JP4647933B2 - Composition having intestinal regulating action - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a composition having a novel intestinal regulating action.

  In recent years, an increasing number of people are suffering from constipation due to changes in eating habits, bias in the contents of meals, stress, and the like. Constipation causes stool to stay for a long time in the intestine, causing an increase in harmful bacteria in the intestine or an increase in the absorption of harmful substances, which also causes colon cancer. Therefore, foods and pharmaceuticals having an intestinal action such as improvement of constipation and improvement of intestinal environment have been proposed.

  For example, in order to improve constipation, various compounds or materials having a bowel movement improving effect have been proposed. For example, dietary fibers such as wheat bran, indigestible dextrin, polydextrose, and oligosaccharides such as xylo-oligosaccharides and fructooligosaccharides are known (for example, Non-patent Document 1 and Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, even with these substances, depending on the constitution, diarrhea may not occur and the effect of improving bowel movement may not be sufficient, such as no effect.

  On the other hand, attempts have been made to improve the intestinal environment. In the human intestine, more than 100 trillion bacteria are inhabited, and there are about 100 types. These bacterial groups constitute the intestinal microflora, grow while taking ingested food or gastrointestinal secretory components as nutrients while maintaining a symbiotic or antagonistic relationship with each other, and are excreted together with feces. These intestinal bacteria are said to have the effect of increasing digestive absorption of food, suppressing the growth of bacteria harmful to the human body, and preventing infection. Moreover, it is becoming clear that enterobacteria are also closely related to immunity, cancer and allergies. Improving the intestinal environment in this way is very important for human health.

  In order to improve the intestinal environment, foods that increase the number of useful bacteria in the intestine have also been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 3 to 5). Furthermore, there is an approach as so-called “probiotic” in which the intestinal environment is improved by ingesting microorganisms (useful bacteria) useful for living bodies as food (for example, Patent Documents 6 and 7).

However, just ingesting a component that improves the intestinal environment does not have sufficient efficacy, and depending on the constitution, the function of the gastrointestinal tract is unstable, and the effect cannot be obtained uniformly. On the other hand, food containing useful bacteria is difficult to grow in the intestine itself, or even if it grows, only the number of foreign bacteria contained in the food that is forcibly ingested increases. A sufficient effect has not been obtained from the viewpoint of increasing the number of useful bacteria inhabiting.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-60487 JP-A-6-13538 Japanese Patent No. 2823640 JP-A-6-90733 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-127815 JP 2001-69943 A JP 2002-193817 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-246478 Japanese Patent No. 3092006 JP 2001-26538 A JP 2002-114676 A JP 2001-158738 A Kunio Nakagawa, Japanese health functional food Tokuho "specific functional food", Bookman, 1st edition, pages 56-59 Yazawa, S .; Et al. Japan Soc. Hort. Sci. 1989, 58, 601-607.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition having a novel intestinal regulating action. An object of the present invention is to provide a composition having an effect of improving bowel movement or an intestinal environment.

  The composition having an intestinal regulating action of the present invention is obtained by fermenting a plant containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and a capsaicinoid-like substance.

  In a preferred embodiment, the intestinal regulating action is at least one selected from the group consisting of a bowel movement improving action and an intestinal environment improving action, and the intestinal environment improving action is an intestine other than the bacterium used for fermentation. It is an action that increases or activates useful bacteria that live inside.

  In a preferred embodiment, the plant is a capsicum containing a capsaicinoid-like substance.

  In a preferred embodiment, the fermentation is performed using a bacterium belonging to the genus Lactobacillus.

  In a preferred embodiment, the useful bacterium is a bacterium belonging to the genus Bacillus or Bifidobacterium.

  According to the present invention, by fermenting a plant containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and a capsaicinoid-like substance, fecal improvement such as an increase in the amount of feces and a shortened intestinal transit time In addition, it increases or activates useful bacteria that inhabit the intestine other than the fungus used for fermentation, and an intestinal composition used for improving the intestinal environment that improves the intestinal flora. This composition is also excellent in aroma and palatability. The composition of the present invention can be applied to foods, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, etc., for improving constipation, immunostimulation, suppression of harmful microbial metabolites and harmful enzymes, prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, improvement of allergic constitutions, etc. Useful. In particular, a composition obtained by fermenting a pepper containing a capsaicinoid-like substance has a particularly wide application range and is extremely useful in foods, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs and the like.

  The composition having an intestinal regulating action of the present invention is obtained by fermenting a plant containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and a capsaicinoid-like substance.

  Capsaicinoid-like substances are compounds represented by the following formula:

  R is a fatty acid residue having 4 to 15 carbon atoms.

  As the capsaicinoid-like substance, for example, a compound represented by the following formula is known. This compound was obtained from a red pepper variety “CH-19 sweet” selected from a red pepper (variety CH-19: Kyoto Prefecture University Faculty of Agriculture, vegetable horticulture laboratory introduction number), and chemical synthesis was also carried out ( Patent Documents 8 and 9 and Non-Patent Document 2):

  n is an integer of 3 to 5.

  About this capsaicinoid-like substance, various functions, such as obesity prevention, basal metabolism enhancement, endurance improvement effect, are known until now (patent documents 10-12). In particular, since capsicum variety CH-19 sweet contains a capsaicinoid-like substance that does not exhibit pungent taste, its dried product or polar solvent extract is applied to pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, and the like.

  In the plant used in the present invention, the plant containing capsaicin includes a plant belonging to the genus Capsicum. The plants of the genus Capsicum are not particularly limited to varieties, production areas and the like. Specific examples include capsicum varieties CH-19 Amami, Fushimi Amami, Shishito, Yamashina, Manganji, Hawk's Claw, Kagawa Mototaka, Aomori Takanail, Sapporo Daicho, California Wonder, Cherry Bomb, and the like. As a plant body containing a capsaicinoid-like substance, for example, hybrids of the above-mentioned pepper cultivar CH-19 sweet and the cultivar and other capsicum plants (California Wonder, Shishito etc.) can be mentioned. The said plant body may be used independently or may be used in combination of 2 or more. Pepper cultivar CH-19 sweet contains both capsaicin and capsaicinoid-like substance, but is preferably used because it has less pungency.

