JPWO1992001393A1 - Functional food composition using licorice extract - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This publication contains application data prior to electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Functional Food Compositions Using Licorice Extract Technical Field The present invention relates to functional food compositions and functional foods, and more particularly to functional food compositions and functional foods using licorice extract.

BACKGROUND ART Licorice (g17c7rrhixi; Liquorice Radix in the National Pharmacopoeia 7.E-0 and the Taiwan Pharmacopoeia 7.E-0) has long been used as a food seasoning and medicinal ingredient. In particular, its main component, glycyrrhizin, is 150 times sweeter than sucrose and is still widely used today as a sweetener.

On the other hand, licorice extract has antiulcer activity (Takagi.

K,, l5hii,Y,: Arxein Forsch, 17.1544 (1967)) and is known to have pharmacological effects such as protecting against liver damage.

However, licorice extract contains a relatively large amount of glycyrrhizin, which gives it an extremely sweet taste.

For this reason, when licorice extract is used in food compositions, its use method and amount are limited due to palatability considerations, making it extremely difficult to fully utilize the health preventive and therapeutic effects of licorice extract.

Therefore, the first object of the present invention is to provide a functional food composition that can fully utilize the preventive and therapeutic health effects of licorice extract and is easy to consume.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a functional food that can fully utilize the preventive and therapeutic health effects of licorice extract and is easy to eat.

Disclosure of the Invention The inventors discovered that by subjecting licorice extract to specific processing, it is possible to fully utilize the preventive and therapeutic health benefits inherent in licorice and obtain an easy-to-eat functional food composition, leading to the completion of the present invention.

That is, the functional food composition of the present invention, which achieves the first object described above, is characterized by being obtained by subjecting an extract obtained from a plant of the genus G17c7rrhixa to lactic acid fermentation.

Furthermore, the functional food of the present invention, which achieves the second object, is characterized by containing the functional food composition of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows an example of the visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of the functional food composition of the present invention, and Figure 2 shows another example of the visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of the functional food composition of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As mentioned above, the functional food composition of the present invention uses as its raw material an extract obtained from a plant of the genus G17cHrhixa. As this extract, licorice water extract is particularly preferred. Here, "licorice" refers to licorice that has traditionally been used as a sweetener, excipient, herbal medicine, etc., and includes, for example, the following plants:

・Gutter Licorice (G17cyrrhiza uralenis Fisch, el DC,) Light Fruit Licorice (G, gl!bra Linnli ・Spanish Licorice (G, glabra L va+, j7pica Reg, tl l erd) ・Russian Licorice (G, glabra L var, glandulil Cra RB, el l erd) ・Berja Licorice (G, glabra L var, violacea Boiss,) These licorice water extracts are made by adding 1 to 100g of licorice root extract. This is obtained by adding 1000 times the amount (w/w) of water and heating and extracting at 5 to 140°C for 0.1 to 72 hours. Fresh licorice can be used as is to obtain the extract, but dried licorice is particularly preferred. The fresh licorice or its dried form may be the whole plant or a part of the whole plant (root, stolons, etc.), with dried roots with the bark removed and dried stolons with the bark removed being particularly preferred. When using dried material, it is preferable to use it as a powder.

Alternatively, the aqueous licorice extract may be prepared by dissolving licorice extract, which has traditionally been used in herbal medicines, in 1 to 1,000 times the concentration (w/w) of water, or by suspending crude licorice extract in 1 to 1,000 times the concentration (w/w) of water. In the present invention, these solutions are also referred to as aqueous licorice extracts.

As described above, the functional food composition of the present invention is prepared by lactic acid fermentation of an extract obtained from a plant of the genus Glycyrrhixa. When the above-described aqueous licorice extract is used as the extract, the functional food composition of the present invention comprises a fermented liquid obtained by lactic acid fermentation of the aqueous licorice extract (hereinafter, this fermented liquid may be referred to as functional food composition I). The functional food composition of the present invention may also comprise a semi-solid or solid substance obtained by removing the water from the fermented liquid (hereinafter, this substance may be referred to as functional food composition 11).

The bacteria used to lactic acid ferment the licorice water extract can be any lactic acid bacteria conventionally used to produce dairy products, but lactic acid bacteria of the genera Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus) or Bifidobacterium (Bifidobacterium) are particularly preferred. These lactic acid bacteria may be used alone or in combination. Furthermore, lactic acid bacteria contained in dairy products such as yogurt may also be used in conjunction with the dairy product.

