比菲德氏菌存在於人體的大腸和結腸中,消化性糖無法到達此處。然而,有一些寡糖成分,具有非消化性, 可到達大腸和結腸,進而資化比菲德氏菌。異麥芽寡糖,是以麥芽糖為基質,利用glucosyltransferase 催化反應生成,為機能性寡糖,是一種益生源,對於比菲德氏菌的生長具有很好的促進作用。利用酵母菌去除市售異麥芽寡糖中的消化性糖,亦即麥芽糖及葡萄糖,使寡糖的純度由58%提高至99%以上。在2公升醱酵槽中,用1.3公升的培養基,添加5%的高純度異麥芽寡糖,在礦油覆蓋下的厭氧條件、於37°C、攪拌速度100rpm,觀察比菲德氏菌的生長。醱酵過程中,監測培養液的混濁度、生菌數、氧化還原電位、pH值、醋酸與乳酸濃度,以及用HPLC分析寡糖成分的變化。 在72小時醱酵中,比菲德氏菌主要代謝panose, tertesaccharides 和isomaltose,因而產生glucose和maltose。B. adolescentis CCRC 14609利用異麥芽寡糖的速度為最快速且乳酸的產量37.41 g/L相較於其他菌株為最大。而B. bifidum CCRC 11844和B. breve CCRC 11846則在高純度異麥芽寡糖裡生長緩慢,因此寡糖的代謝較其他的菌株為差。由於此寡糖不含消化性糖,所以這樣的研究比前人利用含有大量消化性糖的寡糖的研究更具有意義。因此可以了解比菲德氏菌對於異麥芽寡糖中不同成分的利用情形,也可以瞭解不同的比菲德氏菌利用寡糖的差異。
Bifidobacteria can promote human health. Bifidobacteria are regularly found in human large intestine and colon, where digestible sugars such as glucose, sucrose and maltose, are not attainable. Isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO), a function sugar, was made from maltose via a reaction catalyzed by glucosyltransferase. IMO is preprobiotic, being able to enhance the growth of bifidobacteria. High-content IMO can be produced, by treating commercial IMO syrup with yeast, thereby digestible sugar including maltose and glucose are depleted. In this way, the content of IMO increases from 58% to 99% on a dry weight basis. In a 2-L jar fermenter, bifidobacteria were cultured in 1.3 L broth in the presence of 5% (w/v) high-content IMO. The fermentation conditions were as following: anaerobic culture, overlaid with a layer of liquid paraffin; stir rate, 100rpm; temperature, 37°C. During fermentation, turbidity, viable count, ORP, pH, acetate, lactate and sugar components were determined periodically. During 72 h of fermentation, most of the bifidobacteria used in this study metabolize primarily panose, tertesaccharides and isomaltose and thus produced G and IG2. B. adolescentis CCRC 14609 consumed IMO much faster than other strains did and produced the maximum lactic acid of 37.41 g/L. But B. bifidum CCRC 11844 and B. breve CCRC 11846 did not grow well and consumed isomaltooligosaccharides poorly. The present investigation using such oligosaccharides which was free of digestible sugars was much more significant than past research, in which oligosaccharides accompanied with large amounts of digestible sugars were used. The utilization of various IMO components by eight bifidobacteria was clearly understood.