  As long as a plant body contains a capsaicin or a capsaicinoid-like substance, any site may be used. In particular, in capsicum plants, capsaicin or capsaicinoid-like substances are contained in a large amount in the placenta, and therefore it is preferable to use a placenta or a fruit containing the placenta. In addition, the plant body may be used as it is, or a dried product may be used. By fermenting these plants, a composition having an intestinal regulating action can be obtained.

  The plant body can be subjected to a fermentation treatment described later as it is, but it is preferable to crush the plant body in advance from the viewpoint of efficiently fermenting the plant body by increasing the surface area of the plant body. For example, after a plant body is cut with a slicer or a dicer, it is crushed with a mass collider, blender, grinding mill or the like until the particle size of the crushed pieces is preferably 100 to 3000 μm, more preferably 200 to 1000 μm. If necessary, it may be crushed by adding water, ethanol or the like as appropriate.

  It is preferable to add water to the plant body or its crushed material in advance because the fermentation treatment can be performed efficiently. The amount of water to be added is equivalent to 10 times, preferably equivalent to 5 times, more preferably 2 to 4 times the total mass of the plant or crushed material. By adding water, heat conduction efficiency is improved in the heat treatment, and a fungal growth environment is suitable in the fermentation treatment.

  You may heat-process a plant body or its crushed material previously before performing a fermentation process. When the heat treatment is performed before the fermentation treatment, fatty acids are generated by the heat treatment, so that the fatty acids are assimilated at a relatively early stage of the fermentation treatment, and the palatability such as aroma can be enhanced in a short time. In particular, when fermentation is performed using yeast or acetic acid bacteria, propagation of miscellaneous bacteria can be suppressed by performing heat treatment before the fermentation treatment. The heat treatment may be performed after the fermentation treatment. In addition, even if only heat treatment is performed on the plant body containing the capsaicinoid-like substance or its crushed material, the decomposition of the capsaicinoid-like substance that can contribute to the bowel movement improving effect and the intestinal environment improving effect as in the fermentation treatment described later. It is possible to get things. However, the effect of improving the bowel movement or intestinal environment of the heat-treated product obtained is higher than that in the case of not performing the fermentation treatment, but is lower than that in the case of the fermentation treatment.

  The heat treatment is performed by heating the plant body or crushed material at a temperature in the range of 40 ° C to 120 ° C for 30 minutes to 24 hours. In particular, a plant containing a capsaicinoid-like substance is preferably treated at a high heating temperature in a short time in order to efficiently produce degradation products (such as fatty acids). For example, the treatment is preferably performed at 40 ° C. to 60 ° C. for 3 hours to 24 hours, or at 60 ° C. to 120 ° C. for 30 minutes to 3 hours. Moreover, it is also possible to process at a lower heating temperature by adjusting the pH to 5 to 6.5 or 8 to 10 using acetic acid, calcined calcium or the like. By such treatment at a high temperature in a short time or at a low temperature, modification of components other than the capsaicinoid-like substance (such as browning of the material due to a change in pigment) can be avoided.

  Next, the plant body or its crushed material is subjected to a fermentation treatment. The fermentation treatment decomposes, for example, capsaicinoid-like substances contained in the plant body. The fermentation treatment is performed by bringing a microorganism that can produce an organic acid and can assimilate fatty acids produced by decomposition of a capsaicinoid-like substance into contact with the plant body or a crushed material thereof. Capsaicinoid-like substances are decomposed due to changes in pH due to organic acids produced by microorganisms, etc., and microorganisms assimilate fatty acids that are decomposed products. Can be further converted to amino acids and the like.

  As an aspect of bringing a microorganism into contact with a plant body or a crushed material thereof, for example, using the microorganism attached to the plant body or the crushed plant body as it is, and adding a microorganism to the plant body or the crushed plant body Can be mentioned. From the viewpoint of obtaining a fermented processed product excellent in the bowel movement improving effect and the intestinal environment improving effect, it is preferable to add a microorganism to the plant or its crushed material. When using microorganisms adhering to a plant body or a crushed plant body as they are, care must be taken because the plant body or the crushed plant body may be spoiled.

  Examples of fermentation include lactic acid fermentation, citric acid fermentation, alcohol fermentation, acetic acid fermentation, and fermentation using a combination thereof. Depending on the type of fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, acetic acid bacteria, etc. are brought into contact with the plant or its crushed material. Among these, lactic acid fermentation is preferable.

  Lactic acid fermentation is performed by bringing the plant body or its crushed material into contact with lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid fermentation not only decomposes capsaicinoid-like substances and produces organic acids by assimilating the decomposed products, but also can maintain the fermented product at a low pH, thus preventing the growth of other bacteria. is there. Furthermore, plant components can be converted to components that can be assimilated by lactic acid bacteria and improve the intestinal bacterial flora, thereby increasing or active useful bacteria that inhabit the intestines other than the lactic acid bacteria used for fermentation Can improve the intestinal microflora, that is, improve the intestinal environment. In addition, an organic acid having an intestinal regulating action is produced by lactic acid bacteria, and a fermented product with a higher gastrointestinal function improving effect can be obtained.

  Examples of lactic acid bacteria include Leuconostoc mescentroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus thermophilus, Streptococcus faecalis, Bifidobacterium longum, etc. Used alone or in combination. For example, when used alone, Lactobacillus plantarum is preferred in terms of its acid resistance, growth temperature, and growth rate.

  When adding lactic acid bacteria, you may add the enzyme which decomposes | disassembles the cell wall of a plant body previously to a plant body or its crushed material. By adding such an enzyme, nutrients contained in the cells of the plant body are eluted, and the amount of nutrients that can be assimilated by lactic acid bacteria increases, so that the growth of lactic acid bacteria is improved. Furthermore, as a result of these enzymes acting on the cell wall (membrane) of the plant, the content of cellobiose, cellooligosaccharide, etc. in the fermentation liquid of lactic acid bacteria of the plant body is increased, and the effect of imparting functionality to the fermentation liquid is obtained. . These enzymes include pectin degrading enzymes (eg, polygalacturonase, pectin lyase, pectin esterase, and protopectinase), cellulolytic enzymes (eg, cellulase, and hemicellulase). These enzymes may be used as a mixture. Specifically, a preparation containing protopectinase, hemicellulase, and cellulase is preferably used. These are added in an amount of about 0.001% by mass to about 0.2% by mass with respect to the plant body, but differ depending on the purity of the enzyme used. When polygalacturonase is used, since the optimum pH of this enzyme is on the alkali side, care must be taken when the pH of the plant body or ground product is low.

