CA1061164A - Process for preparing food products containing a lactic acid bacteria-fermented product of a cereal germ - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A process for preparing food products containing a lactic acid bacteria-fermented product of a cereal germ, which comprises inoculating lactic acid bacteria in a culture medium containing a water extract of a cereal germ as a main ingredient, and then cultivating the lactic acid bacteria therein. These products are of nutritional value.

Description

This invention relates to A process for pr~par-ing food products containing a lactic acid bacteria-fer-mented produc-t of the useful ingredients of a cereal germ in high concentrations which are free from the poor palat-abili*y of cereal germs ascribable to bad smell, tasteand susceptibilit~ to spoilage~
The health-promoting and nutritional values of lactic acid bacteria-fermented products of milks, that i~, coagulated milks, ha~e becn recognized for many years, and a number of suggestions have been made a~ to their produc-tion. Attempts have also been made to produce such co-agulated milk~ by utilizin$ cereal $erm~ or extracts thereo~ The~e prior techniques include, for example, a method of producing coa~lated mllk by adding a very small amount of a germ-leached product in an attempt to avold the inhibltion of the growth of lactic acid bacteria caused by the deviation of the pH from the optimal range a~ a re~ult of the formation of lactic acid (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4156/1930); a method for obtaining a coagulated milk product by mixing a naturally fermented product of a mixture con~isting of a rice germ po~er, a rice koji powder and a low-fat milk, with a separately prepared coagulated milk (Japanese Patent Publication NQ.
5213,~1932); and a method of cultivating lactic acid bacteria in milk to which a tiny amount of a rice bran-leached pro-duct has been added (JApanese Patent Publication No. 26474f65).
The prior su3~estion~ ho~e~er fall to disclose any technical concept and means of producing lactic acid bacteria-fermented products of the useful components of

- 2 cereal germs themselves~
It is ~ell known that cereal germs contain good q~ality proteins, essential fatty acids not synthesizable within the hu~an body, such as linoleic acid, nicotinic acid or pantothenic acid, various vitamins such a~ vitamin Bl, B2, B6, E, F, or H, and minerals such as K, Na, Ca or Mg, and have a very high nutritional value~ Thus, the cereal germs are known to be "natural food products"
which contain a well-balanced combination of nutrients that tend to be deficient in foods and drinks normally taken by humans, and which exhibit superior actions of, for example, improving the phy~ical constitution, helping lon~evity, nourishing the skin, promoting health, and curing certain diseasesO
In spite of this, there has been suggested no idea of pro~iding a lactic acid bacteria-fermented food product of cereal germs themselves or the useful ingredients extracted therefrom. This is probably becaus~ the ex-*raction of *he useful ingredients of germs iY an extremel~
difficult operation and the efficiency of extraction is poor, and their inherent poor edibility and potability and their susceptibility to spoilage have been against an incentive to attempts at producing feasible fermented products of cereal germs for human consumption. In fact, in the prior suggestions cited above, the underlying technical concept was merely to utilize a tiny amount of extracted ingredients of germ~ for promoting the lactic acid bacteria-fermentation of milk components to produce coagulated milk.

