Low-salt O-miso produced from Koji fermentation of oncom improves redox state and cholesterolemia in rats more than low-salt soybean-miso.

The author prepared low-salt miso by koji fermentation using soy-oncom and okara-oncom (9:1), at which time soybeans and okara were fermented with Neurospora intermedia (oncom miso, i.e. O-miso). Its usefulness as a seasoning, as well as high antioxidative activity in vitro and antimutagenicity have already been presented. In this study, the antioxidative activity of O-miso in vivo, as well as serum cholesterol-lowering action, were investigated concerning contribution to health. In rats fed O-miso, the serum alpha-tocopherol level and isoflavone-aglycone-intake were higher than in rats fed low-salt soybean miso (S-miso). The activities of serum GSH-Px and hepatic catalase were also higher in rats fed O-miso than in rats fed S-miso, while the TBARS values were lower in both the serum and livers of rats fed O-miso. Furthermore, O-miso intake suppressed a rise in serum cholesterol level and increased fecal bile acid excretion. Such a cholesterol-lowering action of O-miso may be attributable to the micelle-breaking or evacuant effects of indigestible proteinous residues and the antioxidative activity of isoflavone-aglycones. O-miso seems to be more beneficial to health than S-miso in view of these aspects.