WO2024030943A1

WO2024030943A1 - Oat fermentation products, products prepared therefrom and uses thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2024030943A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/071491
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alice LOU; Nancy Jia; Mary FENG; Candy TIAN; Aimin Yang; Xiaohang Xia; Laura Lu; Sherrie ZHOU; Jason Yang; Feng Liu
Original assignee: The Quaker Oats Company
Priority date: 2022-08-03
Filing date: 2023-08-02
Publication date: 2024-02-08
Also published as: CN117512030A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an oat fermentation product, an oat product produced therefrom, a preparation method, and use thereof. The oat fermentation product is obtained by fermenting a fermentation solution comprising a fermentation substrate and a ferment. The fermentation substrate may include a partially hydrolyzed oat and an oat bran. The ferment includes Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM. The oat fermentation product includes at least 11 mg/ml amino acids, galactose at a concentration of 2,000-100,000 ppm, and glucose at a concentration of at least 600 ppm. The oat fermentation product is rich in monosaccharides, amino acids, beta-glucan, and other phytonutrients, which are easily absorbed and utilized by gut. The fermentation of specific strains beneficially provides an organoleptically pleasant product that has an appropriate acidity and is fragrant, glutinous, and delicious.

Description

OAT FERMENTATION PRODUCTS, PRODUCTS PREPARED THEREFROM AND USES THEREOF

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese patent application No.

2022109287374, filed on August 03, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of fermentation, and in particular to an oat fermentation product obtained by fermenting an oat and/or an oat bran. The disclosure also relates to an oat product prepared from the oat fermentation product and a use of the oat fermentation product.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Oat is the grain of Avena sativa L., a plant of the genus Avena in the family Poaceae. As one of the main sources of human food, oats are rich in sugars, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and a variety of active ingredients with antioxidant effects such as polyphenols.

[0004] Oat bran is a by-product of the grinding of oat husks that may have a protein content of up to 30% and is particularly high in essential amino acids, especially lysine and tryptophan. Furthermore, in addition to being rich in [3-glucan, oat bran contains a significant amount of insoluble dietary fiber, which helps to promote intestinal peristalsis and to excrete toxins from the body.

[0005] Although oats and oat bran provide many benefits to the human body, the intestinal tract has low utilization of unprocessed oats, so it cannot improve and regulate the intestinal tract, and oat bran is rarely used in food products due to its rough texture and poor taste. As such, existing oat products can be improved in terms of taste, flavor and nutritional content to meet the needs of the public.

SUMMARY

[0006] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an oat fermentation product obtained by fermenting a fermentation solution comprising a fermentation substrate and a ferment, wherein the fermentation substrate includes a partially hydrolyzed oat and an oat bran in a mass ratio from 3:1 to 1 :3 The ferment includes Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus having a total concentration of 100 DCU/t to 250 DCU/t, and Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of which have a concentration between about 6 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, and the oat fermentation product includes at least 11 mg/ml of amino acids, galactose at a concentration of 2,000-100,000 ppm, and glucose at a concentration of at least 600 ppm.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides an oat product for enhancing gut health prepared from the oat fermentation product of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for preparing an oat fermentation product that includes providing at least a partially hydrolyzed oat and an oat bran in a mass ratio from 3:1 to 1 :3; mixing the at least partially hydrolyzed oat and the oat bran to form a fermentation substrate; adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate to form a fermentation solution, wherein the ferment includes Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus having a total concentration of 100 DCU/t to 250 DCU/t, and Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of which have a concentration of 6 log CFU/g to 9 log CFU/g; and fermenting the fermentation solution to form the oat fermentation product. The resulting oat fermentation product includes at least 11 mg/ml of amino acids, galactose at a concentration of 2,000-100,000 ppm, and glucose at a concentration of at least 600 ppm.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of enhancing gut health in a subject in need thereof, that incudes orally administering to the subject the oat product of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides use of the oat fermentation product of the first aspect for the preparation of a functional formulation for enhancing gut health.

[0011] As used herein, the term “about” or “approximately” as applied to numerical values encompasses the exact value and a reasonable variance. [0012] Unless specified otherwise, the terms “comprising” and “comprise”, and grammatical variants thereof, are intended to represent “open” or “inclusive” language such that they include recited elements but also permit inclusion of additional, unrecited elements. In addition, it is contemplated that in all instances where the term “comprising”, “comprise”, and grammatical variants are used, it should be understand that these terms could be substituted with “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” or grammatical variants thereof.

[0013] Unless otherwise defined, all terms have and should be assigned the same meanings as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this present disclosure belongs.

[0014] It should also be appreciated that particular combinations of the various features described and defined in any aspects of the invention can be implemented and/or supplied and/or used independently

[0015] All percentages are intended to refer to a weight percentage unless otherwise specifically described differently or unless the context indicates otherwise. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The present disclosure will be described in further detail below so that those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs can easily put the present disclosure into practice. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely illustrations.

[0017] Oats and oat bran are rich in [3-glucans, amino acids, phytonutrients, etc., which can be absorbed and utilized by human body to help regulate human physiological health. Thousands of phytonutrients have been identified and isolated from oats and oat bran, including chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, erucic acid, quercetin, isoflavones, curcumin, indole-3- acetic acid, linoleic acid, geranic acid, catechol, etc.

[0018] As the main soluble dietary fiber of oats, [3-glucan plays an important role in an organism. It can regulate blood sugar, blood lipids, soften blood vessels, prevent high blood pressure, enhance immunity, prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, ameliorate or inhibit skin allergies, improve the control of weight etc.

[0019] Chlorogenic acid is a phenylpropanoid polyphenolic compound and, as an important biologically active substance, it has antibacterial, antiviral and free radical scavenging effects.

[0020] Vanillic acid is a phenolic acid compound produced by plant secondary metabolism, which has various pharmacological activities such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis. In addition, vanillic acid has good anti-platelet aggregation effect and plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of thrombotic diseases.

[0021] Erucic acid, also known as sinapine, has been found in recent years to have biological activities, such as scavenging free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, antibacterial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and improving memory.

[0022] Quercetin is widely distributed in the plant kingdom and is a flavonol compound with various biological activities. Quercetin has various biological activities such as anti-oxidation, dilation of blood vessels, and anti-tumor efficacy. [0023] By using at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran as substrates for fermentation in the methods to prepare the oat fermentation product according to the present disclosure, the resulting oat fermentation product can provide a source of abundant active ingredients such as monosaccharides, amino acids, [3-glucans, and other phytonutrients. Further, according to the described methods, it has been found that when the ferment includes specific strains, the active ingredients contained in the fermentation substrate can be thoroughly dissolved out, so that they can be easily absorbed and utilized when administered to a mammal, i.e., a human. To this end, it has been found that the use of a ferment that includes the specific strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus provides the resulting oat fermentation product that is organoleptically pleasing with an appropriate acidity, fragrance, glutinous texture, and delicious mouthfeel and taste.

[0024] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an oat fermentation product obtained by fermenting a fermentation solution that includes a fermentation substrate and a ferment, wherein the fermentation substrate includes at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran.

[0025] The oat used in the present disclosure may be the hulled grain of Avena sativa L. Hulled oats are composed of 3 main components: oat bran, oat endosperm and oat germ. Oat bran is the multilayered skin of grain seeds, including the outer pericarp, seed coat, aleurone layer and subaleurone layer. Oats and oat bran mainly contain starch, protein, fat, dietary fiber, [3-glucan and sugar.

[0026] The at least partially hydrolyzed oats of the present disclosure maintain their standard properties as whole grains after hydrolysis. “Whole grain” or “standard properties of whole grains” means that oats “consist of whole, milled-crushed, or flaked caryopses, all of the major anatomical components - starchy endosperm, germ and bran are present in the same relative proportions in the intact caryopsis, and should be considered whole grain foods”. Herein, the partial hydrolysis of the oats will not lead to undesired hydrolysis of oat components, so that the at least partially hydrolyzed oats can maintain desired properties (e.g., organoleptic properties, health-related properties, whole grain status, fermented whole grain state or a combination thereof).