  In order to create an environment in which lactic acid bacteria can preferentially grow, it is preferable to lower the pH of the plant body or its crushed material in advance. For example, in Lactobacillus plantarum, if fermentation is started after adjusting to about pH 4.0, the fermentation can be completed in a short period of time. Examples of the method for lowering the pH of the plant include adding a pH reducing agent to the plant, or adding water (electrolyzed water) acidified by electrolysis treatment to the plant. Examples of the pH lowering agent include hydrochloric acid, gluconic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, sorbic acid and the like. In order to suppress the acidity of the fermented product, gluconic acid is preferred. These pH lowering agents are preferably added to the plant body or its crushed material so as to be about 0.1% by mass to 1.2% by mass, about 1% by mass for gluconic acid, and other organic acids. It is preferable to add about 0.3% by mass. As the electrolyzed water, water on the anode side in the electrolyzer of the diaphragm used for the treatment is used. If the pH of the obtained electrolyzed water is too low, it may be adjusted by adding ion exchange water.

  Further, glutamic acid or a salt thereof may be added for preferential growth of lactic acid bacteria. The amount of glutamic acid can be added so as to be about 0.05 to 1 part by mass, preferably about 0.1 to 0.5 part by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the plant body or its crushed material.

  Lactic acid bacteria metabolic sugars may be added. This addition of sugar is useful when fermenting a plant having a low sugar content (less than 1% by mass). Alternatively, it may be added for the purpose of promoting fermentation and adding sweetness when used as a beverage. The lactic acid bacteria metabolic sugar added is a sugar that the lactic acid bacteria can use for growth and fermentation, and examples thereof include, but are not limited to, sucrose, glucose, fructose, and maltose. These sugars are preferably added so that the sugar content is about 1 to 6% by mass with the sugar content of the plant.

  Lactic acid bacteria are preferably added in an amount of 0.005 to 5.0 parts by mass, and more preferably 0.01 to 2.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the plant or its crushed material. In addition, when using commercially available lactic acid bacteria dry powder, what is necessary is just to add about 0.0005 to about 1 mass part as a standard. The fermentation temperature is usually 4 ° C to 50 ° C. Fermentation time should just be set according to fermentation temperature etc., and there is no restriction | limiting in particular. For example, when fermentation is performed at 20 ° C. to 50 ° C., it is 6 hours to 72 hours, preferably 12 hours to 72 hours. In particular, when fermentation is performed at 30 ° C. to 40 ° C., it is 6 hours to 64 hours, preferably 12 hours to 48 hours. When fermentation is performed at 4 ° C to 10 ° C in order to obtain a fermented product in which the blue odor of the plant body is suppressed, it is 5 days to 14 days.

  Lactic acid fermentation is preferably performed under anaerobic conditions. The anaerobic condition is that the plant body or its crushed material is put into a fermentor and then deaerated, or the fermenter is sealed, filled with a gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, or decompressed. Or it is obtained by combining them. Moreover, the flavor of the fermented processed material obtained by performing fermentation under anaerobic conditions also becomes good.

  In lactic acid fermentation, fermentation can be stopped by adding lactic acid bacteria non-metabolizable sugar. Examples of such sugars include sugar alcohols (for example, sorbitol), oligosaccharides (for example, maltooligosaccharide, chitooligosaccharide, fructooligosaccharide) and the like. Such oligosaccharides are effective for regulating the intestines, preventing caries, and the like, and can impart functionality to the obtained fermented product.

  Citric acid fermentation is performed by bringing yeast into contact with the above plant body or its crushed material under aerobic conditions and culturing. Citric acid produced by yeast can also lower the pH of the fermented product and promote degradation of, for example, capsaicinoid-like substances. Furthermore, when performing a fermentation process using yeast, since yeast produces an amino acid, protein, vitamins, etc., the plant body processed material with high nutritional value and excellent palatability can be obtained.

  Examples of yeast include yeast called sake yeast, wine yeast, beer yeast, baker's yeast and the like. Preferably, yeast belonging to the genus Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, etc. is used, and examples thereof include Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces pastorianus, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the like. In particular, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is preferably used in terms of producing useful substances such as amino acids and vitamins.

  The amount of yeast added is not particularly limited. Preferably, about 0.01 to 15 parts by mass, preferably about 0.1 to 10 parts by mass in terms of wet or dry cell mass is added to 100 parts by mass of the plant or its crushed material.

  Citric acid fermentation is carried out at 4 ° C. to 40 ° C., preferably 10 ° C. to 35 ° C. for 12 hours to 14 days, while putting the plant body or its crushed material and yeast in a fermenter and stirring with aeration.

  Alcohol fermentation is performed by bringing yeast into contact with the plant or a crushed product thereof under anaerobic conditions and culturing. The kind and amount of yeast used for alcoholic fermentation are the same as in the case of the citric acid fermentation. The fermentation conditions are the same as in the case of the citric acid fermentation except that the conditions are anaerobic. The fermented product thus obtained by alcohol fermentation is preferably subjected to acetic acid fermentation described below.

  Acetic acid fermentation is performed by adding an alcohol to the plant body or its crushed material to obtain a predetermined alcohol concentration, and then adding a microorganism (acetic acid bacterium) capable of acetic acid fermentation. Alternatively, a two-stage fermentation may be performed by adding acetic acid bacteria to the fermented product obtained by the above alcohol fermentation.

  The alcohol concentration may be any concentration as long as the acetic acid bacteria can grow, and is preferably 10% by mass or less, and preferably 1 to 6% by mass in consideration of fermentation time. % Is particularly preferred.