Our extensi~e lnvestigations in an attempt to provide lactic acid bacteria-fermented products of the extrac*ed ingredients of cereal germs themselves have led to the discovery that a food product containin~ a lac*ic acid bacteria-fermented produc-t of a cereal germ ~.~rhich has ~uperior edibility and potability can be obtained by inoculating lactic acid bacteria in a culture madium consi~ting of, as a main ingredient, a water extract of a cereal germ, and cultivating the bacteriaO We have also found that a better quality food product con-talning a lactic acid bacteria~fermented product of a cereal germ can be obtained by inoculatin~ lactic acid bacteria in a culture medium composed of, as a main ingredient, a water extract of a cereal germ which is obtained by hot water extraction of the cereal ~erm in the presence of a starch hydrolase (the extraction method previously ~uggested by our copending Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.
36375J73), and cultivating the bacteria therein~
Japanese Patent Publication No~ 26474J65 cited above states that the promotion of the gro~th of lactic acid bacteria by the method disclosed tnerein is due to the suitable concentration of milk or a low-fat powdery milk, and the suitable amount and temperature of the leached product of defatted rice bran added thereto, and also to the synergistic effect of ba~es, vita~ins, and traces of metals present in the leached product; and teaches a method of cultivating ].actic acid bacteria wherein the addition of 0.4 to 0.60~ of the leached product to a 20 to 22~,b milk solution is essentialO In contrast, we have found that by fermenting the extracted ingredients of a cereal germ or the germ itself in the presence of lactic acid bacteria using a culture medium containing the extract of the germ or the germ itself and without requiring the presence of milk, an excellent increase of bacterial population can be achieved, and contrary to the expected unfittability of cereal germs for human comsumption, the process of this invention can afford a lactic acid bacteria-fermented cereal germ product having superior edibility and potability.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a process for preparing with commercial advantage food products containing a lactic acid bacteria-fermented product of the useful components of a cereal germ or the - germ itself which have superior edibility and potability and exhibit superior actions of, for example, improving the physical constitution, helping longe-vity, nourishing the skin, promoting health, and curing certain diseases, the process comprising cultivating lactic acid bacteria in a culture medium con-taining the germ itself or germ extract as a main ingredient.
Many other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.
The present invention provides a process for preparing a lactic acid bacteria-fermented food product of a cereal germ, which comprises inoculating a culture medium containing an aqueous extract of a cereal germ as a main ingre-dient with lactic acid bacteria, said extract being present in an amount of at least about 25% by volume based on the volume of the culture medium and said extract having a solid content of at least about 2% based on its own weight, and then cultivating the lactic acid bacteria therein to produce the lactic acid bacteria-fermented product.
The culture medium used in the process of this invention consists mainly of a water extract of a cereal germ. The content of the extract is usually at least about 25% by volume, preferably at least about 35% by volume, more preferably at least about 50% by volume, ~3~

based on the volume of the culture mediumO Preferab the extract has a solid content of at least about 2%~
more preferably at least about S%, especially preferably at least about 10~, based on its o~-Tn lreight.
The extraction of cereal germs is carried out with hot water preferably at a temperature of at least 60 C~ and up to the boiling point of the extraction system. The amount of water as an extractant and the extracting temperature can be varied suitably according9 for example, to the type, form or grain size of the germ.
For exa~ple, in the case of a whea-t germ powder~ an a~eous slurry prepared by adding about 10 liters of ~ater to about 1 Kg of the powder is heated at about 90C. for about 30 minutes, lightl~ boiled for about 2 to 3 minutes, ar.d then subjected to a liquid-solid sepa-rating means using, for example, a filter cloth to afford an extract ~ith a so~s content of about 3.5 to 4,~. If the extracting tempera*ure is too low, the concentration of the extracted components decreases, and too high ex-tracting temperatures make the extracting and separating procedures dif-ficultD Hence, it is desirable to choose moderate extracting temperatures. The extracting operation may be performed in a single or a multiplicity of stages, and there is no particular restriction in this regard.
The germs of cereals, such as rice and wheat, can be utilized either as such or after being defatted.
The extractin$ water, if desired, may contain a sucrose fatty acid ester, a sorbitan fatty acid ester, or an emulsifying agent or surface active agent whose intake f~

into the body is permissible. The form of the starting germ is neither restricted, and may be a powder, coarsely pulverized product, or flattened product.
The concentration of the extracted components can be increased by extracting the germ with hot water in the presence of a starch hydrolase ~enzyme number 3.2). The starch hydrolase is well known, and commercially available. Examples of such enzymes are ~-anylase, malt amylase, diastase, Takadiastase, (enzyme numbers 3.2.1.1;3.2.1.2) and gluco-anylase. ~Enzyme