[0027] In one embodiment, the at least partially hydrolyzed oats may be obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis. The method of hydrolysis can be as described in Chinese patent applications with publication Nos. CN105142423A, CN109152397A or CN110621167A, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In one embodiment, the oats are not hydrolyzed to such an extent that non-starch molecules such as sugars are present. In one embodiment, enzymes that can hydrolyze oats include, but are not limited to, a-amylase, pectinase, cellulase, and combinations thereof. The oats are enzymatically hydrolyzed to reduce the molecular weight of macromolecular substances such as starch and fiber and maintain the whole grain characteristics of oat. In one embodiment, hydrolyzing the oats may include hydrolyzing starch, fiber, protein, or combinations thereof contained in the oats. In one embodiment, the duration of the hydrolysis is sufficient to reduce the average molecular weight of the starch in oats to about 0.07% to about 95%, 1% to about 95%, 6% to about 95%, 0.07% to about 75%, 1% to about 75%, or 6% to about 75% of the average molecular weight of unhydrolyzed oats. In one embodiment, the hydrolysis of the oats avoids hydrolyzing starch in unhydrolyzed oats into non-starch components. For example, a-amylase may be used to hydrolyze the starch in oats and make no more than, for example, 5 wt%, 4 wt%, 3 wt%, 2 wt%, 1 wt %, 0.9 wt%, 0.8 wt%, 0.7 wt%, 0.6 wt%, 0.5 wt %, 0.4 wt %, 0.3 wt %, 0.2 wt%, 0.1 wt% of the starch in oats into sugar. Hydrolysis of oats may be stopped by inactivating the enzymes using any suitable means such as by with heat.

[0028] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product contains starch, protein, fat, and [3-glucan. In one embodiment, the mass ratio of starch to protein in the oat fermentation product is 1.30-0.70 times, 1.25-0.75 times, 1.20-0.80 times, 1.15-0.85 times, 1 .10-0.90 times, 1 .05-0.95 times that of unprocessed oats and oat bran. In one embodiment, the mass ratio of fat to protein in the oat fermentation product is 1 .30-0.70 times, 1 .25-0.75 times, 1 .20-0.80 times, 1 .15-0.85 times, 1 .10-0.90 times, 1 .05-0.95 times that of unprocessed oats and oat bran. In one embodiment, the mass ratio of [3-glucan to protein in the oat fermentation product is 1 .30-0.70 times, 1 .25-0.75 times, 1 .20-0.80 times, 1 .15-0.85 times, 1 .10-0.90 times, 1 .05-0.95 times that of unprocessed oats and oat bran.

[0029] In one embodiment, the oat bran may be oat bran that has been heated to be ripened. In one embodiment, the oat bran may be oat bran treated with vapour at high temperature. In one embodiment, the oat bran may be cooked at a temperature above about 95 °C for about 90 to about 120 minutes, for example, cooked at about 96 °C for about 95 to about 115 minutes, cooked at about 97 °C for about 100 to 110 minutes, cooked at about 98 °C for about 102 to about 108 minutes, cooked at about 99 °C for about 104 to about 106 minutes, or cooked at about 100 °C for about 105 minutes. The ripened fermented oat bran may facilitate the consumption of the product.

[0030] In one embodiment, the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be from about 100:1 to about 1 :6, for example, the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be about 90:1 to about 1 :6, about 80:1 to about 1 :6, about 70:1 to about 1 :6, about 60:1 to about 1 :6, about 50:1 to about 1 :6, about 40:1 to about 1 :6, about 30:1 to about 1 :6, about 20:1 to about 1 :6, about 10:1 to about 1 :6, about 9:1 to about 1 :6, about 8:1 to about 1 :6, about 7:1 to about 1 :6, about 6:1 to about 1 :6, about 5:1 to about 1 :6, about 4:1 to about 1 :6, about 3:1 to about 1 :6; or the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be about 100:1 to about 1 :5, about 100:1 to about 1 :4, about 100:1 to about 1 :3; or the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be about 50:1 to about 1 :5.5, about 40:1 to about 1 :5, about 30:1 to about 1 :4.5, about 20:1 to about 1 :4, about 10:1 to about 1 :3.5, about 5:1 to about 1 :3. In one embodiment, the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be from about 3:1 to about 1 :3. When the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran is greater than 100:1 , the active ingredients released by the fermented substances after entering the intestinal tract are not rich enough to meet nutritional requirements. When the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran is less than 1 :6, the fermentation substrate formed by this combination may cause the fermentation solution to be too viscous, which is unfavorable for the growth of strains in the fermentation substrate.

[0031] In one embodiment, the amino acid content of the oat fermentation product is increased by more than about 7.3% compared to a control containing the same fermentation substrate but not fermented with a ferment according to the described method. In one embodiment, the oat ferment product includes at least 11 mg/ml of amino acids. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 11 .2 mg/ml, at least 11 .4 mg/ml, at least 11 .6 mg/ml, at least 11 .8 mg/ml, at least 12 mg/ml, at least 14 mg/ml, at least 16 mg/ml, at least 18 mg/ml, at least 20 mg/ml, at least 25 mg/ml, at least 30 mg/ml, at least 35 mg/ml, at least 40 mg/ml, at least 45 mg/ml, at least 50 mg/ml, at least 60 mg/ml, at least 70 mg/ml, at least 80 mg/ml, at least 90 mg/ml, or at least 100 mg/ml of amino acids. The oat fermentation product includes an amount of free amino acids to provide rich nutrition for the body after being absorbed by the intestinal tract.

[0032] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain various amino acids. In one embodiment, the amino acids include one or more of aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, cystine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, histidine, lysine, arginine, and proline. [0033] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain at least 0.98 mg/ml of aspartic acid, such as at least 0.99 mg/ml, 1 .00 mg/ml, 1 .02 mg/ml, 1 .04 mg/ml, 1 .06 mg/ml, 1 .08 mg/ml, 1.10 mg/ml or 1 .11 mg/ml of aspartic acid. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.98 mg/ml to about 5.00 mg/ml, about 0.98 mg/ml to about 4.00 mg/ml, about 0.98 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, about 0.98 mg/ml to about 1 .50 mg/ml, about 0.99 mg/ml to about 1 .25 mg/ml or about 1 .00 mg/ml to about 1.15 mg/ml of aspartic acid. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain at least 2.24 mg/ml of glutamic acid, such as at least 2.26 mg/ml, 2.28 mg/ml, 2.30 mg/ml, 2.32 mg/ml, 2.34 mg/ml, 2.36 mg/ml, 2.40 mg/ml, 2.42 mg/ml, 2.44 mg/ml, 2.46 mg/ml, 2.48 mg/ml or 2.50 mg/ml of glutamic acid. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 2.24 mg/ml to about 6.00 mg/ml, about 2.30 mg/ml to about 4.00 mg/ml, about 2.35 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, or about 2.40 mg/ml to about 2.50 mg/ml of glutamic acid. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain at least 0.47 mg/ml of glycine, such as at least 0.48 mg/ml, 0.49 mg/ml, 0.50 mg/ml, 0.51 mg/ml, 0.52 mg/ml, 0.53 mg/ml, 0.54 mg/ml or 0.55 mg/ml of glycine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.47 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, about 0.48 mg/ml to about 1 .50 mg/ml, about 0.49 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml, or about 0.50 mg/ml to about 0.55 mg/ml of glycine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain at least 0.50 mg/ml of alanine, such as at least 0.52 mg/ml, 0.54 mg/ml, 0.56 mg/ml, 0.58 mg/ml or 0.60 mg/ml of alanine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.50 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, about 0.55 mg/ml to about 1 .50 mg/ml, or about 0.60 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of alanine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain at least 0.52 mg/ml of valine, such as at least 0.54 mg/ml, 0.56 mg/ml or 0.58 mg/ml of valine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.52 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, about 0.53 mg/ml to about 1 .50 mg/ml, or about 0.54 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of valine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 0.39 mg/ml of tyrosine, such as at least 0.40 mg/ml, 0.41 mg/ml, 0.42 mg/ml or 0.43 mg/ml of tyrosine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.39 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, about 0.40 mg/ml to about 1 .50 mg/ml, or about 0.41 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of tyrosine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 0.32 mg/ml of histidine, such as at least 0.33 mg/ml, 0.34 mg/ml, 0.35 mg/ml or 0.36 mg/ml of histidine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.32 mg/ml to about 3.00 mg/ml, about 0.33 mg/ml to about 1 .50 mg/ml, or about 0.34 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of histidine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 0.56 mg/ml of lysine, such as at least 0.58 mg/ml, 0.60 mg/ml, 0.62 mg/ml or 0.64 mg/ml of lysine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.56 mg/ml to about 6.00 mg/ml, about 0.58 mg/ml to about 4.00 mg/ml, about 0.60 mg/ml to about 2.00 mg/ml, or about 0.65 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of lysine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain at least 0.60 mg/ml of arginine, such as at least 0.62 mg/ml, 0.64 mg/ml, 0.66 mg/ml, 0.68 mg/ml or 0.70 mg/ml of arginine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.60 mg/ml to about 6.00 mg/ml, about 0.62 mg/ml to about 4.00 mg/ml, about 0.64 mg/ml to about 2.00 mg/ml, or about 0.66 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of arginine. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 0.63 mg/ml of proline, such as at least 0.65 mg/ml, 0.67 mg/ml or 0.71 mg/ml of proline. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain about 0.63 mg/ml to about 6.00 mg/ml, about 0.64 mg/ml to about 4.00 mg/ml, about 0.65 mg/ml to about 2.00 mg/ml, or about 0.66 mg/ml to about 1 .00 mg/ml of proline. [0034] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product includes galactose. The galactose may have a concentration of at least 2,000 ppm, at least 3,000 ppm, at least 5,000 ppm, at least 8,000 ppm, at least 10,000 ppm, at least 20,000 ppm, 30,000 ppm, 40, 000 ppm, 50, 000 ppm. In one embodiment, the galactose may have a concentration of about 2,000 to about 100,000 ppm, about 4,000 to about 80,000 ppm, about 6,000 to about 70,000 ppm, about 8,000 to about 60,000 ppm, about 10,000 to about 55,000 ppm, about 15,000 to about 50,000 ppm, about 20,000 to about 45,000 ppm, about 25,000 to about 40,000 ppm. After fermentation, at least part of the sugars in the oats and oat bran is converted to galactose, which can be rapidly absorbed as it passes through the intestinal tract, thereby increasing the bioavailability of the oats and oat bran.