  Examples of the acetic acid bacteria include microorganisms belonging to the genus Acetobacter, such as Acetobacter aceti, Acetobacter pasteurianus, Acetobacter hanseni, and the like.

  The acetic acid bacterium is preferably pre-cultured in an appropriate medium at 15 ° C. to 40 ° C., preferably at 25 ° C. to 35 ° C. for 6 to 48 hours. The pre-cultured acetic acid bacteria can be obtained, for example, as follows. Acetic acid bacteria were added to 1 L of acetic acid bacteria medium (pH 7.0) containing 200 g of potato, 30 g of disrupted yeast, liver extract 25 g, meat extract 5 g, thioglycolic acid medium 10 g, glucose 5 g, glycerol 15 g, and calcium carbonate 15 g. And pre-culture at 15 to 40 ° C. for 24 hours. Next, the culture is centrifuged, and the collected bacteria are washed with sterilized water, centrifuged again, and the supernatant is removed to obtain pre-cultured acetic acid bacteria.

  The acetic acid bacterium is added in an amount of 0.0001 to 1 part by mass, preferably 0.001 to 0.5 part by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the plant body or a crushed product thereof or a fermented product.

  The acetic acid fermentation can be performed by stirring culture, shaking culture, or stationary culture. The fermentation temperature is between 10 ° C and 40 ° C, preferably between 20 ° C and 35 ° C. Fermentation time is suitably set according to the addition amount of acetic acid bacteria, and usually 1 day to 1 week is suitable.

  As described above, a plant fermentation product can be obtained by subjecting a plant containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and a capsaicinoid-like substance or a crushed product thereof to fermentation. You may collect | recover a fermentation process liquid from the obtained plant body fermentation processed material. A method commonly used by those skilled in the art, for example, centrifugation, filtration, etc., can be applied to recovering the fermentation treatment liquid.

  The plant fermentation product may be further extracted. Among the components contained in the fermented plant product, components having a bowel movement improving effect and an intestinal environment improving effect are components that are mainly soluble in water and ethanol. Therefore, you may extract from a plant body fermentation processed material and use the obtained extract. In particular, a plant fermentation product using a plant containing a capsaicinoid-like substance contains a degradation product of a capsaicinoid-like substance that is hardly contained in the plant, mainly vanillyl alcohol and a fatty acid. For the extract, for example, the fermented plant product is pulverized as necessary, extracted by adding a solvent such as water or ethanol, and the plant body is extracted by a method commonly used by those skilled in the art, for example, centrifugation, filtration, etc. It is obtained by removing the residue of the treated product. In addition, when performing a fermentation process without grind | pulverizing a plant body, in order to make extraction easy, you may grind | pulverize after the said process. Furthermore, the extract can also be made into an extract by removing part or all of the solvent used for extraction.

  Thus, a plant body fermentation processed material and its extract (extract) are obtained. The fermented product of these plants and the extract (extract) thereof are at least one kind of composition selected from the group consisting of the composition having an intestinal regulating action of the present invention, that is, a bowel movement improving action and an intestinal environment improving action. It can be used as a composition having an intestinal action.

  The composition of the present invention contains a degradation product of capsaicin or capsaicinoid-like substance. The content of the degradation product of the capsaicinoid-like substance can be measured using the content of vanillyl alcohol as an index based on the fact that the capsaicinoid-like substance is decomposed mainly into vanillyl alcohol and fatty acid by the fermentation treatment. Theoretically, when 1 mol of capsaicinoid-like substance decomposes, 1 mol of vanillyl alcohol can be produced. Therefore, by measuring the content of vanillyl alcohol, it is possible to know the degradation rate of the capsaicinoid-like substance and the amount of degradation product of the capsaicinoid-like substance. Vanillyl alcohol can be measured, for example, by HPLC. From the point of efficiently exhibiting the effect of improving bowel movements or improving the intestinal environment, the degradation product of capsaicinoid-like substance is contained in an amount of 0.05% by mass to 0.3% by mass in terms of dry mass using vanillyl alcohol as an index. It is preferable. The content of this vanillyl alcohol corresponds to 1.5 to 25 times, preferably 2 to 20 times, compared with the content before the treatment.

  If necessary, the composition of the present invention is sterilized. The sterilization treatment can be performed by a method commonly used by those skilled in the art, such as air sterilization, high-pressure sterilization, and heat sterilization. Sterilization is preferably performed at as low a temperature as possible and in a short time in order to retain various nutrients. The sterilization process enables long-term storage.

  Since the composition of the present invention has a bowel movement improving effect or an intestinal environment improving effect, it is used in various forms for the purpose of obtaining the effect. This composition is more fragrant, especially because the composition obtained by fermenting a plant containing a capsaicinoid-like substance contains almost no irritating substance such as capsaicin, and therefore has a special treatment. It is used for various purposes without need. For example, it is used as food, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs and the like. For example, the amount of the fermented processed product contained in the composition is appropriately set according to the usage form of the composition.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the form of the composition of this invention. For example, capsules such as hard capsules and soft capsules; tablets; pills; powders; granules; tea bags containing liquids of processed plant bodies, tea bags, liquids, and the like are used in a form normally used by those skilled in the art as foods or pharmaceuticals. Depending on the shape or preference, these may be taken as they are, or they may be taken by dissolving in water, hot water, milk or the like, and those in which components are leached may be taken. These may contain components required depending on the form in addition to the degradation product of the capsaicinoid-like substance. For example, additives such as excipients, extenders, binders, thickeners, emulsifiers, colorants, fragrances, food additives, seasonings and the like may be included. Among these, examples of food additives include royal jelly, vitamins, minerals, chitin / chitosan, and lecithin.

  The said foodstuff, a pharmaceutical, and a quasi-drug can be manufactured by the method normally used by those skilled in the art except containing the said decomposition product. For example, in order to obtain a powdery composition, the above-mentioned fermented plant product is dried as it is to obtain a powder, or an extract obtained from the fermented plant product is used as a dried extract powder. As a drying method, various methods generally used by those skilled in the art are adopted, and lyophilization and spray drying are preferably used. When spray drying is performed, an excipient such as dextrin, cyclodextrin, starch or maltose is added as necessary. Preferably, dextrin is used, and the ratio of composition to dextrin is preferably 1: 5 to 10: 1 by mass ratio. When drying the extract, the ratio of this solution to dextrin is preferably 1:10 to 5: 1 by mass ratio.