3.2.1.4) furthermore, in the process of this invention, the starch hydrolase (enzyme number 3.2) may be used in conjunction with cellulases (enzyme number 3.2.1.4) or proteases ~enzyme numbers 3.4,3.4.21.14, 3.4.21.15~. The use of amylases ~enzyme number 3.2) containing proteases is preferred because it will result in the increased contents of vitamins B or nicotinic acid in the fermented product of this invention, and improve the stability of the pro-teinaceous components of the final product (by inhibiting the separation of the proteinaceous components).
The amount of the starch hydrolase ~enzyme number 3.2) differs according to the action, properties and enzymatic unit of the enzyme agent used, and also the properties and quality of the starting cereal germ. In many cases, amounts of about 0.1 to 5.0% weight based on the starting germ are sufficient. For example, in the case of a powdery enzyme preparation of 5000 units/g, its amount may be about 0.2 to 0.5% by weight.
The details of the hot water extraction in the presence of a starch hydrolase ~enzyme number 3.2) are described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 36375/73 cited hereinabove, and are omitted in this application.

As stated hereinabove, the extracting tempeTa-ture is preferably from about 6QC. to the boiling point of the extraction system. The extracting temperature may be changed stepwise during the extraction operation, or maintained substantially constant during the entire extracting period. When a protease Cenzyme numbers 3.4, 3.4.21.14,3.4.21.15); and containing amylase (enzyme number 3.2) is used, the extraction is preferably carried out preliminary at room temperature to about 45C., and then at the above-specified temperature.
The amount of the extracting water is not res-tricted in particular, and for exampleJ it is at least 2 parts by ueight, for example, 2 to 10 parts by weight, per part by weight of the starting cereal germ.
The type of the extracting t~mk or the method of he~ting can be fre01y changed, and any types of the tank and heating method which make hot-water extraction possible can be employed.
If desired, the extraction can be carried out at elevated pressures. Prior to extraction, the starting cereal germ may, if desired~ be washed with water, or pasteurized with a suitable disinfectant such as hypo-chlorous acid. If further desired, the starting germ slurry or suspension may be blanched at a desired stage, for example, during its transfer or extraction. Stirring may be employed in the extracting operation, and the heat-ing may be carried out by steaming. ~r the starting cereal germ may be packed in a column, and the extractant passed through the column to extract the useul components of the germ. The extraction operation can be performed either cont~nuously or batchwiseO
The extracting time is neither restricted, and can be varied suitably according9 for example, to the method of extraction and the extracting conditions.
Usually, a period of about 1~2 to about 3 hours is suf-ficientO
Af-ter the extraction, the liquid is separated from the solld, and the extract is collectedO Any con-ventional li~uicl-solid separating procedures can be used for the separationO If desired, the li~uid-solid-sepa-ration and filtration can be facilitated by using an organic or inorganic precipitating agentO In the sepa-rating procedure, filtration aids or precipitants, ~uch as diatomaceous ~,~rth,terra abla or poly(sodium acrylate) can be utili3ed. The resulting water extract can be used either directly or after being concentrated by kno1~ con-centrating means which do not subs1tantially cause thermal chan~es to the product. Or it may be powdered by known drying means lrhich do not substantially cause thermal chan$es to the product, and re-dissolved to the desired concentration. The powderization can be carried out by concentration or drying at reduced pressure and low tem-peratures, preferably by spray-drying at room temperature or under heat, or lyophilization.
A culture medium containing the resulting water-extract of cereal germ as a main ingredient is used in the process of this ~nvention. If desired, the culture medium may further contain minor amounts of culture medium components and~or potable and edible components.