Lactic acid fermentation of licorice water extract can be carried out by mixing the licorice water extract with lactic acid bacteria or a dairy product containing lactic acid bacteria and leaving it to stand for one day to one year under facultative anaerobic conditions at 1 to 40°C. If necessary, agar medium or the like may be mixed in as a nutrient source for the lactic acid bacteria.

When lactic acid bacteria contained in dairy products are used together with the dairy product, the dairy product serves as a nutrient source for the lactic acid bacteria, so no other nutrient source is required.

This lactic acid fermentation is preferably carried out so that the amounts of isoliquiritin (a licorice-derived component), lactic acid (a metabolic product of lactic acid bacteria), and glycyrrhizin (a licorice-derived component) contained in the fermentation liquor are 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 30 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per 1 part by weight of isoliquiritin. The amounts of isoliquiritin and glycyrrhizin contained in the licorice aqueous extract decrease as the licorice aqueous extract undergoes lactic acid fermentation. Furthermore, the amount of lactic acid in the fermentation liquor generally increases with increasing fermentation period.

If the amount of lactic acid per part by weight of isoliquiritin is less than 16 parts by weight, the amount of lactic acid relative to the amount of glycyrrhizin is also small, so the fermented liquid is extremely sweet and difficult to eat.

Furthermore, if the amount of lactic acid per part by weight of isoliquiritin exceeds 500 parts by weight, the ratio of lactic acid to glycyrrhizin will be too high, making the fermented liquid extremely sour and inedible. The amount of glycyrrhizin in the fermented liquid should preferably be 14 parts by weight or less, and especially 10 parts by weight or less, per part by weight of isoliquiritin.

The functional food composition I of the present invention, obtained by lactic acid fermentation of licorice water extract as described above, can be prepared from the following: a) the lactic acid fermentation broth itself obtained as described above (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as fermentation broth A); b) fermentation broth A subjected to a sterilization treatment commonly performed in food manufacturing, particularly heat sterilization (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as fermentation broth B); c) the liquid obtained by removing insoluble matter contained in fermentation broth A by filtration or centrifugation (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as fermentation broth C); d) the liquid obtained by removing insoluble matter contained in fermentation broth B by filtration or centrifugation (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as fermentation broth C). The fermented liquid may consist of any of the following fermented liquids: (a) Fermented liquid C obtained by lactic acid fermentation (hereinafter referred to as "fermented liquid C"); (b) Fermented liquid C obtained by sterilization, preferably heat sterilization, as commonly performed in food manufacturing processes; (c) Fermented liquid A1, (d) Fermented liquid B1, (e) Fermented liquid C obtained by sterilization, preferably heat sterilization; (f) Fermented liquid A2, (f) Fermented liquid B1, (f) Fermented liquid C1, (g) Fermented liquid E2, or (h) Fermented liquid F3; (g) Fermented liquid A4, (f) Fermented liquid B5, (f) Fermented liquid C6, (f) Fermented liquid E4, or (h) Fermented liquid G5. In the present invention, these fermented liquids are collectively referred to as "fermented liquids obtained by lactic acid fermentation of licorice water extract."

Each of these fermentation broths, Fermentation Broth A through Fermentation Broth G, contains 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 30 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin. Furthermore, each of these fermentation broths exhibits ultraviolet absorption around 265 to 275 nm and 305 to 320 nm. Furthermore, 5% w/v aqueous solutions of these fermentation broths produce a white precipitate when methanol, ethanol, or acetone is added.

On the other hand, functional food composition 11 of the present invention is a semi-solid or solid substance obtained by removing the water contained in the fermentation liquid (the functional food composition 1 described above) obtained after lactic acid fermentation of licorice water extract, as described above. The water contained in functional food composition 1 can be removed by conventional methods such as vacuum concentration or freeze-drying.

This functional food composition 11 also contains 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 30 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin. Furthermore, an aqueous solution of this functional food composition 11 exhibits ultraviolet absorption near 265 to 27 S nm and near 305 to 32 O nm. Furthermore, a 5 wt % aqueous solution of this functional food composition II produces a white precipitate when methanol, ethanol, or acetone is added.