[0035] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product includes glucose. The glucose may have a concentration of at least 600 ppm, at least 800 ppm, at least 1 ,000 ppm, at least 2,000 ppm, at least 3,000 ppm, at least 4,000 ppm, or at least 5,000 ppm. In one embodiment, the glucose may have a concentration of about 600 ppm to about 10,000 ppm, about 800 ppm to about 9,000 ppm, about 1 ,000 ppm to about 8,000 ppm, about 2,000 ppm to about 7,000 ppm, about 3,000 ppm to about 6,000 ppm. After fermentation, at least part of the sugars in oats and oat bran is converted into glucose, which can be quickly absorbed when passing through the intestinal tract, and provides a direct energy source for the body while improving the bioavailability of oats and oat bran.

[0036] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may further include one or more of fucose, galactosamine hydrochloride, rhamnose, arabinose, glucosamine hydrochloride, N-acetyl-D glucosamine, xylose, mannose, fructose, ribose, galacturonic acid, and glucuronic acid.

[0037] In one embodiment, the hydrolysis or heating does not substantially change the structure of the [3-glucan in the oats or oat bran, or does not substantially change the structure, or the amount of structurally changed [3-glucan is less than 10 wt%, 9 wt%, 8 wt%, 7 wt%, 6 wt%, 5 wt%, 4 wt%, 3 wt%, 2 wt% or 1wt% of the total [3-glucan in oats or oat bran. In one embodiment, the [3-glucan content of the oat fermentation product may be increased by more than 10.2% compared to a control containing the same fermentation substrate but not fermented with a ferment according to the described methods. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may further include [3-glucan of at least 950 ng/ml, at least 960 ng/ml, at least 970 ng/ml, at least 980 ng/ml, at least 990 ng/ml, at least 1 ,000 ng/ml, at least 1 ,200 ng/ml, at least 1 ,500 ng/ml or at least 2,000 ng/ml. For example, the oat fermentation product may include [3-glucan of about 950 ng/ml to about 3000 ng/ml, about 950 ng/ml to about 2500 ng/ml or about 970 ng/ml to about 2200 ng/ml.

[0038] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include a plurality of free phenolic acids. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include one or more free phenolic acids selected from chlorogenic acid, erucic acid, vanillic acid or quercetin. The presence of free phenolic acids confers antioxidant properties to the oat ferment product.

[0039] In one embodiment, the chlorogenic acid content of the oat fermentation product may be increased by at least 17% compared to a control containing the same fermentation substrate but not fermented with a ferment according to the described methods. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 0.17 pg/ml of chlorogenic acid, such as at least 0.18 pg/ml, at least 0.19 pg/ml, at least 0.20 pg/ml, at least 0.21 pg/ml, at least 0.22 pg/ml, at least 0.23 pg/ml, at least 0.24 pg/ml, at least 0.25 pg/ml, at least 0.26 pg/ml, at least 0.27 pg/ml, at least 0.28 pg/ml, at least 0.29 pg/ml, or at least 0.30 pg/ml. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include from about 0.17 pg/ml to about 5.00 pg/ml, from about 0.18 pg/ml to about 4.00 pg/ml, from about 0.19 pg/ml to about 3.00 pg/ml, about 0.20 pg/ml to about 2.00 pg/ml, or about 0.21 pg/ml to about 1 .00 pg/ml of chlorogenic acid.

[0040] In one embodiment, the vanillic acid content of the oat fermentation product may be increased by at least 17% compared to a control containing the same fermentation substrate but not fermented with a ferment according to the described methods. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 1 .00 pg/ml of vanillic acid, such as at least 1.10 pg/ml, at least 1 .20 pg/ml, at least 1 .30 pg/ml or at least 40 pg/ml of vanillic acid. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include from about 1 .00 pg/ml to about 5.00 pg/ml, from about 1.10 pg/ml to about 4.00 pg/ml, from about 1 .20 pg/ml to about 3.00 pg/ml, about 1 .30 pg/ml to about 2.50 pg/ml, or about 1 .40 pg/ml to about 2.00 pg/ml of vanillic acid.

[0041] In one embodiment, the quercetin content of the oat fermentation product may be increased by at least 32% compared to a control containing the same fermentation substrate but not fermented with a ferment according to the described methods. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include at least 8 pg/ml of quercetin, such as at least 9 pg/ml, at least 10 pg/ml, at least 12 pg/ml, at least 14 pg/ml, at least 16 pg/ml, at least 18 pg/ml, at least 20 pg/ml, at least 22 pg/ml, at least 24 pg/ml, at least 26 pg/ml, at least 28 pg/ml, or at least 30 pg/ml of quercetin. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may include about 8 pg/ml to about 100 pg/ml, about 10 pg/ml to about 90 pg/ml, about 12 pg/ml to about 80 p g/ml, about 14 pg/ml to about 70 pg/ml, about 16 pg/ml to about 60 pg/ml, about 18 pg/ml to about 50 pg/ml, about 20 pg/ml g/ml to about 40 pg/ml or about 22 pg/ml to about 30 pg/ml of quercetin.

[0042] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product may contain aminobutyric acid. In one embodiment, the aminobutyric acid content of the oat fermentation product may be increased by at least 25% compared to a control containing the same fermentation substrate but not fermented with a ferment according to the described methods.. In one embodiment, the concentration of aminobutyric acid may be at least 0.90 pmol/L, such as at least 1 .00 pmol/L, 1.10 pmol/L, or 1 .20 pmol/L. In one embodiment, the concentration of aminobutyric acid may be about 0.90 pmol/L to about 3.00 pmol/L, about 1 .00 pmol/L to about 2.00 pmol/L, about 1.10 pmol/L to about 1 .80 pmol/L or about 1 .20 pmol/L to about 1 .60 pmol/L. The aminobutyric acid contained in the oat fermentation product has effects of improving sleep and regulating mood of the body.

[0043] In one embodiment, the ferment may include Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus. In one embodiment, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may be commercially available strains.