The amounts of these secondary components should not be such that ~ill decrease the amounts o-f the useful com-ponents of the lrater-ex-tract of the cereal ~erm to very small ones as is the case ~ith the conventional production of coagulated milkn Examples 0~ these additives include animal proteins such as milks, concentrated milks, low-fat milks~ or whey; vegetable protein-containing materials such as soybean milk, juices of cereal lea~es, or dried products of the cereal leaf ~uices; carboh~drates such as starch and sugars; egg shells; and ~east extract~, edible plant extracts, malt extract, and fruit juices.
In the process of this invention, lactic acid bacteria are inoculated in the culture medium described above, and cultivated thereO The culture medium is heat-s*erilized in a customar~ manner, and a starter resultingfrom the cultivation of lactic acid bacteria9 for example, Lactobacillus ul~aricus in a culture medium o~ low-fat milk is ad~ed to the culture medium having a so~d~ concentra*ion of about 10 to ?.0% by weight, for example, in an amount of about 2 to 10% based on the volume of the culture medium.
The lactobacilli inoculated are cultivated at a suitable cultivating temperature of, say, about 38 to 40 C. Other kno~n and available lactic acid bacteria include~ for example, ~actobacillus acidoPhilus, Streptococcus lactis, .. .. ~ .. , . ~ . . _ and ~ coccus thermophilus.
__ Especially favorable results are obtain~d in the process of this invention by utilizing an extract obtained by extracting a cereal germ with hot lrater in the presence ~ y~e ~b~
of a starch h~drolas~, as a main ingredient of the culture -- LO --&~

mediumO The bacterial population increases exceeclingly in this embodiment as compared with the case of using an extract obtained in the absence of the enzyme~ We assume that this method of extraction results in a strik-ing increase in the amount of the e~tract and permitsa ~ery easy extracting operation, and that the addition (e~z~fne ~b~3~
of the starch hydrolase~leacds to the formation of sugars ~hich are required for lactic acicl fermentation using lactic acid bacteria, and also substances which promote *he growth of lactic acid bacteria can be extraeted to a higher extent.
The food pro~lucts obtai:ned by the proeess of this invention containing a laetic acid bacteria-ferment~d product of a cereal germ exhibit superior edibility and potability in the form as proclueed~ If desired, they may be mixed ~ith additives such as flavoring substances, s~eetenings, conventionAl coa~ulated milks, essences such as vanilla, orange or lemon essences,refined sugar, glu-lose, bee honey, stareh syrup, or licorice extract to pro-vide special food products containing lactic acid bacteria-fermented cereal germs. ~urthermore, the food products can he dried by customary means under conditions which do not substantially cause thermal changes to the products, for example, by clrying at reduced pressure and low tem-peratures, preferably spray-drying at room temperature of under heat, or ~y lyophylizingO The dried products are taken as such or used as fortifying n~tritive additives -to a broad range of food productsO
Thus, according to the present invention, there can bP provided a fermented product o an extract of the components of a cereal germ or a dried product there-of, which contains useful ingredients in many varieties and amounts which can be used in a wide variety of food products and health-promoting or pharmaceutical compo-sitions. The fermented products and dried products there-of can also be used as animal or poultry feeds or feed additives, or as therapeutic or prophylactic agents for animals, or for promoting growth or egg laying.
I0 The following Examples illustrate the process of this invention in greater detail.
ample 1 (a~ 1 Kg of a wheat germ was placed in a 20-liter stainless steel con~ainer, and 10 liters of water was added. The mixture was lightly stirred to form a sus-pension of the germ. The suspension was heated at about 90C. for 40 minutes and finally boiled for 2 to 3 minutes, then allowed to stand, and filtered to extract hot water-soluble components. The resid~e was lightly squeezed, and combined with the filtrate obtained to afford 7 liters of a yellowish milky white liquor haYing a solids concent-ration of about 3% by weight. The liquor was concentrated at reduced pressure to af~ord 1.3 liters of a germ ex-tract (A) having a solids concentration of 15%.
~) 1 Kg of a wheat germ was placed in a 20-liter stainless steel container, and 10 liters of water was added. 5 g of ~-amylase (enzyme numbers 3.2.1.1,3.2.1.2) (Kleistase, a prodwct of Yamato Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha, containing protease) was added. The ~-amylase (enzyme numbers 3.2.1.1,3.2.1.2) used had 7500 enzyme units (one enzyme unit p~
is defined as the activity of 1 g of the enzyme which acts on 10 ml of a 1% solution of starch and reduces the iodine color reaction degree of the starch by 1%
by reaction at 40 CD for 1 minute). The mixture l~aS
thoroughly dispersed ~ith stirring, and graclually heated from room tamperature, maintained at about 30 to 40C.
for 40 minutes, further heated and maintained at ahout 75Co for 40 minutes, and finally boiled mildly for ?.
to 3 minutes The product was treated in the same way as in (a) ahove to afforcl 7~5 liters of a fermentation liquorO The filtrate hacl a solids concentration of about