In addition, both functional food composition 1 and functional food composition 11 of the present invention generally exhibit the following biological properties:

Microbiological Testing Coliform: Negative Staphylococcus aureus: Negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Negative Both of the functional food compositions I and 11 of the present invention thus obtained possess pharmacological activities, including hepatoprotective, antiulcer, and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effects. These pharmacological activities are generally stronger than those of licorice aqueous extracts prior to lactic acid fermentation. Therefore, by consuming the functional food compositions of the present invention (functional food compositions I and/or 11) directly or by adding them to other foods, the inherent health preventive and therapeutic benefits of licorice can be fully utilized. Furthermore, the functional food compositions of the present invention have a moderate sourness, with the long-lasting sweetness inherent to licorice barely noticeable. Therefore, the functional food compositions of the present invention are palatable. Furthermore, when added to other foods, they produce functional foods that are easy to eat.

Next, the functional food of the present invention will be described.

The functional food of the present invention comprises a food containing the functional food composition of the present invention. The base food is not particularly limited, and various foods can be used as the base food, such as water, soft drinks, fruit drinks, confectioneries, breads, noodles, and seasonings.

The functional food of the present invention can be easily obtained by adding the above-described functional food composition of the present invention to the production process of a base food, or by adding the above-described functional food composition of the present invention after the production of the base food. At this time, a flavoring agent may be added, if necessary.

The content of the functional food composition in the functional food of the present invention varies depending on the type of functional food desired and personal preference, but is preferably 0.1% by weight or more in order to fully utilize the inherent health-promoting and health-treating effects of licorice.

The functional food of the present invention thus obtained contains the functional food composition of the present invention, and is therefore a food that can fully utilize the preventive and therapeutic health effects inherent to licorice. Furthermore, it is also palatable.

The functional food composition and functional food of the present invention will be described below with reference to examples.

Example 1 (Preparation of Functional Food Composition 1) 20 g of Pharmacopoeia japonica powder (husk removed) was added to 1 liter of water and heated for 1 hour at approximately 90°C for extraction. After cooling, the extract still containing the japonica powder was added with lactic acid bacteria contained in Morinaga Bifidus (product name of yogurt manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) along with the yogurt. The mixture was transferred to a glass container, sealed, and then inverted to create a facultative anaerobic environment.

Thereafter, the mixture was left to stand at room temperature for 2 weeks, occasionally shaking the entire container, to allow lactic acid fermentation to occur.

After two weeks, the contents of the glass container were removed and filtered under suction. The resulting filtrate was sterilized by heating at 90°C for 90 minutes to obtain approximately 0.9β of functional food composition I of the present invention.

The composition of the functional food composition (II) obtained was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography under the conditions described below, and it was found that the functional food composition (II) consisted of at least 20 components.

Column: Cosmosil 5C 1g [product name, manufactured by Nacalai Tisque, Inc.] Mobile phase: A mixture of methanol and water (methanol:water = 60:40 by volume) adjusted to pH 2.1 with phosphoric acid Flow rate: 1.5 ml/min Detector: UV-Visible spectrophotometer (Detection wavelength: 250 nm) Table 1 shows the peak retention times and contents of each component analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography under the above conditions.

The visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of the obtained functional food composition are shown in Figure 1.

Comparative Example 1: A composition (licorice extract) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the lactic acid bacteria contained in Morinaga Bifidus (the trade name of yogurt manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) was not added along with the yogurt.

The composition of the resulting composition was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography under the same conditions as in Example 1, and it was found to consist of at least 22 components.

The peak retention time and content of each component analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography are shown in Table 2.

(Blank space follows) As is clear from a comparison of Tables 1 and 2, in the functional food composition 1 of the present invention obtained in Example 1, the relative content of glycyrrhizin (the component corresponding to peak number 19 in Table 1 and peak number 20 in Table 2) decreased to 115 or less, while the content of components with peak retention times of 2 minutes or less increased.

Examples 2 to 4 (Preparation of Functional Food Compositions 1) The functional food compositions of the present invention were prepared in the following manner.

First, 30 g of Pharmacopoeia serrata powder was suspended in 1 pf distilled water and heated for 2 hours at approximately 70°C for extraction. After cooling to room temperature, the extract still containing the serrata powder was mixed with 200 g of yogurt containing lactic acid bacteria, Morinaga Bifidus (the trade name of yogurt manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.), under aseptic conditions. The mixture was then transferred to a glass container, sealed, and then inverted to create a facultative anaerobic environment.