  The liquid preparation can be suitably used particularly as a health drink. For example, the plant fermented processed product extract is used as it is, or various seasonings, for example, sweeteners such as granulated sugar, honey, and sorbit, acidulants such as alcohol, citric acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid, flavorings, It can be used after adjusting the taste by adding a pigment. And if such an extract is mixed with other fermented juices, vegetable juices, etc. (for example, carrot juice or mixed vegetable juice), it can be made juice with higher nutritional value. Alternatively, it can be mixed with agar to make a jelly, and combined with vegetables or fruit juice, dairy products, etc., by a method commonly used by those skilled in the art, such as cooling and kneading, and food such as sherbet, frozen yogurt, ice cream and the like You can also In addition, these liquid agents, beverages containing the liquid agent, and foods can be sterilized under sterilization conditions of 100 ° C. or less without being completely sterilized at 120 ° C. for 4 minutes as long as the pH is low. For example, when pH is 4.0 or less, it can fully sterilize under sterilization conditions corresponding to 65 ° C. and 10 minutes.

  The daily intake of the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the intake mode. For example, when a fermented processed product of red pepper variety CH-19 sweet is contained in the composition, the fermented processed product is preferably 0.001 g to 10 g, more preferably 0.005 g to 1 g in terms of dry mass. Is set as follows. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of obtaining a sufficient effect of improving the intestinal environment, the daily intake of the composition is 0.1 to 3 g, preferably 0. It can be set to be 3 to 1 g.

  The composition having an intestinal regulating action of the present invention can be obtained by subjecting a plant containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and a capsaicinoid-like substance to fermentation. This composition contains a degradation product of capsaicin or a capsaicinoid-like substance, and has a bowel movement improving effect that cannot be possessed by a plant body before the treatment by fermentation treatment. In particular, when fermentation treatment is performed using lactic acid bacteria, useful bacteria that live in the intestine other than the lactic acid bacteria used for fermentation are increased or activated, thereby improving the intestinal microflora, that is, intestinal The environment can be improved. Furthermore, since it contains an organic acid having an intestinal action produced by lactic acid bacteria, it has not only an effect of improving the intestinal environment but also an excellent effect of improving gastrointestinal function. Examples of useful bacteria that inhabit the intestine include Bacteroides, Eurobacterium, Peptococcus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and some bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus. In particular, the number of Bacillus and Bifidobacterium increases. Specifically, the number of Bifidobacterium addressense, Bifidobacterium long gum, and Bacillus coagulans cells useful for maintaining the health of adults increases.

  The composition of the present invention is further excellent in palatability such as fragrance and flavor. For example, when fermentation treatment is performed using yeast, since yeast produces amino acids, proteins, vitamins, etc., a composition having excellent palatability and high nutritional value can be obtained. Furthermore, since it contains almost no stimulating substance such as capsaicin, it can be widely used as food, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs and the like.

  Hereinafter, although the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this example.

(Example 1: Preparation of plant body fermentation processed product)
2 kg of raw capsicum CH-19 sweet fruit (Morinaga Seika Co., Ltd.) (hereinafter sometimes referred to as CD plant) containing 0.02% by mass of capsaicinoid-like substance (0.2% by mass in terms of dry mass) 4 kg of purified water was added and crushed with a mascolloider to obtain 6 kg of crushed plant. 200 g of the crushed plant body and 200 g of purified water were put into a jacketed tank. Lactic acid bacteria (Kyowa High Foods Co., Ltd.) were added so that the final concentration was 0.1% by mass in dry mass, and anaerobic fermentation was performed at 30 ° C. for 64 hours. A portion of the fermented product (50 g each) was collected at 0 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 64 hours after the start of fermentation, and stored in a refrigerator. After the completion of fermentation, Brix value and pH were measured using 10 g of each collected sample. The remaining 40 g was filtered, and these filtrates were freeze-dried to obtain a dry powder A of the untreated plant extract (0 hours from the start of fermentation) and dry powders A1 to A6 of the fermented plant extract. . Each dry powder (1.2 g) was dissolved in 1 mL of purified water, and the content of the capsaicinoid-like substance decomposition product was measured by HPLC under the following conditions using vanillyl alcohol as an index. The measurement results are shown in Tables 1 to 3.

(Vanyl alcohol measurement conditions)
Model: JLC-500 / V (JEOL Ltd.)
Column: Unison UK-18, 4.6 mm x 150 mm (Intact Corporation)
Mobile phase: 5% to 10% acetonitrile-0.5% acetic acid solution with a gradient of 40 minutes Flow rate: 0.7 mL / min Column temperature: 40 ° C. (0 → 16.3 minutes)
Measurement wavelength: excitation 280 nm, detection 320 nm
Standard reagent: Vanillyl alcohol (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)

(Example 2: Preparation of plant fermentation processed product)
Except that lactic acid bacteria were not added, the fermented processed material fermented at each time (0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 64 hours) was collected and filtered in the same manner as in Example 1. These filtrates were freeze-dried to obtain a dry powder A of untreated plant body extract (0 hours from the start of fermentation) and dry powders A7 to A12 of a fermented plant body extract. The Brix value, pH, and vanillyl alcohol content of these dry powders were measured. A result is combined with Tables 1-3 and shown.

(Example 3: Preparation of fermented plant product)
Each time (0, 0, 0) was used in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a commercially available red pepper containing capsaicin (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a CN plant) was used instead of red pepper CH-19 sweet. (3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 64 hours) The fermented processed material was collected and filtered. These filtrates were freeze-dried to obtain dry powder B of untreated plant extract (0 hours after the start of fermentation) and dry powders B1 to B6 of fermented plant extract. The Brix value and pH of these dry powders were measured. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2 together.

