Study On Prebiotic Effects Of OM-X

May 18, 2005

Study on Prebiotic Effects of OM-X

Health-enhancing effects of beneficial bacteria including lactic acid bacteria have recently got increased media attention. They are classified into 3 groups based on their actions. The following is a summary.

Probiotics
Probiotics are viable microorganisms, which are orally taken in and beneficially affect the host by improving the intestinal bacterial balance.
Lactic acid bacteria in LAB foods, Natto (fermented soybeans) bacteria in natto, etc. are categorized into Probiotics.
OM-X contains viable LAB.

Prebiotics
Prebiotics beneficially affect the host by helping the growth of bacterial intestinal bacteria (serves as feed for intestinal bacteria). Dietary supplements such as dietary fiber and oligosaccharides are categorized into Prebiotics.
Ingredients of some of the Probiotic foods include not only beneficial intestinal bacteria but also other ingredients such as lactose and soybean protein. Therefore, some of the Probiotic products have prebiotic effects.

Biogenics
Both Probiotics and Prebiotics act in the intestinal environment. In intestines, beneficial substances to the host are produced through decomposition and fermentation by microorganisms. Biogenics are beneficial components, which are produced outside the host (for instance, in a fermenter), along with the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, through similar decomposition and fermentation by various microorganisms.
Biogenics are the food ingredients that directly act on bio-regulation, bio-defense, disease prevention, anti-aging, etc. such as anti hypertension activity, immunostimulant activity, cholesterol reducing activity, intestinal function controlling activity, and antitumor activity without interacting with the intestinal bacterial flora. Food ingredients such as bioactive peptide, vegetal polyphenol, carotenoid, DHA and vitamin are categorized into biogenics.

As described above, we conclude that OM-X is not only Probiotic but it can be categorized into all of the 3 categories.

The following shows the results of the test we conducted to observe prebiotic effects of OM-X.

Study on Prebiotic Effects of OM-X

Objective:
To assess the influence on the proliferation of LAB by adding OM-X

Method:
LAB count — Agar plate media shown below were used and anaerobically cultured at 37℃ for 2 days.

Table 1
Basic media Weight (g)
Glucose 1
Na-actetate 3H2O 0.2
Salt solution 0.5
Tween80 1
Tryptone 0.3
Agar 1.5
Water 100

Table 2
No. Treatment Added value (%) Tryptone
1 Control 0 0.3
2 Oligosaccharide 3 0.3
3 Dietary fiber 2.7 0.3
4 OM-X (A) 1 0.3
5 OM-X (B) 1 0

Major prebiotic foods shown in Table 2 were added to the basic media shown in Table 1:
OM-X 1%
An Oligosaccharide product (made in Japan) 3%
A dietary fiber product (made in Japan) 2.7 %

The added values of oligosaccharides and dietary fibers were adjusted according to the value of sugars in OM-X. Also, tryptone was excluded from OM-X (B) basic media. OM-X (A) and (B) were sterilized in advance at 121℃ for 15 minutes before the test in order to eliminate the influence of viable LAB contained in OM-X.

LAB to proliferate—A probiotic food manufactured and sold in Japan was diluted with physiological saline. It contains bifidobacteria, faecalis, and acidophilus.

Results
The proliferation of LAB was seen in the treatments with the sterilized OM-X (A) and (B), from which the influence of viable LAB was eliminated. Furthermore, the larger increase of LAB was found in the treatments with OM-X (A) and (B) than those of the oligosaccharide product and the dietary fiber product that were used as probiotic food.

May 18, 2005