The mixture was then left to undergo lactic acid fermentation at 30-35°C for 3 days, with occasional shaking of the entire vessel.

After three days, the contents of the glass containers (lactic acid fermentation broth) were boiled to stop the fermentation, allowed to cool to room temperature, and then centrifuged. After centrifugation, the supernatant was separated to obtain approximately 0.8β of the functional food composition of the present invention.

The composition of the functional food composition obtained in each Example is shown in Table 3. For comparison, the composition of a licorice extract obtained by suspending 30 g of licorice powder in 1/2 liter of distilled water and extracting by heating at approximately 70°C for 2 hours is also shown in Table 3.

As is clear from Table 3, each functional food composition I contains 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid per part by weight of isoliquiritin, and 1/3 to 30 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin. In contrast, in the licorice extracts listed for comparison, lactic acid is usually not detectable or, as shown in Table 3, its content is extremely low.

Furthermore, when five adult males were asked to taste each functional food composition I, all five subjects answered that the functional food compositions I obtained in Examples 2 and 3 were not sweet. Furthermore, four out of the five subjects answered that the functional food composition I obtained in Example 4 was not sweet.

In addition, each functional food composition I was diluted 25-fold with water, and the visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of these diluted solutions were measured in the same manner as in Example 1. For each functional food composition I, ultraviolet absorption was observed near 265-275 nm and near 305-320 nm. Among these measurement results, the visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of functional food composition I obtained in Example 2 are shown in Figure 2.

Furthermore, 5 w/v% aqueous solutions of each functional food composition I were prepared, and when five times the amount of methanol was added to these solutions, a white precipitate formed in all of the solutions. The white precipitate also formed when ethanol or acetone was added instead of methanol.

Example 5 (Preparation of Functional Food Composition 1) 40 g of Pharmacopoeia serrata powder (husk removed) and 5 g of agar medium were added to 1 L of water and extracted by heating at 70°C for 2 hours. After cooling, Lactobacillus bulgaricus (Lactobacillus bulgaricus +++) was added as a lactic acid bacterium to the extract solution still containing the serrata powder and agar medium, and approximately 0.9 L of the functional food composition of the present invention was obtained in the same manner as in the Examples.

Example 6 (Production of Functional Food Composition 1) 20 g of Pharmacopoeia serrata powder (husk removed) and yogurt [trade name .

5 g of Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt (manufactured by Meiji Dairies Co., Ltd.) was added to 1 part water and extracted by heating at 70°C for 2 hours.

After cooling, Bifidobacterium longum (lactic acid bacteria) was added to the extract containing the watercress powder and yogurt, and the procedure was repeated as in Example J to obtain approximately 0.9 l of functional food composition I of the present invention.

Example 7 (Preparation of Functional Food Composition I) 100 g of dried Spanish licorice whole plant was shredded and added to 1/4 of water, followed by heating and extraction at 70°C for 2 hours. After cooling, Lactobacillus casei was added as a lactic acid bacterium to the extract still containing the shredded Spanish licorice. The procedure was repeated as in Example 1 to obtain approximately 0.9 kg of functional food composition I of the present invention.

Examples 8 to 10 (Preparation of Functional Food Composition 11) Each of the functional food compositions I obtained in Examples 2 to 4 was freeze-dried to obtain 9.5 to 15.8 g of a solid (functional food composition 11).

Aqueous solutions were prepared for each of the functional food compositions 11, and the visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of each solution were measured in the same manner as in Example 1. In all of the solutions, ultraviolet absorption was observed in the vicinity of 265 to 275 nm and 305 to 320 nm.

Furthermore, 5 w/v% aqueous solutions of each functional food composition 11 were prepared, and when five times the amount of methanol was added to these solutions, a white precipitate formed in all of the solutions. The white precipitate also formed when ethanol or acetone was added instead of methanol.

Example 1 (Production of Functional Food Composition 11) Functional Food Composition I obtained in Example 7 was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain 20 g of a soft extract (Functional Food Composition 1t).

An aqueous solution of this soft extract was prepared, and the visible and ultraviolet absorption spectra of this aqueous solution were measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, ultraviolet absorption was observed in the vicinity of 265 to 275 nm and 305 to 320 nm.

Furthermore, when a 5% w/v aqueous solution of this soft extract was prepared and five times the amount of methanol was added to this solution, a white precipitate formed. This white precipitate also formed when ethanol or acetone was added instead of methanol.