  As can be seen from Table 3, the content of vanillyl alcohol in the extract was also increased by subjecting the plant containing the capsaicinoid-like substance to fermentation (Examples 1 and 2). This indicates that the capsaicinoid-like substance in the plant body was decomposed by the fermentation treatment. Furthermore, dry powder A6 (fermentation process 64 hours) increased about 10 times compared with dry powder A (fermentation process 0 hours) which is a non-fermentation processed product (Examples 1 and 2). From the content of vanillyl alcohol produced by the decomposition, the capsaicinoid-like substance is converted to vanillyl alcohol by being decomposed by 90% or more in terms of mole by carrying out a fermentation treatment for 64 hours. (Table 2), it can be understood that the capsaicinoid-like substance can be decomposed while preventing the propagation of miscellaneous bacteria.

(Comparative Example 1)
In the same manner as in Example 1, a crushed product of a CD plant was obtained. A part (50 g) was collected, filtered, and the filtrate was freeze-dried to obtain 2.1 g of a dry powder (dry powder A) of an untreated plant extract.

  Separately, 200 g of purified water was added to a part (200 g) of the crushed plant body, and the resulting mixture was heat-treated at 100 ° C. for 60 minutes using a hot plate. 50 g after 20 minutes from the start of the heat treatment, 50 g after 40 minutes, and 100 g after 60 minutes were recovered. Each heat-treated product is filtered, and each filtrate is freeze-dried to obtain dried powders of heat-treated plant extracts (dry powders a1: 1.2 g, a2: 1.2 g, and a3: 2.4 g, respectively). It was. 1 mL each of 1.2 g of dry powder A (freeze-dried product) of 2.1 g of the untreated plant extract and 1.2 g of each of dry powders a1, a2, and a3 of heat-treated plant extract Then, the content of the degradation product of capsaicinoid-like substance was measured by HPLC under the same conditions as in Example 1 using vanillyl alcohol as an index. The measurement results are shown in Table 4 below. About dry powder a3 which heat-processed for 60 minutes, in order to investigate the conversion rate of a capsaicinoid-like substance into vanillyl alcohol, 0.5 g of dry powder was used, and the content of the remaining capsaicinoid-like substance was HPLC measurement was performed under the conditions.

(Capsaicinoid-like substance measurement conditions)
<Preparation of sample>
Dissolve 0.5 g of dry powder in 1 mL of purified water, extract from this solution with ethyl acetate 1 mL × 3, and use as a sample <HPLC conditions>
Column: J'sphere ODS-H80 (YMC, 4.6 mm x 150 mm)
Mobile phase: 80% aqueous methanol flow rate: 1 mL / min Column temperature: 40 ° C.
Measurement wavelength: excitation 280 nm, detection 320 nm

(Comparative Example 2)
Except that the heating temperature was changed from 100 ° C. to 40 ° C., the heat-treated product subjected to the heat treatment for each time (20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 60 minutes) was collected and filtered in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1. These filtrates were freeze-dried to obtain heat-treated plant body extract dry powders (dry powders a4 to a6, respectively). The vanillyl alcohol content of the dry powder A of the untreated plant extract and the dry powders a4 to a6 of the heat-treated extract was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are also shown in Table 4.

(Comparative Example 3)
A dry powder (dry powder B) of an untreated plant body extract was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that a CN plant body was used instead of the CD plant body. Subsequent operations were performed in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, and the heat-treated product that had been heat-treated at each time (20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 60 minutes) was collected and filtered. These filtrates were freeze-dried to obtain heat-treated plant body extract dry powders (dry powders b1 to b3, respectively).

  As can be seen from Table 4, by heating the CD plant, the content of vanillyl alcohol in the extract increased with time (Comparative Examples 1 and 2). This indicates that the capsaicinoid-like substance in the plant body was decomposed by the heat treatment. In Comparative Example 1, the content of vanillyl alcohol in the dry powder a3 is 0.125% by mass. This is because the capsaicinoid-like substance contained in the plant body in an amount of 0.2% by mass in terms of dry mass is included. It indicates that it was converted to vanillyl alcohol at a ratio of 90% or more in terms of mole. Furthermore, the content of vanillyl alcohol in the dry powder a3 (heat treatment 60 minutes) was increased 10 times or more compared to the dry powder A (heat treatment 0 minutes), which was an untreated product. As a result of measuring the capsaicinoid-like substance with respect to the dry powder a3 of Comparative Example 1, no capsaicinoid-like substance was decomposed because it was not detected at all.

(Example 4: Effect of improving bowel movement)
Using the dried powder of the fermented product of the CD plant body, the bowel movement improving effect was evaluated as follows. First, 5 weeks old male SD rats (Nippon Charles River Co., Ltd.) were fed a basic diet (rat solid feed MF: Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) and allowed to acclimatize for 1 week. Each group was assigned 5 animals so as to be almost uniform.

  Next, in Example 1, the fermented processed product of the plant remaining in the tank after 64 hours of fermentation was recovered, sterilized at 110 ° C. for 2 minutes, and filtered to obtain a fermented processed plant extract. This extract was freeze-dried to obtain 1.5 g of dry powder A6 '. 1.5 g of dry powder A6 'was dissolved in 150 mL of purified water and filtered to remove insoluble components to prepare a solution. 1.5 mL of this solution was forcibly administered to a group of 5 SD rats with a sonde three times a day for one week. As a control, a group in which purified water was forcibly administered instead of the above solution was provided. During the administration period, the basic feed was freely ingested.

  At the end of one week after administration, stool volume and food consumption were measured. For the amount of stool, the total amount of stool during the administration period was collected and dried at 40 ° C. for 24 hours, and then the mass was measured and converted to the dry stool mass per day. The amount of food intake was converted to the amount of food intake per day from the difference between the mass of the basic feed at the start of administration and the mass of the basic diet one week after administration. The results are shown in Table 5.

  Furthermore, 0.5 ml of an aqueous solution containing 2.5% by mass of carmine (Chroma Geskraft Schmidt & Co) was forcibly administered with a sonde on the next day after administration (day 8 from the start of administration), and carmine was detected in the stool after administration. The time until it was measured was measured, and the intestinal transit time was measured. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Example 5: effect of improving bowel movement)
The CN plant body fermented product of Example 3 (64-hour fermentation treatment) was sterilized at 110 ° C. for 2 minutes and then filtered, and the filtrate was freeze-dried to obtain 1.5 g of dry powder B6 ′. Fecal amount, food intake, and intestinal transit time were measured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that the dry powder B6 ′ was used instead of the dry powder A6 ′. The results are also shown in Table 5.

