title: Effects of fermented brown rice on the intestinal environments in healthy adult.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to investigate the prebiotic effects of brown rice fermented by Aspergillus oryzae (FBRA) on the intestinal environment in vitro and in healthy adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fresh fecal slurries from six healthy adults were incubated with FBRA to confirm prebiotic potentials of FBRA. Another thirty-six healthy adults were randomly allocated to 2 groups for the clinical study. Subjects consumed 21.0 g/day of either FBRA or control food for 2 weeks, followed by a 12-week intermission and then 2-week ingestion vice versa. Main outcome measures were bifidobacterial numbers and organic acid concentration in feces. Sub outcome measures were fecal microbiota, fecal environments and bowel function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Incubation of fecal slurries with FBRA in vitro resulted in increased organic acids with individual-specific patterns. Bifidobacterial numbers were increased during incubation. In the clinical study, all participants safely completed this study. FBRA had little effect on fecal number of bifidobacteria, concentrations of organic acids or putrefactive metabolites, fecal pH, or fecal microbiota.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FBRA has the potentials as a prebiotic, however, we could not detect its effects on the intestinal environment in vivo. The results in a clinical study indicated that FBRA could be safely used for healthy adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Health Biosciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Kazue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikata
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arimochi
authors.forename: Teruaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Yoshinari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuwahara
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kataoka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005285:Fermentation; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D012275:Oryza; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length