Pharmacological Test 1 (Effect on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Damage) The hepatoprotective effect of functional food composition I of the present invention was tested in the following manner using a mouse model of acute liver damage caused by carbon tetrachloride, an established method for testing hepatoprotective effects [Toxicol. Applied Pharmacology, Vol. 67, No. 159 (1983)].

First, 23 male ICR mice weighing approximately 30 g were prepared and divided into 5 groups, each consisting of 4 to 5 mice.

Next, one of the five groups (four animals) served as a control group. Each animal was subcutaneously administered a mixture of olive oil and carbon tetrachloride (volume ratio: 10:1) at a dose of 0.1 ml per 10 g of body weight to induce acute hepatitis. Immediately, 12 hours, and 48 hours after administration, each animal was orally administered 0.5 ml of saline. Forty-eight hours after the third saline administration, the animals were sacrificed and blood samples were collected. Serum GOT (glutamate oxaloacetate aminotransferase) and GFT (glutamate pyruvate aminotransferase) levels were measured using standard methods.

The remaining four groups were divided into a group administered functional food composition I obtained in Example 1 (Example group 1.5 individuals), a group administered functional food composition I obtained in Example 5 (Example group 2.4 individuals), a group administered functional food composition I obtained in Example 6 (Example group 3.5 individuals), and a group administered the composition obtained in Comparative Example 1 (aqueous licorice extract) (Comparative example group 1.5 individuals). After acute hepatitis was induced in these groups in the same manner as in the control group, the functional food composition obtained in each Example or the composition obtained in the Comparative example was orally administered instead of saline. Serum GOTflt and GP TJ51 were measured in the same manner as in control group 2.

The results are shown in Table 4.

As can be seen from Table 4, in Example Groups 1 to 3, which were administered the functional food compositions obtained in Examples 1, 5, and 6, the GOT and GPTlt levels were significantly lower than in the control group, and were also lower than the GOTJI and GPTffi levels in Comparative Example Group 1, which was administered licorice water extract.

This indicates that the hepatoprotective effect of the functional food composition 1 of the present invention is stronger than that of the aqueous licorice extract.

It has been shown that part of the hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride is due to lipid peroxidation caused by the CCl3 radical generated in vivo. Therefore, the following pharmacological test 2 was conducted to examine whether functional food composition 1 of the present invention inhibits lipid peroxidation induced by CCl4.

Pharmacological Test 2 (Antioxidant Effect on Lipid Peroxidation) The test solutions used were the functional food composition II obtained in Example 2, a licorice water extract obtained in the same manner as in Example 2 to which yogurt was added in the same manner as in Example 2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "0-day fermentation solution"), and an alcohol solution of isoliquiritin. Antioxidant activity tests were conducted on these test solutions as follows.

First, rat liver microsomes were obtained by a conventional method and then suspended in 1.15% KCl to obtain a microsome suspension containing 2 mg/ml of protein.

Next, 100 μM of this microsome suspension was added to 500 μM Tris-T (Cl) buffer, 200 μM of an aqueous solution of NAD P 11 generating system (containing 30 nM G-6-P, 51 U/nL G-6-P dehydrogenase, 3.2 mM NAD P, and 8 mM nicotinamide), and 100 μM of a sample solution adjusted to the concentration shown in Table 5 with 10% DMF aqueous solution, and the mixture was heated at 37°C for 5 minutes.

Next, 100 μM of carbon tetrachloride (100 mM, 10% v/v DMSO solution) was added and heated at 37°C for 20 minutes. The reaction was stopped by cooling with water, and the amount of lipid peroxide produced was measured using the thiobarbituric acid method for 1 ml of the reaction mixture. The antioxidant activity of the sample solution was expressed as a percentage inhibition compared with the blank.

For the blank, 100 μl of 10% DMSO solution was added instead of the sample solution, 100 μl of water was added instead of 200 μl of the NADPH generating aqueous solution, and 100 μl of carbon tetrachloride (100 mM 100% v/v DMSO solution) was added instead of 100 μl of 10% v/v DMSO solution.

The results are shown in Table 5.

As is clear from Table 5, when the concentrations of the test solutions were the same, the lipid peroxidation inhibition rate in the group administered functional food composition 1 was higher than that in the group administered the 0-day fermentation solution.

