Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Miso has been a traditional daily seasoning for several centuries in Japan, and has served to suppress hypertension, colonic aberrant crypt foci, cerebrovascular disease, and elevation of plasma cholesterol. Its consumption in Taiwan is currently popular along with the growing popularization of Japanese food. Miso is made of rice and soybean. Rice is produced abundantly in Taiwan. The purpose of this study is to investigate the different contents of flavonoid, total polyphenol, and anthocyanins before and after fermentation by different ratio of white rice, brown rice, soybean and black bean with Aspergillus oryzae. All levels of flavonoid, total polyphenol or anthocyanins in white rice and soybean (1:1), white rice and black bean (1:1), brown rice and soybean (1:1), brown rice and black bean (1:1) were increased several times after fermentation for 12 weeks. Scavenging activities of DPPH from those misos were higher than those before fermentation. But we found that miso from white rice via fermentation had higher levels of the functional compounds than those from brown rice. From these results, miso from Taiwan rice and soybean has potential health benefits as a good supplement in general food.