Effects of Koji amazake and Its Lactic Acid Fermentation Product by Lactobacillus sakei UONUMA on Defecation Status in Healthy Volunteers with Relatively Low Stool Frequency

To clarify the effects of the koji amazake and its lactic acid fermentation product amazake by Lactobacillus sakei UONUMA (LAF-amazake) on defecation status and intestinal microflora, a double-blind parallel group comparison test in healthy volunteers with relatively low stool frequency was conducted. Subjects ingested koji amazake or LAF-amazake for 1 week one bottle (108 mL, 118 g) once a day every morning. Subjects filled out daily questionnaires concerning their defecation conditions for the entire 3 weeks. First, second and third periods were the pre-test non-intake, the test food intake and the washout periods, respectively. Although there were no significant changes in intestinal microflora, it was found that defecation frequencies in the koji amazake group in the second and third periods were significantly higher when compared with those in the first period. These results indicated that the koji amazake may be a food material with constipation-relieving effects.