This indicates that the antioxidant effect of functional food composition II of the present invention is stronger than that of the fermentation solution on day 0. Furthermore, as shown in Pharmacological Test 1 above, these results also demonstrate that functional food composition I of the present invention has a hepatoprotective effect. Furthermore, it is clear that at least a portion of this hepatoprotective effect is due to the antioxidant effect of functional food composition II of the present invention.

Pharmacological Test 3 (Anti-ulcer Activity) The anti-ulcer activity of functional food composition 1 obtained in Example 2 and a licorice water extract obtained in the same manner as in Example 2, to which yogurt was simply added in the same manner as in Example 2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the 0-day fermentation solution), against hydrochloric acid-ethanol ulcers was tested as follows.

First, SI male rats (5 rats/group) weighing 180-220 g were fasted for 24 hours, and then a 60% ethanol solution containing 150 ml of hydrochloric acid (hydrochloric acid-ethanol solution) was orally administered to each rat at a dose of 0.5 l/100 g of body weight to induce hydrochloric acid-ethanol ulcers.

One hour after administration of the hydrochloric acid-ethanol solution, each animal was anesthetized with ether, exsanguinated, and sacrificed, and the stomach was removed. The removed stomach was then fixed and the length of the ulcers that had developed in the glandular stomach was measured, and the sum of the lengths of the ulcers that had developed in each animal was calculated as the ulcer index.

The functional food composition 1 and the 0-day fermentation solution were each concentrated under reduced pressure to 1/7/4 volume and used as test solutions. These test solutions were orally administered to each individual at a dose of 1/100 of the total volume (18%), 30 minutes before the administration of the hydrochloric acid-ethanol solution. As a control, distilled water was orally administered in the same amount as the test solution instead of the test solution. The results are shown in Table 6.

As is clear from Table 6, the ulcer index of the group administered with functional food composition II was smaller than that of the group administered with the 0-day fermented liquid.

This indicates that the antiulcer effect of the functional food composition (2) of the present invention is stronger than that of the 0-day fermentation solution.

Pharmacological Test 4 (90-Day Subacute Toxicity Test and 30-Day Recovery Test) The functional food composition I of the present invention obtained in Example 1 was orally administered to 5-week-old male Wistar rats at a rate of 10 ml/rat for 90 consecutive days, followed by a 30-day recovery test.

As a result, no changes were observed in parameters such as membrane status, body weight, blood chemistry tests, or urinary electrolytes during either the administration or recovery period.

These results clearly demonstrate that the functional food composition I of the present invention is non-toxic.

Panel Test The functional food composition of the present invention obtained in Example 1 was diluted 10-fold with water and cooled to approximately 4°C to prepare a test solution. 40 ml of this test solution was consumed by a panel of 10 adult males aged 22 to 55 before lunch, and the panelists were asked to evaluate the results after consumption.

The panelists' evaluations were as follows. However, multiple responses were allowed.

1. It had a moderate acidity and tasted delicious. 6 people 2. The acidity was too strong and felt strange. 0 people 3. The fatigue in my limbs disappeared and I felt energized. 3 people 4. A refreshing feeling remained in my mouth after drinking it, and my appetite was stimulated.

4 people 5. I felt a temporary feeling of abdominal bloating, but my appetite returned shortly thereafter. 1 person 6. I tasted a sweet taste. 0 people 7. I noticed an odd odor. 0 people Furthermore, two of the 10 panelists who had complained of hangovers reported that their nausea and fatigue disappeared after drinking the beverage.

Example 12 (Production of Functional Food) Using the functional food composition 1 obtained in Example 1 as one of the raw materials, 1000 cc of a soft drink (one of the functional foods of the present invention) with the following composition was prepared.

Orange juice 17.5 g Grapefruit juice 14.0 g Pineapple juice 4.2 g Fructose, glucose, liquid sugar (BXNia 5) 140 g Citric acid 4.0 g Flavor 1.0 g Functional food composition I 5.0 g Purified water (balance) Example 13 (Production of functional food) Using functional food composition I obtained in Example 2 as one of the raw materials, a soft drink (one of the functional foods of the present invention) with the following composition was prepared.

Purified water 38.70 g Functional food composition I 58.03 g Sugar 2.90 g Sodium citrate 0.07 g L-ascorbic acid 0.10 g Sodium chloride 0.05 g Citric acid 0.1 g Flavoring agent (as needed) Flavor (as needed) Example 14 (Production of a functional food) Using functional food composition I obtained in Example 5 as one of the raw materials, 1000 cc of a carbonated beverage (one of the functional foods of the present invention) with the following composition was prepared.