[0044] In one embodiment, the ferment may include Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, the total concentration of which may be 500-1000 DCU/t, such as 450-900 DCU/t, 400-800 DCU/t, 350-700 DCU/t, 300- 600 DCU/t, 250-500 DCU/t, 200-400 DCU/t, 150-300 DCU/t or 100-250 DCU/t, preferably 100-250 DCU/t. In one embodiment, the contents of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may be unequal. In one embodiment, the contents of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may be substantially equal.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the Streptococcus thermophilus may have a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 12 log CFU/g, optionally about 6 log CFU/g to about 11 log CFU/g, optionally about 7 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, optionally about 8 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g. In an embodiment, the Streptococcus thermophilus have a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g, about 6 log CFU/g, about 7 log CFU/g, about 8 log CFU/g, about 9 log CFU/g, about 10 log CFU/g, about 11 log CFU/g or about 12 log CFU/g.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may have a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, optionally about 6 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, optionally about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g. In an embodiment, the Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may have a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g, about 6 log CFU/g, about 7 log CFU/g, about 8 log CFU/g, about 9 log CFU/g, about 10 log CFU/g.

[0001] In one embodiment, the ferment may further include one or more strains selected from Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus. In one embodiment, the ferment may include one or more of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus. In one embodiment, the Lactobacillus reuteri may be Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, the Lactobacillus plantarum may be Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28, and the Lactobacillus acidophilus may be Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM. [0002] In one embodiment, the ferment may include one or more of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus, each of which may be present in a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g. For example, Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of may be present in a concentration of about 6 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, such as, Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of which may be present in a concentration of about 7 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, or about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g.

[0003] In one embodiment, the ferment may further include Bifidobacterium lactis. In one embodiment, the Bifidobacterium lactis may include Bifidobacterium lactis HN019. In one embodiment, the ferment may further include Lactobacillus rhamnosus. In one embodiment, the ferment may include Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG and/or Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG. In one embodiment, the ferment may further include Bifidobacterium lactis BB12. In one embodiment, the ferment may include any one or more of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12. In one embodiment, the ferment may include any one or more of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12.

[0004] In one embodiment, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG or Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 in the fermentation solution may each be present in a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, about 6 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, about 7 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, or about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g.

[0005] In one embodiment, the ferment may include Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and being present for example, in a total concentration of 500-1000 DCU/t; and at least one or more strains of Lactobacillus reuteri (Lactobacillus reuteri GL104), Lactobacillus plantarum (Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28), Lactobacillus acidophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM), Bifidobacterium lactis (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and/or Bifidobacterium lactis BB12), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG or Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG), each of which may be present in a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, about 6 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, about 7 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, or about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g.

[0006] In one embodiment, the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran are mixed with water, such as distilled water, to form a fermentation solution. In one embodiment, the fermentation solution may have a water content of 60 wt%-95 wt%, for example, 61 wt%-94 wt%, 62 wt% -93 wt%, 63 wt% -92 wt% %, 64 wt%-91 wt%, 65 wt% -90 wt%, 66 wt%-89 wt%, 67 wt%-88 wt%, 68 wt%-87 wt%, 69 wt%-86 wt%, 70 wt%-85 wt%, 71 wt%-84 wt%, 72 wt%-83 wt%, 73 wt%-82 wt%, 74 wt% -81 wt%, or 75 wt%-80 wt%.

[0007] In one embodiment, the fermentation substrate may be present in an amount from of about 5 wt% to about 35 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution. For example, based on the total weight of the fermentation solution, the fermentation substrate may be present in an amount from about 6 wt% to about 32 wt%, about 7 wt% to about 30 wt%, about 8 wt% to about 28 wt%, about 9 wt% to about 26 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 25 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 24 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 23 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 22 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 21 wt% %, about 10 wt% to about 20 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 19 wt%, about 10 wt%-about 18 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 17 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 16 wt% or about 10 wt% to about 15 wt%. When the concentration of the fermentation substrate in the fermentation solution exceeds 35 wt%, the fermentation solution is too viscous, which is not conducive to the growth of the strain. When the concentration of the fermentation substrate in the fermentation solution is lower than 5 wt%, there will not be a sufficient amount of the fermentation substrate to obtain enough active ingredients.

[0008] In one embodiment, the ferment may further contain sugars as a carbon source for the growth of the strains. The sugar may be any of the various sugars that may be utilized by the strains in the ferment, for example, they may include one or more of glucose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, fructose and the like. In one embodiment, the sugar may be selected from glucose, maltose, lactose, sucrose or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the sugar is lactose. In one embodiment, the content of the sugar in the fermentation solution may be adjusted according to the added strains, and based on the total weight of the fermentation solution, the sugar may present in an amount of about 0.5 wt% to about 3 wt%, such as about 0.6 wt% to about 2.9 wt%, about 0.7 wt% to about 2.8 wt%, about 0.8 wt% to about 2.7 wt%, about 0.9 wt% to about 2.6 wt%, about 1 .0 wt% to about 2.5 wt%, about 1.1 wt% to about 2.4 wt%, about 1 .2 wt% to about 2.3 wt%, about 1 .3 wt% to about 2.2 wt%, about 1 .4 wt% to about 2.1 wt% or about 1 .5 wt% to about 2.0 wt%.

[0009] In one embodiment, the ferment may further contain a protein that can promote the growth of strains, and the protein may be plant-based protein, animalbased protein or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the protein may be whey protein or soy protein. In one embodiment, the amount of the protein may be adjusted according to the added strains, and based on the total weight of the fermentation solution, the protein may be present in an amount of 0 wt% to about 3 wt%, such as about 0.1 wt% to about 2.9 wt%, about 0.2 wt% to about 2.8 wt%, about 0.3 wt% to about 2.7 wt%, about 0.4 wt% to about 2.6 wt%, about 0.5 wt% to about 2.5 wt%, about 0.6 wt% to about 2.4 wt%, about 0.7 wt% to about 2.3 wt%, about 0.8 wt% to about 2.2 wt%, about 0.9 wt% to about 2.1 wt% or about 1 .0 wt% to about 2.0 wt%.

[0010] In one embodiment, the fermentation of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran with the ferment may occur for a period of time of about 8 to about 48 hours, for example, about 9 to about 45 hours, about 10 to about 40 hours, about 11 to about 35 hours, about 12 to about 30 hours, about 13 to about 28 hours, about 14 to about 26 hours, about 15 to about 25 hours, about 16 to about 24 hours. The fermentation time of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran of the present disclosure may vary according to actual conditions, but when the fermentation time is less than 8 hours, the product prepared from the oat fermentation product may not taste good due to the fact that the bacterial strain has not grown sufficiently and released metabolites. When the fermentation time exceeds 12 hours, the active ingredients in oats and oat bran will gradually separate out. When the fermentation time exceeds 24 hours, the taste will gradually deteriorate due to the dead strains during the reproduction of strain. When the fermentation time exceeds 48 hours, the taste becomes unacceptable due to too many dead strains.

[0011] In one embodiment, the at least partially hydrolyzed oats may be in a form of a powder, granule, flake, semi-solid, paste or other form. In one embodiment, the oat bran may be in a form of a powder, granule, flake, semi-solid, paste or other form. In one embodiment, the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may be powders, granules, flakes, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may be powders.

[0012] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product has a pH of less than about 6, such as less than about 5, less than about 4, or less than about 3. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product has a pH of about 3 to about 6, about 3 to about 5, or about 3 to about 4. In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product has a pH of about 3.1 to about 3.6.

[0013] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides an oat product for enhancing gut health, wherein the oat product is prepared from the oat fermentation product of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0014] In one embodiment, the oat fermentation product of the first aspect of the present disclosure may be dehydrated (e.g., vacuum dehydrated, heat-dried, etc.) to provide an oat fermentation product powder, which is then added to at least one food ingredient to provide food products (e.g., solid food, liquid food, semi-solid/semi- liquid food, spoonable products, food bars, yogurt, soup, beverages, etc.). In one embodiment, at least one food ingredient may be selected from sweeteners, flavorings (e.g., herbs), vegetable juices, fruit juices, and combinations thereof. The powder may include live cultures and/or live microorganisms (e.g., live microorganisms having probiotic properties, such as the ferment mentioned in the first aspect of the present disclosure). In other embodiments, the oat fermentation product of the first aspect of the present disclosure may be subjected to additional processing, such as centrifugation and supernatant extract, dilution, concentration, etc., and then combined with other ingredients to prepare food or other materials. [0015] In one embodiment, the oat product is selected from a beverage, an instant drink, a solid instant food, a solid non-instant food or a semi-solid food. For example, the oat fermentation product may be solid particles and may be directly consumed. The oat fermentation product may also be a solid non-instant food, which may require slight heating before it can be consumed. The oat fermentation product may be a flake solid and, after adding warm water, it may become a paste or a solution, which is convenient to consume.

