US 2005O255126A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0255126A1 Tsubaki et al. (43) Pub. Date: Nov. 17, 2005 (54) BETA-GLUCAN-CONTAINING EAT (30) Foreign Application Priority Data COMPOSITIONS AND NOVEL MICROORGANISM PRODUCING Jun. 25, 2002 (JP)...................................... 2002-185261 BETA-GLUCAN Jul. 16, 2002 (JP)...................................... 2002-206994 (75) Inventors: Kazufumi Tsubaki, Tokyo (JP); Publication Classification Hiromu Sugiyama, Tokyo (JP); Yoshikazu Shoji, Tokyo (JP) (51) Int. Cl." .......................... A61K 35/72, C12P 19/04; C12N 1/14 Correspondence Address: (52) U.S. Cl. .................. 424/195.16; 435/101; 435/254.1 YOUNG & THOMPSON 745 SOUTH 23RD STREET (57) ABSTRACT 2ND FLOOR A B-glucan-containing fat and oil composition contains ARLINGTON, VA 2.2202 (US) B-glucan of microorganism origin or basidiomycete origin. The B-glucan-containing fat and oil composition has f-glu (73) Assignee: Ashai Denka Co., Ltd can uniformly dispersed in a food without worsening the texture, taste etc. of the food. The novel microorganism can (21) Appl. No.: 10/519,379 efficiently produce B-glucan which has a high activity and (22) PCT Fed: Jun. 18, 2003 favorable qualities as 3-glucan of microorganism origin as described above from leSS expensive Saccharides Such as (86) PCT No.: PCT/JP03/07739 Sucrose at a high production Speed. US 2005/0255126 A1 Nov. 17, 2005 BETA-GLUCAN-CONTAINING FAT 0008. In view of the fact that many of B-glucans are COMPOSITIONS AND NOVEL, MICROORGANISM polymers having a molecular weight of 10,000 or more, and PRODUCING BETA-GLUCAN Some of them are sparingly Soluble in water, it is very difficult to uniformly mix -glucan with materials of pro TECHNICAL FIELD cessed foods by the method (1) or (2). Processed foods 0001. The present invention relates to a fat and oil having f-glucan added thereto by the method (1) or (2) composition containing f-glucan originating in microorgan Suffer from impairment of texture or reduction of commer isms or basidiomycetes. The fat and oil composition of the cial value, Such as uneven baking. invention has B-glucan uniformly dispersed in fat and oil. 0009. The methods (3) and (4) are advantageous in that Added to a food, etc., the composition provides the food B-glucan can be incorporated into processed foods relatively with uniformly dispersed B-glucan having bioregulatory uniformly and that the 3-glucan content in processed foods functions and also with enhanced taste, texture, and flavor. can be adjusted freely. However, the extracted and purified 0002 The present invention also relates to a novel micro B-glucan has problems arising from its high water absorp organism useful for obtaining B-glucan and a process of tivity. If Such B-glucan is added as Such to, for example, a producing f-glucan using the microorganism. dough mix containing wheat flour as a main ingredient, and the mix is kneaded together with water, the B-glucan forms 0003) Background Art lumps to make non-uniform dough, which results in pro 0004 Beta-glucans are material attracting attention for cessed food products with reduced taste and texture and the utility because of their excellent bioregulatory functions reduced quality. When B-glucan previously dissolved in that have recently been analyzed, Such as lipid metabolism water is added to a dough mix (mostly in powder form), the improving action, intestinal regulatory action, blood Sugar resulting B-glucan-containing foods can have B-glucan dis controlling action, antitumor effect, and immune enhancing persed therein relatively uniformly. In this case, however, action. Application of Such material to a broad range of dissolving B-glucan in water needs much time, the aqueous processed foods will bring extreme benefits, not only con Solution takes on Viscosity, and it is not easy to obtain a tributing to enhancement of functionality of processed foods uniform acqueous Solution. Accordingly, to dissolve in water (addition of value) but matching the expectation of contri is an impractical operation that impairs the workability on bution to public health maintenance. Beta-glucans occur in Site. a variety of organisms, including microorganisms, basidi 0010. It has therefore been awaited to establish a conve omycetes, and plants, chiefly constituting the skeleton of the nient process for producing processed foods in which B-glu organisms. Beta-glucans, for the most part, Serve to make up can of microorganism or basidiomycete origin is uniformly cell walls. Beta-glucans are composed mainly of glucose dispersed and to develop Such a B-glucan material. polymers having at least two kinds of B-1-2,1-3, 1-4, and 1-6-D-glucopyranose bonds. 