Abstract
We investigated the effects of a three-week intake of soybean oligosaccharides extract [SOE; involving 32 percent SOR (75 percent stachyose and 25 percent raffinose)] 1.5 g, 3.1 g, 6.2 g/day on the fecal microflora in nine healthy volunteers (21-45 yr of age). The results are as follows. 1) The number of Bifidobacterium was significantly increased for both intakes of the SOE 1.5 g (SOR 0.5 g) at 3 weeks and SOE 6.2 g (SOR 2.0 g) at 1 week. 2) The ratio of the number of bifidobacteria to the total bacteria was increased for both intakes of the SOE 1.5 g (SOR 0.5 g) and SOE 6.2 g (SOR 2.0 g). 3) The number of Enterobacteriaceae was significantly increased for the intake of the SOE 6.2 g (SOR 2.0 g) at 3 weeks. Key words: soybean oligosaccharides, Bifidobacterium, intestinal flora, feces