[0016] The features of the oat product of the second aspect of the present disclosure are basically the same as those of the oat fermentation product of the first aspect of the present disclosure in other respects, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0017] In the third aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for preparing an oat fermentation product. The method may include providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and an oat bran; mixing the at least partially hydrolyzed oat and the oat bran to form a fermentation substrate; adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate to form a fermentation solution; and fermenting the fermentation solution to form the oat fermentation product.

[0018] In one embodiment, the providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include obtaining the at least partially hydrolyzed oats by enzymatic hydrolysis. In one embodiment, enzymes that can hydrolyze oats include, but are not limited to, a-amylase, pectinase, cellulase, and combinations thereof. The oats are enzymatically and partially hydrolyzed to reduce the molecular weight of macromolecular substances such as starch and fiber and maintain the whole grain characteristics of oat. The method of partial hydrolysis may be as described in Chinese patent applications with publication Nos. CN105142423A, CN109152397A or CN110621167A, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In one embodiment, the oats are not hydrolyzed to such an extent that non-starch molecules such as sugars are present. [0019] In one embodiment, the providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include heating the oat bran to ripen it. In one embodiment, the oat bran may be treated with vapour at high temperature. In one embodiment, the oat bran may be cooked at a temperature above about 95 °C for about 90 to about 120 minutes, for example, cooked at about 96 °C for about 95 to about 115 minutes, cooked at about 97 °C for about 100 to 110 minutes, cooked at about 98 °C for about 102 to about 108 minutes, cooked at about 99 °C for about 104 to about 106 minutes, or cooked at about 100 °C for about 105 minutes. The ripened fermented oat bran may facilitate the consumption of the product.

[0020] In one embodiment, the providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include providing the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and the oat bran in a mass ratio of about 100:1 to about 1 :6, for example, the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be about 90:1 to about 1 :6, about 80:1 to about 1 :6, about 70:1 to about 1 :6, about 60:1 to about 1 :6, about 50:1 to about 1 :6, about 40:1 to about 1 :6, about 30:1 to about 1 :6, about 20:1 to about 1 :6, about 10:1 to about 1 :6, about 9:1 to about 1 :6, about 8:1 to about 1 :6, about 7:1 to about 1 :6, about 6:1 to about 1 :6, about 5:1 to about 1 :6, about 4:1 to about 1 :6, about 3:1 to about 1 :6; or the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be about 100:1 to about 1 :5, about 100:1 to about 1 :4, about 100:1 to about 1 :3; or the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be about 50:1 to about 1 :5.5, about 40:1 to about 1 :5, about 30:1 to about 1 :4.5, about 20:1 to about 1 :4, about 10:1 to about 1 :3.5, about 5:1 to about 1 :3. In one embodiment, the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran may be from about 3:1 to about 1 :3. When the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran is greater than 100:1 , the active ingredients released by the fermented substances after entering the intestinal tract are not sufficient enough to meet nutritional requirements. When the mass ratio of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats to the oat bran is less than 1 :6, the fermentation substrate formed by this combination may cause the fermentation solution to be too viscous, which is unfavorable for the growth of strains in the fermentation substrate, and in addition, the final product may have an undesirably rough taste due to the too high fiber content.

[0021] In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may include adding Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus to the fermentation substrate.

[0022] In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding one or more strains selected from Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM to the fermentation substrate.

[0023] In one embodiment, at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran are added to sterilized water to form a fermentation solution, and then, a ferment is added to the fermentation solution. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may include adding Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus to the fermentation solution. In one embodiment, the added Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus may have a total concentration of about 500-1000 DCU/t, such as 450-900 DCU/t, 400-800 DCU/t, 350-700 DCU/t, 300-600 DCU/t, 250-500 DCU/t, 200-400 DCU/t, 150-300 DCU/t or 100-250 DCU/t, and in some instances about 100- 250 DCU/t. In one embodiment, the contents of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may be unequal. In one embodiment, the contents of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus may be substantially equal. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may include adding Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus each from about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM each from about 6 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM each from about 7 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, or Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM each from about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g, to the fermentation solution.

[0024] In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Bifidobacterium lactis to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Lactobacillus rhamnosus, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG or Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding one or more of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may further include adding one or more of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 to the fermentation substrate. In one embodiment, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG or Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 in the fermentation solution may each have a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, about 6 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, about 7 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, or about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g.

[0025] In one embodiment, the adding a ferment to the fermentation substrate may include adding the following substances to the fermentation substrate: Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, for example, the total concentration of which may be 500-1000 DCU/t; and at least one or more strains of Lactobacillus reuteri (Lactobacillus reuteri GL104), Lactobacillus plantarum (Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28), Lactobacillus acidophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM), Bifidobacterium lactis (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and/or Bifidobacterium lactis BB12), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG or Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG), each of which may have a concentration of about 5 log CFU/g to about 10 log CFU/g, about 6 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, about 7 log CFU/g to about 9 log CFU/g, or about 7 log CFU/g to about 8 log CFU/g.

[0026] In one embodiment, the mixing of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran includes mixing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran to form the fermentation substrate in an amount from about 5 wt% to about 35 wt% based on the total weight of the fermented solution. For example, based on the total weight of the fermentation solution, the fermentation substrate may be present in an amount of about 6 wt% to about 32 wt%, about 7 wt% to about 30 wt%, about 8 wt% to about 28 wt%, about 9 wt% to about 26 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 25 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 24 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 23 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 22 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 21 wt% %, about 10 wt% to about 20 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 19 wt%, about 10 wt%-about 18 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 17 wt%, about 10 wt% to about 16 wt% or about 10 wt% to about 15 wt%. When the concentration of the fermentation substrate in the fermentation solution exceeds 35 wt%, the fermentation solution is too viscous, which is not conducive to the growth of the strain. When the concentration of the fermentation substrate in the fermentation solution is lower than 5 wt%, the fermentation substrate is not sufficient to obtain enough active ingredients.

[0027] In one embodiment, the method may further include adding one or more sugars as a carbon source for the growth of strains prior to fermentation. The sugar may be various sugars that may be utilized by the strains in the ferment, for example, glucose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, fructose and the like. In one embodiment, the sugar is selected from glucose, maltose, lactose, sucrose or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the sugar is lactose. In one embodiment, the content of the sugar in the fermentation solution may be adjusted according to the added strains, and based on the total weight of the fermentation solution, the sugar may be present in an amount of about 0.5 wt% to about 3 wt%, such as about 0.6 wt% to about 2.9 wt%, about 0.7 wt% to about 2.8 wt%, about 0.8 wt% to about 2.7 wt%, about 0.9 wt% to about 2.6 wt%, about 1 .0 wt% to about 2.5 wt%, about 1 .1 wt% to about 2.4 wt%, about 1 .2 wt% to about 2.3 wt%, about 1 .3 wt% to about 2.2 wt%, about 1 .4 wt% to about 2.1 wt% or about 1 .5 wt% to about 2.0 wt%.

[0028] In one embodiment, the method may further include adding a protein that promotes the growth of strains prior to fermentation, and the protein may be a plantbased protein, animal-based protein or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the protein may be whey protein or soy protein. In one embodiment, the content of the protein may be adjusted according to the added strains, and based on the total weight of the fermentation solution, the protein may be present in an amount of about 0 wt% to about 3 wt%, such as about 0.1 wt% to about 2.9 wt%, about 0.2 wt% to about 2.8 wt%, about 0.3 wt% to about 2.7 wt%, about 0.4 wt% to about 2.6 wt%, about 0.5 wt% to about 2.5 wt%, about 0.6 wt% to about 2.4 wt%, about 0.7 wt% to about 2.3 wt%, about 0.8 wt% to about 2.2 wt%, about 0.9 wt% to about 2.1 wt% or about 1 .0 wt% to about 2.0 wt%.