0011 Beta-glucans activating the immune system include plant cell wall components (see JP-B-62-6692 and JP-A- 0005 JP-T-2001-501996 studies B-glucans derived from 2001-323001), those present in the hymenia and the mycelia grains and gramineous plants. Some B-glucans from grains of basidiomycetes (mushrooms) (see K Sasaki et al., Car and gramineous plants contain polyphenols, which can bohydrate Res., vol. 47,99-104 (1976) and JP-A-5-345725), cause a coloration problem. Moreover, the B-glucans from cell wall components of microbial fungi, and those Secreted these origins are expensive due to low original B-glucan and produced out of fungi. contents, which puts a limit on applicability to foods. 0012. It is generally well known that the cell wall com 0006 Among microorganisms and basidiomycetes there ponents of any microorganisms contains B-glucans and are Strains which Secrete the same B-glucan out of fungi as exhibit immune enhancement. Among them yeast fungi (see their cell wall component under Some cultivation conditions. JP-A-54-138115 and JP-A-9-103266), lactic acid bacterial The cell wall of microorganisms and basidiomycetes contain fungi (see JP-A-3-22970 and JP-A-10-167972), fungus of a large quantity off-glucan. Aureobasidium (see JP-B-6-92441), etc. are known to be of 0007 Beta-glucan of microorganism or basidiomycete high Safety and high utility value as foods. origin, including B-glucan Secreted out of fungi by micro 0013 Microorganisms that are known to secrete and organisms or basidiomycetes, 3-glucan harvested from produce B-glucan out of fungi exhibiting immune System microorganisms or basidiomycetes by isolation, extraction, purification or like means, cell wall components of micro enhancement include the genus Macrophomopsis, the genus organisms or basidiomycetes, and fungi perse, can or could Alcaligenes producing curdlan (see Syokumotusen-i no be added to processed foods, for example, as follows. (1) kagaku, Asakura Shoten, 1977, 108), and Aureobasidium Culture fungi collected from the culture of microorganisms pullulans (see Agaric. Biol. Chem., 47(6), 1983, 1167-1172 or basidiomycetes are added directly to raw materials of and JP-A-6-340701). processed foods. (2) Cell wall components of microorgan 0014. The B-glucans present in the hymenia and the isms or basidiomycetes Separated from the culture and mycelia of basidiomycetes (mushrooms) have high immune purified are added to raw materials of processed foods. (3) enhancing activity, and Some of them, exemplified by len Beta-glucan extracted from fungi or Separated cell wall tinan extracted from the hymenia of LentinuS edodes, have components is added to raw materials of processed foods. been made use of as medicines. In general, however, pro (4) The Supernatant liquid of a culture of microorganisms or duction of B-glucan by the hymenia and the mycelia of basidiomycetes or B-glucan Separated and purified from the basidiomycetes (mushrooms) greatly varies depending on Supernatant liquid is added to raw materials of processed the growth or cultivation conditions, and it is necessary to foods. Separate the B-glucan by extraction. As a result, complicated US 2005/0255126 A1 Nov. 17, 2005 and wide-ranging molecular Species of 3-glucan are found in DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION the resulting extract, including both high-molecular-weight ones and low-molecular-weight ones, which means unstable 0020. An object of the present invention is to provide a quality. B-glucan material that provides a food with uniformly dispersed B-glucan having bioregulatory functions without 0.015 Thus, stable production of B-glucan with constant impairing the taste and texture of the food. Another object of high activity is the Standing problem relating to basidi the invention is to provide a novel microorganism that is omycetes (mushrooms). On the other hand, the cell walls of useful for producing high-activity and high-quality B-glucan microorganisms contain a large amount of B-glucan and are from inexpensive Saccharides Such as Sucrose with good of interest as a Source of B-glucan. Nevertheless, because the efficiency and at high production rates, a process of produc cell walls of microorganisms contain other components than ing f-glucan using the microorganism, and f-glucan B-glucan and are insoluble in water, they need an extraction Secreted and produced out of fungi by the microorganism. operation Similarly to basidiomycetes in order to recover highly effective, water-Soluble f-glucan. It has therefore 0021. As a result of extensive investigations, the present been an issue to establish a process for Stably extracting inventors have noted use of B-glucan of microorganism or B-glucan of constant quality. basidiomycete origin and found that dispersing the B-glucan 0016. In contrast, the fermentation method of producing in fats and oils or fat and oil compositions gives B-glucan f-glucan using microorganisms Secreting and producing materials that accomplish the above objects. water-Soluble f3-glucan out of fungi with high immune 0022. Furthermore, for the purpose of accomplishing the enhancing activity is an extremely effective technology, above objects, the present inventors have Sought for a making it feasible to obtain uniform, water-Soluble, and microorganism capable of Secreting and producing high high-activity B-glucan.