The effects of sweet potato-
shochu distillery by-product on growth of
Bifidobacterium in milk were examined to consider its potential use as a food ingredient. Addition of sweet potato-
shochu distillery wastewater to 10% skimmed milk powder medium enhanced organic acid production and the numbers of
Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12, while increasing its concentration. The low molecular fraction (< 1 kDa) from sweet potato-
shochu distillery wastewater had a growth-stimulating effect on
Bifidobacterium. The low molecular fraction was separated by gel permeation chromatography to yield the O-1 fraction, whose main component was oligosaccharides consisting of glucose, galactose and uronic acids, and the P-1 fraction whose main component was heterogeneous peptides. A combination of the O-1 and P-1 fractions significantly stimulated growth of
Bifidobacterium, although the individual fractions had no effect on
Bifidobacterium growth. Of the 10
Bifidobacterium species tested, the sweet potato-
shochu distillation wastewater stimulated the growth of
Bifidobacterium lactis BB12,
Bifidobacterium longum B66,
Bifidobacterum infantis JCM 1210 and
Bifidobacterum adolesentis JCM 1275. The present results indicate that sweet potato-
shochu distillery wastewater can be used as an enhancer of fermentation by
Bifidobacterium.
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