(Comparative Examples 4-6)
Heat-treated product of CD plant body of Comparative Example 1 (heat treatment for 60 minutes), heat-treated product of CN plant body of Comparative Example 3 (heat treatment for 60 minutes), and crushed product of CD plant of Example 1 (no treatment) ) Was sterilized at 110 ° C. for 2 minutes and filtered, and the filtrate was freeze-dried to obtain 1.5 g of dry powders a3 ′, b3 ′, and A ′. Except for using these dry powders a3 ′, b3 ′, and A ′ instead of the dry powder A6 ′, the amount of feces, food intake, and intestinal transit time were measured in the same manner as in Example 4. (Comparative Examples 4, 5, and 6 respectively). The results are also shown in Table 5.

  From the results of Table 5, the group to which the dry powder A6 ′ obtained by fermenting the CD plant of Example 4 was fermented was found in Comparative Example 4 although there was no difference in the amount of food consumed in each group. Compared with the dry powder a3 ′ obtained by heat-treating the CD plant or the untreated dry powder A ′ of the CD plant, the amount of feces increased and the intestinal transit time was shortened. On the other hand, the CN plant showed the same tendency (dry powders B6 'and b3'). From these facts, it can be seen that the fermented processed plant body containing capsaicin or capsaicinoid-like substance has a high effect on improving bowel movement. In particular, among the fermented products of the examples, the plant body containing the capsaicinoid-like substance (Example 4) has an excellent bowel movement improving effect as compared with the plant body containing capsaicin (Example 5). Recognize.

(Example 6: Intestinal environment improvement effect)
2 kg of purified water was added to 1 kg of the CD plant and pulverized with a mass colloider. Next, dry lactic acid bacteria powder of Lactobacillus plantarum (Kyowa High Foods Co., Ltd.) was added to the ground pepper so that the final concentration was 0.1% by mass, and after stirring well, it was filled into a jacketed tank, Anaerobic fermentation was performed at 30 ° C. for 48 hours. After fermentation, the supernatant of the lactic acid bacteria fermentation product of the CD plant was collected by centrifugation. The obtained lactic acid bacteria fermentation broth of the CD plant was heat-concentrated and heat-sterilized, and further 100 g of dextrin was added and spray-dried to obtain 201 g of dried powder of lactic acid bacteria fermentation broth. 100 mL of water was added per 0.3 g of the obtained dry powder and dissolved to prepare food.

  Intestinal environment improvement effect was evaluated by having 10 subjects ingest this food and measuring the rate of increase of useful intestinal bacteria present in the stool before and after food intake.

  First, after each stool of each subject was collected, 100 mL of the food was taken by each subject once a day for 2 weeks. After ingestion for 2 weeks, stool from each subject was collected again, and stool before and after food intake was collected.

  Next, DNA of useful bacteria in the intestine present in the stool was extracted from each 200 mg of stool before and after food intake using QIAamp DNA Tool Mini Kit (Qiagen).

  An extract containing 150 ng of the above DNA (value measured and calculated at OD 280 nm), 0.5 μL of 200 μM primer and 23 μL of purified water were mixed, and PCR beads (Pharmacia Biotech) were added to prepare a sample. Prepared. As the primers, DNAs of SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2 were used for Bifidobacterium addresses, and DNAs of SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4 were used for Bacillus coagulans.

  About each sample, PCR was performed on condition of the following using program temp control system PC-708 (ASPEC). In the case of Bifidobacterium addressens, after heating at 94 ° C. for 2 minutes, a reaction of 94 ° C. for 20 seconds, 45 ° C. for 20 seconds, and 72 ° C. for 1 minute is 20 cycles. Set to repeat. In the case of Bacillus coagulans, after heating at 94 ° C. for 2 minutes, the reaction of 94 ° C. for 20 seconds, 55 ° C. for 20 seconds, and 72 ° C. for 1 minute was set to repeat 20 cycles. This condition was set in advance so that the amplification did not reach a plateau using DNA extracted from stool before food intake.

After completion of PCR, each PCR amplification product was subjected to electrophoresis using a 1% agarose gel prepared by diluting with TBE buffer containing Tris, boric acid, and EDTA, and electrophoresis was performed for 30 minutes. One Step Ladder 100 (Nippon Gene) was used as a molecular weight marker. After electrophoresis, the DNA band in the agarose gel was stained with ethidium bromide, and the luminescence intensity of the band of the following predetermined molecular weight was quantified using an image analyzer (Tyhoon: Amersham Biotech Co., Ltd.):
Bifidobacterium addressense DNA molecular weight: 279 bp,
Bacillus coagulans DNA molecular weight: 269 bp.

  When the emission intensity of the detection band obtained from the stool-derived sample before food intake is 1, the relative value of the emission intensity of the band obtained from the stool-derived sample after food intake of the same subject is calculated respectively. The average value was obtained. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Comparative Example 7)
187 g of dried powder of supernatant of ground pepper was obtained in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the dried lactic acid bacteria powder of Lactobacillus plantarum was not added and the supernatant was collected without further fermentation. . 100 mL of water was added per 0.3 g of the obtained dry powder and dissolved to prepare food. Subsequent operations were performed in the same manner as in Example 6 to evaluate the effect of improving the intestinal environment. The results are shown in Table 6.

  From the results of Table 6, in the group that ingested the food containing the lactic acid bacteria fermentation product of the CD plant of Example 6, Bifidobacterium addressence and Bacillus coagulance, both useful bacteria, were about 2-3.5 times. It can be seen that it has increased. On the other hand, in the group which ingested the food containing the CD plant body which is not lactic-acid-bacteria-fermented of the comparative example 7, there was not much change compared with the quantity of the useful bacteria before food intake. This indicates that by ingesting a food containing a lactic acid bacterium fermentation product of a CD plant, useful bacteria that inhabit the intestines grow and the intestinal flora is improved.