Granulated sugar 4.2 g Citric acid 1.0 g Vitamin C 0.1 g Grapeskin color 5.0 g Flavor 1.8 g Functional food composition 1 5.0 g Carbonated water (balance) Example 15 (Production of a functional food) Using functional food composition I obtained in Example 6 as one of the raw materials, 200 g of caramel (one of the functional foods of the present invention) having the following composition was obtained.

Sugar 70.0 g Starch syrup 83.0 g Condensed milk 30.0 g Wheat flour 9.38 g Milk 18.75 g Butter 2.25 g Coconut oil 0.75 g Functional food composition I 5.0 g Example 16 (Production of functional food) 20.0 g of functional food composition 11 (soft extract) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 11. Using this functional food composition 11 as one of the raw materials, 300 g of cookies (one of the functional foods of the present invention) were obtained as follows.

First, 20 g of the obtained soft extract (functional food composition I+) was kneaded with 100 g of sugar and 80 g of butter, and then one egg yolk, 200 g of wheat flour, and an appropriate amount of vanilla extract were added and further kneaded.

The resulting mixture was left to stand at 4°C for a certain period of time, and then 300 g of cookies containing functional food composition 11 were baked according to a conventional cookie manufacturing method.

Example 17 (Production of Functional Food) The functional food composition II obtained in Example 1 was used as one of the ingredients. Functional food composition II was added to the udon ingredients at a content of 1% by weight. Udon noodles (one of the functional foods of the present invention) were then obtained according to a standard udon noodle production method.

The functional foods obtained in Examples 12 to 17 were tasted by five adult males, and all of the functional foods were found to be easy to eat and tasty.

As described above, the functional food composition of the present invention has stronger pharmacological activities, such as hepatoprotective activity, antiulcer activity, and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, than the aqueous licorice extract before lactic acid fermentation. Furthermore, the functional food composition of the present invention is easy to eat either as is or as a functional food of the present invention.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and fully utilize the preventive and therapeutic health effects inherent to licorice.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A functional food composition obtained by lactic acid fermentation of an extract obtained from a plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza. 2. A functional food composition comprising a fermentation broth obtained by lactic acid fermentation of an aqueous licorice extract, containing 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 30 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin, and exhibiting the following properties (1) and (2): (1) Exhibiting ultraviolet absorption in the vicinity of 265 to 275 nm and 305 to 320 nm. (2) Forming a white precipitate when methanol, ethanol, or acetone is added to a 5 wt% aqueous solution of the composition. 3. A functional food composition comprising a semi-solid or solid substance obtained by lactic acid fermentation of an aqueous licorice extract and subsequent removal of water from the fermentation broth, said composition containing 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 30 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin, and exhibiting the following properties (1) and (2): (1) When dissolved in water, it exhibits ultraviolet absorption in the vicinity of 265 to 275 nm and 305 to 320 nm. (2) When methanol, ethanol, or acetone is added to a 5 wt% aqueous solution, a white precipitate forms. 4. The functional food composition according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the fermentation broth obtained by lactic acid fermentation of an aqueous licorice extract contains 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 14 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin. 5. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the fermented liquor obtained by lactic acid fermentation of an aqueous licorice extract contains 16 to 500 parts by weight of lactic acid and 1/3 to 10 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin per part by weight of isoliquiritin. 6. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the fermented liquor is obtained by lactic acid fermentation of an aqueous licorice extract under facultative anaerobic conditions at 1 to 40°C for 1 day to 1 year. 7. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the aqueous licorice extract is a heated extract of dried licorice powder. 8. The functional food composition according to claims 2 to 6, wherein the licorice water extract is a solution obtained by dissolving a licorice extract used in herbal medicine in water, or a suspension obtained by suspending a crude licorice extract used in herbal medicine in water. 9. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the licorice is Japanese Pharmacopoeia licorice powder. 10. The functional food composition according to claim 1, wherein the fermented product is substantially unsweetened. 11. The functional food composition according to claims 2 to 6, wherein the fermented broth is substantially unsweetened. 12. A functional food comprising a functional food composition using the licorice extract according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 13. The functional food according to claim 11, wherein the base food of the functional food is one selected from the group consisting of water, soft drinks, and fruit drinks.