4%. The liquor was concentrated at reduced pressure to afford 109 liters of a germ extract (B) having a solids concentration of 15%~
15 (c) One liter each of the germ extracts (A) ancl (B) obtained in (a) and (b) above ~as placed in a 1.5-liter pre-sterili~ed three-necked glass flask, and sea~ed by a cotton stopper. It was sterili~ed in a ~ustomary manner in an autoclave, and allowed to cool to form a culture medium having a pH of about 6.50 60 ml of a starter resulting from the cultiva-tion of Lactobacillus bul~aricus was adcled to each of the culture media ohtained, and cultivated at 38 to 40 C. for ?4, 48, 72 ancl 94 hours, respectivelyO About 10 cc of each f the fermentecl products ~as sampled at the end of each fermentation period, and the bacterial population (the number of active :Lacto~acillus cel:ls) was measured.
For comparison, the same fermentation a* above ~as performed using 1 liter of a culture medium (15% by weight concentration) obtaine~ by adding 1400 ml of ~ater to 210 g of low-fat milkO
The resul.ts are sho~^m in Ta~le 1.

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. ~ _ The fermentation liquors obtained by fermenting for 72 hours were each analyzed for Vitamins Bl9 B2, B6, F and H, nicotinic acid, and calcium. The results are shown in Table 2 below.
Table 2 SubstancesExtract CA)Extract ~B) ~ .
Yitamin Bl0.50 mg% 0.61 mg% 0.1 mg%
Vitamin B20.28 mg% 0.32 mg% 0.15 mg~
Vitamin B6184.0 ~g% 202.0 ~g% 52 ~g%
Vitamin F10.5 mg% 13.6 mg% 1.2 mg%

Vitamin H11.2 mg% 15.4 mg% 2.2 mg%
(biotin) Nicotinic acid 61.0 mg% 78.0 mg% 41.5 mg%
Calcium 0.2 mg% 0.28 ~8~ 0.01 mg%

~ rom the examples shown in Tables 1 and 2, it is seen that the lactic acid bacteria-fermented products of cereal germs are far superior to the coagulated milks in accordance with the conventional technical concept.
Exam~le 2 10 liters of water was added to 1 kg of a wheat germ ~a product of Nissin Seifun Kabushiki Kaisha)l and

5 g of ~-amylase (enzyme numbers 3.2.1.1J3.2.1.2) (Kleistase, a product of Yamato Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha) was added. The mixture was sufficiently stirred, and gradual-ly heated at 75 to 80C. for 40 minutes, followed by gentle boiling for 2 to 3 minutes. The product was filtered by means of a filter cloth, and the residue was lightly squeezed to orm 7.S liters of a filtrate. l`he fi]trate obtained had an extra~t concentration of 4% and a pH of 605. The filtrate was concentrated at reduced pressure to afford al~out 1.9 liters of a germ extract having an extract concentration of 15Qbo The extract was then placed in a 5-liter pre-sterilizecl three-necked flask and sealed by a cotton stopper. It was sterilized in a customary manner in an autoclave, and cooled rapidly to about 38 C0 200 ml of a starter resulting from the culti-vation of Lactobacil:Lus ~ was added to the result-ing culture mediumO The mixture ~ras well shaken, andp]aced in an incubator at 3~ to 40C.