[0029] In one embodiment, the fermenting the fermentation solution may include fermenting the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran with a ferment for about 8 to about 48 hours, for example, about 9 to about 45 hours, about 10 to about 40 hours, about 11 to about 35 hours, about 12 to about 30 hours, about 13 to about 28 hours, about 14 to about 26 hours, about 15 to about 25 hours, about 16 to about 24 hours. The fermentation time of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran of the present disclosure may vary according to actual conditions, but when the fermentation time is less than 8 hours, the product prepared from the oat fermentation product may not taste good due to the fact that the bacterial strain has not grown sufficiently and released metabolites. When the fermentation time exceeds 12 hours, the active ingredients in oats and oat bran will gradually separate out. When the fermentation time exceeds 24 hours, the taste will gradually deteriorate during the reproduction of strain. When the fermentation time exceeds 48 hours, the taste becomes unacceptable due to too many dead strains.

[0030] In one embodiment, the providing of the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats in a form of a powder, granule, flake, semi-solid, paste or other form. The providing of at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include providing an oat bran in a form of a powder, granule, flake, semi-solid, paste or other form. In one embodiment, the providing of at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran in a form of a powder, granule, flake. In one embodiment, the providing at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran may include providing the at least partially hydrolyzed oats and oat bran in a form of a powder.

[0031] In the fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of enhancing gut health in a subject in need thereof, the method includes administering to the subject the oat product of the second aspect of the present disclosure. The oat product involved in the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is basically the same as the oat product in the second aspect of the present disclosure, and will not be repeated here.

[0032] In the fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides use of the oat fermentation product of the first aspect for the preparation of a functional formulation for enhancing gut health. The oat fermentation product involved in the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is basically the same as the oat fermentation product in the first aspect of the present disclosure, and will not be repeated here.

[0033] In one embodiment, the functional preparation may be a drug, medicament, or supplement for improving gut microenvironment, such as a drug, medicament, or supplement that inhibits pathogenic bacteria and promotes digestion and absorption of nutrients. In one embodiment, the functional preparation may be a drug, medicament, or supplement for enhancing gut motility, for treating gut inflammation, for relieving constipation, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0034] The oat fermentation product or oat product of the present disclosure may also be used separately, jointly, or sequentially with drugs, medicaments, supplements or preparations for enhancing gut health to further improve gut health. [0035] The oat fermented product and method of the present disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

EXAMPLES

Materials and strains

[0036] At least partially hydrolyzed oat flour (hereinafter abbreviated as oat flour) and oat bran flour (AQ6 mesh sieve) were provided by PepsiCo Inc. Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28, Bifidobacterium Lactis HN019, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium Lactis BB12, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG were obtained from commercially available sources. Lactose and whey protein (food grade) were obtained from commercially available sources. 2,2-Diphenyl-1 - picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Shanghai, China). Chemical regents (Na2CO3, FeSO4, H2O2, salicylic acid, ethanol) were purchased from the Tianli Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, China).

Example 1 : Preparation of bacterial suspension

[0037] Each bacterial strain was mixed together and re-suspended in distilled water, to obtain a bacterial suspension shown in Table 1 below, wherein Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 were called the tested strain, and each of which had a concentration of 6 log CFU/g to 9 log CFU/g, respectively (see the following examples for concentrations details). The total concentration of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus was 200 DCU/t. In this example, Streptococcus thermophilus had a concentration of about 11 log CFU/g, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus had a concentration of about 6 log CFU/g.

Table 1. Preparation of bacterial suspension

“+” means present in the strain; means not present in the strain

[0038] Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG may also be replaced with Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG which has the same molecular structure as Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG.

Example 2: Fermentation method

[0039] Oat flour and oat bran flour were mixed according to a suitable mass ratio (1 :3, 1 :1 , 3:1 ), then mixed with distilled water according to mass: volume = 1 :9, followed by the addition of 2% lactose and 1% whey protein. The fermentation substrate was pasteurized at 70 °C for 30 min. After cooling to room temperature, the prepared bacterial suspension prepared in example 1 was added to the pasteurized fermentation substrate and incubated at 37 °C for 48 h. The fermentation substrate without added bacterial suspension was used as a control. Oat fermentation liquids were collected at 0 h, 8 h, 16 h, 24 h, and 48 h followed by the pasteurization (70 °C 30 min), then oat fermentation liquid samples were obtained. Samples were subsequently centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 10 min and the supernatants were collected. All samples were stored at -20 °C until analysis. Example : Detection for strain growth by Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR

1. Materials and Instruments

Table 2: Instruments

Table 3: Reagents

Table 4: Sequencing Primers

2. Experimental method

[0040] Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains and the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment, and Universal Plant Genomic DNA Extraction Kit was used for detection according to the following steps. First, a pre-experiment for primer was performed to confirm that the dissolution curve was normal, with single product and available primers. The product of the pre-experiment was recovered for TA cloning. For degenerate primers for Bifidobacterium lactis, more clones were picked and sequenced. The sequencing results were compared, the clone with more occurrences of degenerate bases was selected as the standard. The length of the entire plasmid was recorded. The plasmid was extracted, and was measured for OD260 with a Micro Nucleic Acid Quantifier. According to OD260 and plasmid size, the copy number/pl of standard may be calculated. Generally, the concentration of the plasmid within 20-100 ng/pl may ensure an accuracy measured value. Then serially diluted samples were prepared:

[0041] A. 10 pl standard substance was added to 990 pl water, mixed well and diluted 100 times, as a first sample A.

[0042] B. 10 pl sample A was added to 90 pl water, mixed well and diluted 10 times, as a second sample B.

[0043] C. 10 pl sample B was added to 90 pl water, mixed well and diluted 10 times, as a third sample C.

[0044] Similarly, six to eight gradient samples were prepared. The prepared gradient samples were placed in a QPCR instrument for PCR, and three replicate wells were made for each gradient sample. Then the data was analyzed, and the results are shown in Table 5 below.

Table 5

[0045] The [3-glucan, reducing sugar, amino acids, pH and other phytochemical components in the fermented oat fermentation product were measured, and the nutritional components and flavor changes of oat after fermentation were explored.

Example 4: Amino acid analysis

1. Materials and Instruments

Table 6: Instruments

Table 7: Reagents

2. Experimental method

[0046] Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using various bacterial suspensions (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment, and the fermented oat fermentation product was analyzed with reference to the State Criteria For Food Safety GB5009.124-2016 “Determination of Amino Acids in Food”. The fermented oat samples were homogenized with a homogenizer, hydrochloric acid at about the same volume was added and mixed, and then 6 mol/L hydrochloric acid solution was supplemented to about 10 mL. 3 to 4 drops of phenol were continue added into the hydrolysis tube. The hydrolysis tube was put into a refrigerant, froze for 3 minutes to 5 minutes. The hydrolysis tube was connected to a suction pipe of a vacuum pump, vacuumized (close to 0 Pa), then filled with nitrogen. After repeating the vacuumizing-filling with nitrogen 3 times, the screw cap was sealed or tightened under the nitrogen filling state. The sealed hydrolysis tube was put in an electric blast thermostat or hydrolysis furnace at 110 °C ± 1 °C. After hydrolysis for 22 h, the hydrolysis tube was taken out and cooled to room temperature. The hydrolysis tube was opened, and the hydrolysis solution was filtered into a 50 mL volumetric flask. The hydrolysis tube was rinsed several times with a small amount of water, and the washing solution was transferred into the same 50 mL volumetric flask. Finally, water was added to make 50 mL and oscillated to mix well. 1 .0 mL filtrate was accurately pipetted into a 15 mL or 25 mL test tube, and dried under reduced pressure in a test tube concentrator or parallel evaporator under a heating at 40 °C ~ 50 °C. After drying, the residue was dissolved in 1 mL ~ 2 mL water, and then dried under reduced pressure again, and finally evaporated to dryness. 1.0 mL ~ 2.0 mL sodium citrate buffer solution (pH 2.2) was added into a dried test tube to dissolve the residue. After shaking and mixing, the solution was passed through a 0.22 pm filter membrane, and then transferred to an instrument sample bottle as a sample solution to be tested.

