Trial use of soybean waste to tackle obesity

Date:
March 22, 2022
Source:
Nanyang Technological University
Summary:
Scientists have found that fermented soybean waste, or okara, could
improve fat metabolism and mitigate effects of diet-induced obesity.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
An international team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Waseda University in Japan have found
that fermented soybean waste, or okara, could improve fat metabolism
and mitigate effects of diet-induced obesity.


========================================================================== Through laboratory experiments reported in the peer-reviewed scientific
journal Metabolitesin February, the scientists from NTU Singapore and
Waseda showed that mice on a high fat diet supplemented with fermented
okara gained less body mass and had lower levels of fat and cholesterol
after three weeks as compared to mice on the same diet but not fed any fermented okara.

With 14 million tonnes of okara generated every year, and nearly a third
of the world's population overweight or obese, the scientists hope
their findings can pave the way for fermented okara to be integrated
into health foods one day, addressing the problems of food waste and
obesity at the same time.

Dr Ken Lee, senior lecturer at the NTU School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and co-lead author of the paper, said: "Using a process akin to
what is used to produce miso and soy sauce, we fermented okara and fed it
to mice on a high-fat diet. Three weeks later, we found that these mice
gained less weight as compared to mice on a high-fat diet but without
fermented okara. The mice that were fed fermented okara also had less
fat and lower cholesterol levels.

"Our findings suggest that fermented okara could help to mitigate the
harmful effects of a high-fat diet, and could potentially be integrated
in the diets of obese patients who find it difficult to make immediate lifestyle changes." Dr Shigenobu Shibata, Professor at the Waseda
University Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering and
co-lead author of the paper, said: "Aspergillus oryzaeand Aspergillus sojae,whichare typical aspergillus fungi used to produce soy sauce
and miso, were successfully combined to ferment okara. Compared to
unfermented okara, fermented okara was found to be able to reduce obesity
and improve abnormal lipid metabolism in mice. Tofu and soymilk are now
widely accepted as health foods not only in Japan but in the world, and
the effective use of okara, which is an industrial waste, is in line with
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I hope NTU and Waseda University, each with their unique strength, will continue to promote
such joint research centred on graduate students and young researchers."
The okara study supports the goals of the NTU 2025 five-year strategic
plan, which prioritises the University's commitment to sustainability,
as well as its focus on health and society as one of the research clusters
with potential for significant intellectual and societal impact.



========================================================================== Enhancing okara's nutrition To enhance the nutritional profile of okara,
the research team from NTU and Waseda first fermented okara collected
from a Singapore beancurd manufacturer using a process traditionally used
in Asian countries to make fermented soybean food products such as miso,
soy sauce, and tempeh.

Enhancing the nutritional profile of okara increases its potential as
a desirable ingredient in the human diet, the scientists explained.

For this study, the team added a mix of Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae)and Aspergillus sojae (A. sojae) -- food-grade microbes -- to okara and left
it to ferment in the dark at 25DEGC for four days.

Compared to unfermented okara, the scientists found that fermented okara
had more protein and a higher total phenolic content -- an indication
of higher antioxidant properties -- and less insoluble dietary fibre.



========================================================================== Fermented okara improves fat metabolism The scientists then investigated
the anti-obesity effects of fermented okara on mice put on a three-week
high fat diet compared to mice put on three other types of diet: a normal
diet, a high-fat diet, and a diet supplemented with unfermented okara.

At the end of three weeks, mice that were fed fermented okara every day
gained the least body mass (3g) as compared to other three groups of
mice that gained between 6g to 10g.

The mice that were fed fermented okara also had less visceral and
subcutaneous fat (30g and 19g respectively) than mice on a high-fat diet without any fermented okara (67g and 53g respectively).

The scientists also found lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels
in mice on a fermented okara-supplemented diet compared to those
without. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood that has been
linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Further investigation revealed that the reduction in triglycerides
was in part due to a significant dip in proteins involved in fatty
acid synthesis.

These findings indicate the fermented okara's potential to suppress diet- induced obesity, said the scientists.

The study builds on the NTU-Waseda team's earlier research on other
uses for okara. For instance, the scientists showed that fermented okara
could help to bring down blood sugar levels. They have also worked with
a local brewery to integrate okara into modern dishes.

Working with collaborators in Singapore, the NTU team has also
successfully repurposed okara into an eco-friendly 3D-printing ink, highlighting the potential use of 3D food printing to improve food sustainability.

The NTU-Waseda team is now reaching out to industry partners to translate
this work into healthy snacks and exploring how it can be integrated
into other food products.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Nanyang_Technological_University. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
*
YouTube_video:_NTUsg_and_Waseda_University_trial_use_of_soybean_waste_to
tackle_obesity ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Natsumi Ichikawa, Li Shiuan Ng, Saneyuki Makino, Luo Lin Goh,
Yun Jia
Lim, Ferdinandus, Hiroyuki Sasaki, Shigenobu Shibata, Chi-Lik
Ken Lee.

Solid-State Fermented Okara with Aspergillus spp. Improves Lipid
Metabolism and High-Fat Diet Induced Obesity. Metabolites, 2022;
12 (3): 198 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12030198 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322150852.htm

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