron, sodium, and zinc contents increased in the CKJ prepared using 7% B. subtilis from 1481.38 to 1667.32, 41.38 to 317.00, 48.01 to 310.07, and 32.82 to 37.18 mg/kg respectively. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the fermentation of soybean with B. subtilis (KCTC 13241) significantly augments the nutritional and antioxidant potential of CKJ and it can be recommended as a health-promoting food source.

Changes in the Bioactive Compounds Content of Soybean as a Function of Grain Moisture Content and Temperature during Long-Term Storage

Soybean is a rich source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, isoflavones, carotenoids, and tocopherols. The amount of bioactive compounds in freshly harvested soybeans and their derived products has been determined; however, when they are used in the food industry, soybeans are generally stored prior to being processed. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of soybean moisture content (12%, 15%, and 18%) and storage temperature (11, 18, 25, and 32 °C) on the free phenolic, total flavonoid, vanillic acid, total carotenoid, and δ- and γ-tocopherol content of soybeans stored for 12 mo. Moreover, the ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities of phenolic extracts were determined. There was an increase in free phenolics and total flavonoids in the stored grains compared with the grains on the 1st d of storage. Vanillic acid showed a decrease in soybeans stored at 15% and 18% moisture content and 25 or 32 °C, which indicated some degradation into other metabolites. Total carotenoid content decreased as a function of storage temperature and showed some temperature-dependent degradation. The δ- and γ-tocopherol content also tended to decrease in grains stored at 15% or 18% moisture content or 25 or 32 °C, regardless of the moisture content studied.