Fermentation time Acidity ~hours) (%)_ _pH
?.4 1.0 3O7 ~8 103 3.6 7? 104 3u5 After a lapse of 72 hours, the fermentation liquor was withdra~n, and 3.3 Kg of granular sugar was added, and the mixture was heated to 60Co Then, a solution of 17 g of a sucrose fatty acid ester (DIC-Ester-140, a product of DaiiChi Kogyo Seiyaku Kabushiki Eaisha) in a small amount of water was added. The mixture was treated in a homo-genizer to form a ]ight yellow gray homogeneous syrup.
Example 3 100 liters of water was added to 10 ICg of a wheat germ, and the mixture was heated at al~out 90Co for al~out 30 minutes to extract hot water-soluble components~
The mixture was boiled for 2 to 3 minutes, and filtered 1~f~d~ r~1arK - 17 -through a cloth ba$. The residue was lightly squeezed to afford about 70 liters of a filtrate li~Thich was yellow in color and somewhat opalescentO The ex*ract content of the filtrate was about 3h. The filtrate was con-centrated at reduced pressure to afford 16 liters of agerm extract having an extract concentration of 1?~.
5 S of lactose was adcIed, and the mixture was maintained at about 90 CO for about 30 minutes to sterilize it, and then cooled rapi~ly to 40Co One liter of a starter re-sulting from the cultivation of Lactobacillus bulgericuswas acldecl, and the mixture was stirredO
Then7 the mixture was maintained at 37 to 40 C.
to perform lactic acid fermentation~

Fermentation time Acidity (hours) (,S) pTI
___ ._ _ 24 1.4 3~5 48 1.6 3 5 7~ 1.7 3.5 ExAmple IL
10 Liters of water was added to 1 ICg of a rice germ (~ product of Kanemi Yushi ~abushiki Kaisha) and the mixture was dispersed with stirring. The mixture was heated at about ~0C. for 30 minutes, then boiled :lightly for 2 to 3 minutes, and filtered through a gauze tc afford fi . 3 liters of a filtrate having an extract concentration of 3% and a pll of 6.6. The filtrate was concentratecl at reducecd pressure to afford about 1.6 liters of a rice germ extract with an extract concentration of 12~. 7 Liters _ :L8 -of a 12% solution of low~fat po~rdery milk was added, and the mixture was sterilizecl a-t about 90 C0 for about 30 minutesO The mixture was cooled to afford a culture medi~ for lactic acid fermentationn ~30 ml of a starter resulting from the cultivation of Lactobaclllus ~
was added to the eulture meclium. The culture medium was maintainecd at 38 to 40 C~ to perform the lactic acid fer-mentationO

Bacterial population Fermentation per cubic centimeter time Acidity of the fermentation (hours) (~) E~i _ liquor 105 3-5 207 x 109 4~ 1076 3-5 2.8 x 109 7~. 1.95 30~ ?~3 x 109 The fermentation liquor witlldra~n after a lapse of 72 hours was treated in a homogenizer to form a homo-geneous turbid liquor, and lo 5 rK~ of granular sugar, 1.0 Kg ~^~ of starcl-l syrup, 18 g of a sucrose fatty acid ester (DK~-140, a produet of Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Kabushiki ~caisha)~ and a small amount of an orange flavor were aclded, and the mixture was again homogeni~ed by a homogenizer.
The resulting syrup ~as used as an original es-sence fcr active lactobacilli-containing drinksO
~en thi6 product was maintained in a refrigerator at 10 C~ for 4 days, the number of lactohacil:Li contained was 3.8 million'ml.
Example 5 10 Liters of water l~as added to 1 ICg of a wheat germ (a product of Nissin Seifun Kabushiki Kaisha) 7 and f~ a /l ~

