Abstract

The effect of mung-bean dietary fibre on the acidification in culture broths by using six intestinal bacterial strains was investigated. The strains were cultured anaerobically individually in broths containing 2 kinds of mung-bean fibre, mung-bean hull and cellulose at 37°C. The results showed that Bifidobacterium bifidum andBifidobacterium longum in the broths containing each kind of mung-bean fibre had the highest acidification ability than the broths containing mung-bean hull and cellulose. Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecalisand, Escherichia coli, and Bacteroides fragilis also showed acidification ability in the broths containing each kind of fibres, but the acidification ability of these intestinal bacterial strains was significantly different. However, the mung-bean fibre played an important role in acidification of broths cultured with intestinal microflora.

Key words: Acidification, fibre, intestinal, microflora, mung-bean.