[0047] The mixed amino acid standard working solution was injected into the amino acid automatic analyzer. Refer to the JJG1064-2011 amino acid analyzer verification regulations and instrument instructions, instrument operating procedures and parameters, and the ratio of buffer solution reagents for elution were adjusted appropriately, and the operating conditions of the instrument was confirmed. A sulfonic acid type cationic resin was used for detection at wavelengths of 570 nm and 440 nm. The results are shown in Table 8 below, where the rate of increase is the increased percentage of the amino acid in the oat fermentation product relative to the corresponding amino acid in the unfermented fermentation solution:

Table 8

Example 5: Glucose and galactose analysis

1. Materials and Instruments

Table 9: Instruments

Table 10: Reagents

Table 11 : Standards

2. Experimental method

[0048] An at least partially fermented oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains and the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The resulting oat fermentation liquid samples were measured as follows.

[0049] 15 mM NaOH solution and 15 mM NaOH & 100 mM NaOAC solution were prepared; monosaccharide standards (galactose, glucose) were used to make standard mother solution. Standards at concentrations were precisely prepared with each monosaccharide standard solution and used as mixed standards. According to the absolute quantitative method, the mass of different monosaccharides was measured, and the molar ratio was calculated according to the molar mass of the monosaccharides.

[0050] 1 ml of the sample was pipetted and centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 5 minutes, then 100 uL supernatant was drawn and 900 pl deionized water was added to make a 10-fold dilution. 100 uL dilution was drawn and 900 pl deionized water was added to make a 100-fold dilution for ion chromatography analysis. The analysis was carried out in injection volume of 5 pL with an electrochemical detector using: Dionex CarbopacTM PA20 (3*150 mm) as a chromatographic column, water as mobile phase A, 15 mM NaOH as mobile phase B, and 15 mM NaOH & 100 mM NaOAC as mobile phase C, at a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min, and column temperature of 30 ^eC. The analytical method may be found in: XU D-J, XIA Q, WANG J-J, et al. Molecular Weight and Monosaccharide Composition of Astragalus Polysaccharides[J]. Molecules, 2008. 10.3390/Molecules 13102408; JIANG Y, QI X, GAO K, et al. Relationship between molecular weight, monosaccharide composition and immunobiologic activity of Astragalus polysaccharides[J]. Glycoconjugate Journal, 2016. 10.1007/S10719-016-9669-z; and SHANG X-L, LIU C-Y, DONG H-Y, et al. Extraction, purification, structural characterization, and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from Wheat Bran[J], Journal of Molecular Structure, 2021 .

10.1016/j.molstruc.2021 .130096. The results are shown in Table 12 below.

Table 12

Example 6: Analysis of p-Glucan

[0051] A glucan kit was purchased from Shanghai Fankew Industrial Co., Ltd. The kit provided a piece of Original Standard of pure [3-glucan, which was diluted in test tubes according to the following Table 13.

Table 13

Experimental method

[0052] Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains and the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The content of [3-(1 ,3)-glucan in the obtained oat fermentation liquid samples was analyzed. Blank wells (the same steps was carried out in the blank control wells without adding samples and enzyme- labeled reagents), standard wells, and sample wells to be tested were set up. 50 pl of the standard substance was accurately added on the microplate reader, 40 pl of the sample diluent was added firstly to sample wells to be tested, followed by 10 pl of the sample to be tested (the sample had a final dilution of 5 times). The sample was added to the bottom of the microplate reader, tried not to touch the wall of the wells, and gently shook and mixed. The microplate reader was sealed with sealing film and incubated at 37 °C for 30 minutes. The sealing film was peeled off and the liquid was discarded, spin-dried, then each well was filled with a concentrated washing solution diluted with distilled water by 30 times. The microplate reader was left stand for 30 seconds, and then the solution was discarded. Repeated 5 times and patted for dryness. 50 pl of enzyme-labeled reagent was added to each well, except for blank wells. The incubation and washing operation were repeated again. 50 pl of chromogenic reagent A was added to each well, followed by 50 pl of chromogenic reagent B, shook and mixed gently, and developed color at 37 °C in the dark for 15 minutes. 50 pl of stopping solution was added to each well to terminate the reaction (blue color turned yellow immediately).

[0053] The blank well was set to zero, and the absorbance (OD value) of each well was measured sequentially at a wavelength of 450 nm. The measurement should be carried out within 15 minutes after adding the stopping solution. A standard curve was fit according to the concentration of the standard and the measured OD value, and the OD value of the sample was compared with the standard curve, to calculate the content of [3-glucan. Fitting experiments were performed in triplicate. The analysis results are shown in Table 14 below.

Table 14

[0054] Oat flour, oat bran flour, and oat flour and oat bran flour with different mass ratios were used as the fermentation substrate and fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of eight strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 9 log CFU/g according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The obtained oat fermentation liquid sample was analyzed for [3-glucan according to the above method, and the results are shown in Table 15 below.

Table 15

Example 7: Free Phenolic Acid Analysis

1. Materials and Instruments

Table 16: Instruments

Table 17: Reagents

2. Test method:

[0055] Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains and the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The resulting oat fermentation liquid samples were freeze-dried and processed as follows. 40.0 ± 0.1 mg of lyophilized sample was accurately weighed, added 1 .8 ml of hexane, vortexed for 30s, ultrasonicated for 10min, and continued to vortex for 30 min for removal of fat. After centrifugation at 8,000 x g for 15 min, the supernatant was removed, and the precipitate was dried at 30 °C for 30 min. 1 .5 ml of methanol and 1 .5 ml of water (in a ratio of 80:20) were added to the dried sample, vortexed until completely mixed, and then sonicated in a water bath at 40 °C for 1 h. After continuing to vortex for 20 minutes, the solution was centrifuged at 10,000 x g for 15 minutes. The extraction process was repeated once, and the two supernatants were pooled and evaporated to dryness. The dried extract was redissolved in 0.2 ml of 80% methanol, vortexed for 5min, centrifuged at 10,000 x g for 20min, and then loaded into a chromatographic column for detection.

Instruments and settings were as follows:

[0056] Chromatographic column: Agilent C18 4.6 mm*150 mm*5 pm

[0057] Detector: UV detector; Column temperature: 42 °C; Injection volume: 10 pL;

[0058] Flow rate: 1.5 mL/min; Wavelength: 278 nm;

[0059] Mobile phase A: 3% acetic acid aqueous solution; Mobile phase B: acetonitrile;

[0060] Mobile phase gradient was as follows: Table 18: Mobile phase gradient for chlorogenic acid

Table 19: Mobile phase gradient for vanil ic acid, erucic acid and quercetin

[0061] The results are shown in Table 20 below.

Table 20

Example 8. Aminobutyric acid analysis

[0062] Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains and the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The obtained oat fermentation liquid sample was vortexed for 30 s as a suspension, and then centrifuged at 6,000 rpm for 10 min to obtain a supernatant. The aminobutyric acid in a suspension and supernatant was analyzed using the plant y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) enzyme-linked immunoassay kit (Shanghai Fankew Industrial Co., Ltd.; brand: Fankew) according to the manufacturer’s instructions on a microplate reader (Labsystems Multiskan MS 352; Finland), and the results are shown in Table 21 below.

Table 21

Example 9: pH value determination

[0063] Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains and the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The pH value of the obtained oat fermentation liquid sample was tested with a digital pH meter (Shanghai Yidian Scientific Instrument Co., Ltd.), and the results are shown in Table 22. Table 22

Example 10: Determination of antioxidant activity

[0064] In order to detect the antioxidant activity of fermented oat fermentation products, DPPH free radical scavenging test and hydroxyl free radical scavenging test were carried out.

Measurement method for DPPH free radical scavenging rate

[0065] Slight modifications were made to Emmanuel, K., et al., Effect of lactobacillus strains on phenolic profile, color attributes and antioxidant activities of lactic-acid-fermented mulberry juice. Food Chemistry, 2018, for measuring the DPPH free radical scavenging ability of samples. Briefly, 0.5 mL of the diluted sample was added to 1 mL of DPPH absolute ethanol solution (0.04 mg/mL). Then, the mixture was shake well and kept in the dark for 30 min and the absorbance at 517 nm was monitored. Experiments were performed in triplicate and the results were expressed as average of DPPH scavenging rate ± standard deviation.