5 g of ~amylase Cenzyme numbers 3.2.1.1,3.2.1.2) (Kleistase, a product of Yamato Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha~ was added and dispersed with stirring. The dispersion was gradually heat-ed, and maintained at 75 to 80C. for 40 minutes. It was again heated, and finally boiled gently for 2 to 3 minutes.
The product was filtered to afford 7.4 liters of a filtrate having an extract concentration of 4.8% and a pH of 6.7.
The filtrate was concentrated at reduced pressure to afford 2.7 liters of a concentrated liquor having an extract con-centration of 12%. The concentrated liquor obtained was sterilized, and 2000 ml of the sterilized liquor was mixed with 800 ml of a 12% solution of low-fat powdery milk, and 100 ml of a starter resulting from the cultivation of Lactobacillus bulgaricus was added to the mixture to per-form lactic acid fermentation. After a lapse of 48 hours, the fermentation liquor had an acidity of 2.2%, and after a lapse of 72 hours, it had an acidity of 2.6% and a pH
of 3.3. It was homogenized by a homogeni7er, and 4.0 Kg of granular sugar was mixed. The mixture was homogenized, and sterilized at 70C. for 15 minutes to afford 5.2 liters of an original essence for lactobacilli-fermented drinks.
Example 6 10 Liters of water was added to 1 Kg of a wheat germ ~a product of Nissin Seifun Kabushiki Kaisha), and 2.5 g of commercially available ~-amylase (Kleistase, a product of Yamato Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha) was added. The mixture was gradually heated, and finally boiled gently for 2 to 3 minutes. The product was cooled to about 55 C., and 2.5 g of glucoamylase (enzyme number 3.2.1.3) ~Sumizyme, a product of Shin Nippon Kagaku I~abushiki Kaisha) was added. The mixture l~a~ stirred, maintained at about 55C. for 5 hours, again heated, and gently boiled for ? to 3 hoursO
The mixture lJaS filtered through a gallZe to afford 709 liters of a filtrateO The filtrate was concentrated at reduced pressure to af-ford 2~5 liters of a concent-rated liquor having an extract concentration of 15%o The liquor was sterilized, and cooled by the method already described hereinabove, and 120 ml of a starter resulting from the cultivation of Lactobacillus bulgaricus ~.~as added to perform ~actic acid fermentationO After a lapse of 7?. hours, the fermentation liquor had an acidity of 203,b, and a pH of 304 and contained 206 x 109'ml of active lactobacilli. loO Kg of granular sugar and ~00 g of starch syrup ~Jere dissolvecl in about 1 liter of waterO
The solution l~aS boiled~ coolecl, and admixed with steri-lized water to adjust the amount of the mixture to 2.5 liters. The resultin~ mixture was addecl to the fermentation product, and sufficiently emulsified 'co afford an original essence for lactobacilli-containing drinksO This was diluted to about 20 5 times the original volume to form a lactobacillus-fermented drinkO l~len it l~as stored for one month at about 5 C., it contained l o O x 109,/ml Or active cells.

- ?1 -

Claims (15)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A process for preparing a lactic acid bacteria-fermented food product of a cereal germ, which comprises inoculating a culture medium con-taining an aqueous extract of a cereal germ as a main ingredient with lactic acid bacteria, said extract being present in an amount of at least about 25%
by volume based on the volume of the culture medium and said extract having a solid content of at least about 2% based on its own weight, and then culti-vating the lactic acid bacteria therein to produce the lactic acid bacteria-fermented product.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said aqueous extract is obtained by extracting the cereal germ with hot water.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein the cereal germ is extracted with hot water in the presence of starch hydrolase.

4. A process according to claim 3 wherein the amount of extracting water is at least 2 parts by weight per part by weight of cereal germ.

5. A process according to claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the cereal germ is extracted with water at a temperature from room temperature to 100°C.

6. A process according to claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the cereal germ is extracted with water at a temperature from 60 to 100°C.

7. A process according to claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the cereal germ is extracted with water at a temperature of from room temperature to 45°C.

8. A process according to claim 3 wherein the starch hydrolase includes amylase and the water temperature is from room temperature to 45°C.

9. A process according to claim 1, wherein the cereal germ is selected from wheat germ or rice germ.

10. A process according to claim 1 wherein the culture medium contains at least 35% by volume cereal germ extract.

11. A process according to claim 1 wherein the culture medium contains at least 50% by volume cereal germ extract.

12. A process according to claim 1, 10 or 11 wherein the cereal germ extract has a solids content of at least 5%.

13. A process according to claim 1, 10 or 11 wherein the cereal germ extract has a solids content of at least 10%.

14. A process according to claim 3, 4 or 8 wherein the starch hydrolase is present in an amount from 0.1 to 5% by weight based on the starting cereal germ.

15. A process according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the starch hydrolase includes enzymes selected from the group .alpha.-amylase, malt amylase, diastase, Taka-diastase, and gluco-amylase.