(Example 7: Preference evaluation)
Dry powder A6 of fermentation plant extract of CD plant of Example 1, dry powder B6 of fermentation extract of CN plant of Example 3, and heat-treated plant of CD plant of Comparative Example 1 50 g each of dry powder a3 of extract, dry powder b3 of heat-treated plant extract of CN plant of Comparative Example 3, and dry powder A (control example) of untreated plant extract of CD plant were prepared. This was sterilized at 110 ° C. for 2 minutes using an airflow sterilizer. Twenty men and women each sampled 1.0 g of each of these powders and evaluated for palatability (fragrance and flavor). In each evaluation, the five types of powders were ranked, and the average value was calculated by quantifying as 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 points in order from the most preferable one. The results are shown in Table 6.

  From the results of Table 7, the dry powder A6 obtained by subjecting the CD plant to fermentation treatment is compared with the dry powder a3 obtained by heat-treating the CD plant or the untreated dry powder A of the CD plant. It is clear that both fragrance and flavor are excellent. The same tendency was observed for CN plants (dry powders B6 and b3). It can also be seen that the fermented processed product of CD plant (dried powder A6) is superior in fragrance and flavor than the fermented processed product of CN plant (dried powder B6).

(Example 8)
In the same manner as in Example 1, a plant crushed product of red pepper CH-19 sweet was obtained. A mixture of 200 g of plant crushed material and 200 g of purified water was placed in an airflow sterilizer (Nara Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) and heated at 110 ° C. for 1 minute. After leaving to reach room temperature, the mixture was filled into a jacketed tank. Glucose was added thereto so that the final concentration was 5% by mass. Next, 4 g of baker's yeast (Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) was added at a wet mass, and fermentation was performed at 30 ° C. for 48 hours to obtain a fermented product. The obtained fermented processed product was filtered to obtain a fermented treated plant extract. The Brix value of this fermented plant extract was 0.7, which was lower than 2.3 before fermentation. The fermented plant body extract contained 0.1 volume / volume% of ethanol. In addition, when the content of vanillyl alcohol, which is a decomposition product of capsaicinoid-like substance, was measured, it was 0.13% by mass in terms of dry mass based on the mass of the raw pepper, and the capsaicinoid-like substance was efficiently decomposed. It turns out that it is converted into vanillyl alcohol. Furthermore, the fermented plant body extract was excellent in both flavor and aroma.

Example 9
Acetobacter aceti (IFO 3284), 0.2 g potato, 0.03 g crushed yeast, 0.03 g liver extract, 0.005 g meat extract, 0.01 g thioglycolic acid medium, 0.05 g glucose, 0.15 g glycerol And 1 ml of an acetic acid bacteria culture solution (pH 7.0) containing 0.15 g of calcium carbonate, and cultured with shaking at 30 ° C. for 24 hours. This was centrifuged to remove the supernatant, and the precultured cells were collected. Next, in the same manner as in Example 1, a plant fragment of capsicum CH-19 sweet was obtained, and a mixture of 200 g of this plant fragment and 200 g of a 10% by mass ethanol aqueous solution was prepared and filled into a jacketed tank. did. To this mixture, all the pre-cultured cells were added, and acetic acid fermentation was performed at 30 ° C. for 7 days. This fermented product was filtered to obtain vinegar. The acidity of the obtained vinegar is 4.1%, and the amount of vanillyl alcohol contained in the vinegar is 0.12% by mass in terms of dry mass based on the mass of the raw pepper, and capsaicinoid It can be seen that the like substance is efficiently decomposed and converted to vanillyl alcohol. Moreover, this vinegar had a flavor and a characteristic fragrance.

(Example 10)
In the same manner as in Example 1, a plant crushed product of red pepper CH-19 sweet was obtained. A mixture of 400 g of plant crushed material and 400 g of purified water was placed in an airflow sterilizer and heated at 110 ° C. for 5 minutes. This mixture was put into a jacketed tank. To this mixture, glutamic acid was added so as to have a final concentration of 0.1% by mass, and lactic acid bacteria (Kyowa High Foods Co., Ltd.) were added so that the final concentration would be 0.1% by mass, and then at 30 ° C. for 24 hours. Anaerobic fermentation was performed. Although the pH before fermentation was 5.9, it was found that the pH of the obtained fermented product was 3.2, and lactic acid fermentation had progressed. In addition, vanillyl alcohol, which is a decomposition product of capsaicinoid-like substance contained in the fermented product, is 0.12% by mass in terms of dry weight based on the mass of the raw pepper, and the capsaicinoid-like substance is efficiently decomposed. It can be seen that it has been converted to vanillyl alcohol. 200 g of this fermented product was concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure to obtain 10 g of dry powder. Furthermore, 200 g was collected from the fermented product and filtered to obtain a fermented extract. Next, this fermentation-treated extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to 80 g, 10 g of dextrin was added and spray-dried to obtain 13 g of a fermentation-treated extract powder.

  The composition of the present invention is obtained by fermenting a plant containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and capsaicinoid-like substance, and is used for improving bowel movement or intestinal environment. This composition is also excellent in aroma and palatability. The composition of the present invention can be applied to foods, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, etc., for improving constipation, immunostimulation, suppression of harmful microbial metabolites and harmful enzymes, prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, improvement of allergic constitutions, etc. Useful. In particular, fermented pepper products containing capsaicinoid-like substances contain very little irritating substances such as capsaicin, and thus are widely useful in foods, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, etc. .

Claims (5)

Obtained by fermentation of plants containing at least one selected from the group consisting of capsaicin and capsaicinoids like substances, intestinal agents. The intestinal regulating agent according to claim 1, wherein the intestinal regulating agent is a bowel movement improving agent . The intestines agent is a intestinal environment-improving agent, that have a function of the intestinal environment improving agents, increase or activate the bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus or the genus Bifidobacterium inhabiting the intestine The intestinal regulating agent according to claim 1. The intestinal regulating agent according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plant is a red pepper containing a capsaicinoid-like substance. The intestinal regulating agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the fermentation is performed using bacteria belonging to the genus Lactobacillus.