[0066] The influences of the supernatant and suspension of the samples on the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals were compared. Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains or the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The resulting oat fermentation liquid samples were used as a suspension. The suspension was vortexed for 30 s, and then centrifuged at 6,000 rpm for 10 min to obtain a supernatant. The suspension and supernatant were diluted 10 times, respectively, and the effects of the diluted supernatant and suspension on the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals were measured, and the results are shown in Table 23 below.

Table 23

[0067] A comparison of the effects of oat flour and oat bran flour with different mass ratios on the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals was performed. Oat flour and oat bran flour with different mass ratios (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of five strains or the bacterial suspension of six strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 7 log CFU/g prepared according to Example 1 ) as a ferment. The obtained oat fermentation liquid sample was diluted 10 times. According to the measurement method for DPPH free radical scavenging rate, the effect of the diluted sample on the DPPH free radical scavenging ability was measured, and the results are shown in Table 24 below. Table 24

[0068] The effect of different bacterial suspensions on the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals were compared according to the following. Oat flour and oat bran flour with a mass ratio of 1 :3 (as the fermentation substrate) were fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2. The obtained oat fermentation liquid sample was diluted 10 times. According to the measurement method for DPPH free radical scavenging rate, the effect of the diluted sample on the DPPH free radical scavenging ability was measured, and the results are shown in Table 25 below.

Table 25

[0069] The effect of eight strains on the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals was determined according to the following. Oat flour and oat bran flour with different mass ratios were used as the fermentation substrate, fermented according to the fermentation method described in Example 2 using the bacterial suspension of eight strains (each tested strain had an initial concentration of 9 log CFU/g according to Example 1 as a ferment. The obtained oat fermentation liquid sample was diluted 20 times. According to the measurement method for DPPH free radical scavenging rate, the effect of the diluted sample on the DPPH free radical scavenging ability was measured, and the results are shown in Table 26 below. Table 26

[0070] Each of the technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments may be combined with one or more of any one of the features. To simplify the description, not all the possible combinations of each of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, all of the combinations of these technical features should be considered as within the scope of this disclosure, as long as such combinations do not contradict with each other.

[0071] In general, an oat fermentation product is obtained by fermenting a fermentation solution comprising a fermentation substrate that comprises a partially hydrolyzed oat and oat bran in a mass ratio from 3:1 to 1 :3; and a fermentthe comprises Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus having a total concentration of 100 DCU/t to 250 DCU/t, and Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of which having a concentration of 6 log CFU/g to 9 log CFU/g, wherein the oat fermentation product comprises at least 11 mg/ml amino acids, about 2000-100000 ppm galactose, and at least 600 ppm glucose.

[0072] Aspects of the invention are also set out in the following set of numbered clauses, in which is described:

1 . An oat fermentation product obtained by fermenting a fermentation solution comprising a fermentation substrate that comprises a partially hydrolyzed oat and oat bran in a mass ratio from 3:1 to 1 :3; and a ferment that comprises (a) Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus being present in a total concentration of 100 DCU/t to 250 DCU/t, and (b) Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of which is present in an amount of 6 log CFU/g to 9 log CFU/g, wherein the oat fermentation product comprises at least 11 mg/ml amino acids, about 2000- 100000 ppm galactose, and at least 600 ppm glucose.

2. The oat fermentation product of clause 1 , wherein the oat fermentation product comprises from about 950 to about 3000 ng/ml [3-glucan.

3. The oat fermentation product of clause 1 or 2, wherein amino acids comprise one or more of aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, cystine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, histidine, lysine, arginine, and proline.

4. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the oat fermentation product comprises one or more free phenolic acids selected from chlorogenic acid, erucic acid, vanillic acid or quercetin.

5. The oat fermentation product of clause 4, wherein chlorogenic acid is present in a concentration of at least 0.17 pg/ml.

6. The oat fermentation product of clause 4, wherein vanillic acid is present in an amount of at least 1 .00 pg/ml.

7. The oat fermentation product of clause 4, wherein quercetin is present in an amount of 8.00 to 30.00 pg/ml.

8. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the oat fermentation product further comprises at least 0.90 pmol/L aminobutyric acid.

9. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8, wherein galactose is present in an amount of 10,000 to 55,000 ppm.

10. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4, 8, and 9, wherein glucose is present in an amount of at least 1 ,000 ppm.

11 . The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, wherein the ferment further comprises one or more of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12.

12. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8 to 11 , wherein the fermentation substrate is present in an amount of 5 wt% to 35 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution.

13. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8 to 12, wherein the fermentation solution comprises from about 0.5 wt% to 3 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution of a sugar selected from glucose, maltose, lactose, sucrose or combinations thereof, and from about amount of 0 wt% to 3 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution of a protein selected from plant-based protein, animal-based protein or a combination thereof.

14. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8 to 13, wherein the oat fermentation product is obtained by fermenting the at least partially hydrolyzed oat and the oat bran with the ferment for about 16-24 hours.

15. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8 to 14, wherein the oat fermentation product has a pH in a range from 3-4.

16. The oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 4 and 8 to 15, wherein the at least partially hydrolyzed oat and the oat bran are in the form of powders, granules, flakes, or combinations thereof.

17. An oat product for enhancing gut health, prepared from the oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 16.

18. The oat product of clause 17, wherein the oat product is selected from a beverage, an instant drink, a solid instant food, a solid non-instant food or a semisolid food.

19. Use of the oat fermentation product of any one of clauses 1 to 16 for the preparation of a functional formulation for enhancing gut health.

[0073] The above-mentioned embodiments are merely illustrative of several embodiments of the present disclosure, which are described specifically and in detail, but it cannot be understood to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that, for those ordinary skilled in the art, several variations and improvements may be made without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and all of which are within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1 . An oat fermentation product obtained by fermenting a fermentation solution comprising a fermentation substrate that comprises (a) Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus being present in a total concentration of 100 DCU/t to 250 DCU/t, and (b) Lactobacillus reuteri GL104, Lactobacillus plantarum LPL28 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, each of which is present in an amount of 6 log CFU/g to 9 log CFU/g, wherein the oat fermentation product comprises at least 11 mg/ml amino acids, about 2000-100000 ppm galactose, and at least 600 ppm glucose.

2. The oat fermentation product of claim 1 , wherein the oat fermentation product comprises from about 950 to about 3000 ng/ml [3-glucan.

3. The oat fermentation product of claim 1 or 2, wherein amino acids comprise one or more of aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, cystine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, histidine, lysine, arginine, and proline.

4. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the oat fermentation product comprises one or more free phenolic acids selected from chlorogenic acid, erucic acid, vanillic acid or quercetin.

5. The oat fermentation product of claim 4, wherein chlorogenic acid is present in a concentration of at least 0.17 pg/ml.

6. The oat fermentation product of claim 4, wherein vanillic acid is present in an amount of at least 1 .00 pg/ml.

7. The oat fermentation product of claim 4, wherein quercetin is present in an amount of 8.00 to 30.00 pg/ml.

8. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the oat fermentation product further comprises at least 0.90 pmol/L aminobutyric acid.

9. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8, wherein galactose is present in an amount of 10,000 to 55,000 ppm.

10. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4, 8, and 9, wherein glucose is present in an amount of at least 1 ,000 ppm.

11 . The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, wherein the ferment further comprises one or more of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KPGG and Bifidobacterium lactis BB12.

12. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 11 , wherein the fermentation substrate is present in an amount of 5 wt% to 35 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution.

13. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 12, wherein the fermentation solution comprises from about 0.5 wt% to 3 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution of a sugar selected from glucose, maltose, lactose, sucrose or combinations thereof, and from about amount of 0 wt% to 3 wt% based on the total weight of the fermentation solution of a protein selected from plant-based protein, animal-based protein or a combination thereof.

14. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 13, wherein the oat fermentation product is obtained by fermenting the at least partially hydrolyzed oat and the oat bran with the ferment for about 16-24 hours.

15. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 14, wherein the oat fermentation product has a pH in a range from 3-4.

16. The oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 15, wherein the at least partially hydrolyzed oat and the oat bran are in the form of powders, granules, flakes, or combinations thereof.

17. An oat product for enhancing gut health, prepared from the oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. The oat product of claim 17, wherein the oat product is selected from a beverage, an instant drink, a solid instant food, a solid non-instant food or a semisolid food.

19. Use of the oat fermentation product of any one of claims 1 to 16 for the preparation of a functional formulation for enhancing gut health.