Blended tea for improving intestinal bacterial flora and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a blended tea that promises to reduce obesity only by drinking it.SOLUTION: The blended tea is drunk after dissolving granules made from the extract of raw materials derived from traditional Chinese medicine in water or hot water, and can reduce Ruminococcus in intestinal bacterial flora. The reduction of Ruminococcus brings the intestinal flora closer to that of a non-obese person, and is expected to reduce obesity. The blended tea is produced using a plurality or all of mung beans, jujubes, soybeans, Chinese yam, black beans, Euphoria longan fruits, lily roots, plum fruits, mulberry, citrus unshiu peels, cinnamon, chrysanthemum flowers, ginger, and dried fermented black soybeans as the raw materials.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blended tea that aims to improve the intestinal bacterial flora (intestinal flora) and a manufacturing method thereof, and by drinking the blended tea, it is possible to reduce the amount of Ruminococcus contained in the intestinal flora, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] A diverse group of microorganisms forms an ecosystem in the human intestine, and this microbial ecosystem is called the "intestinal flora." There are approximately 1,000 types of intestinal bacteria that form the intestinal flora, and the number of bacteria is said to be approximately 100 trillion to 1,000 trillion.

[0003] Microorganisms are classified according to the hierarchy of "domain-phylum-class-order-family-genus-species." Microorganism names are usually written as genus + species. The types of bacteria that make up the intestinal flora vary from person to person, but it is said that the human intestinal flora is dominated by bacteria from the phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria.

[0004] Dr. Peter Bork of Germany and his colleagues have proposed classifying the types of intestinal flora (enterotypes) based on the ratio of bacteria normally present in the human intestine into three types: a type with a high proportion of the genus Bacteroides belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes, a type with a high proportion of the genus Prevotella belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes, and a type with a high proportion of the genus Ruminococcus belonging to the phylum Firmicutes.

[0005] In addition, Takagi et al. Type A: A type with a high concentration of Ruminococcaceae Type B: A type with many Bacteroides and relatively many Faecalibacterium species Type C: A type with a high concentration of Bacteroides and a low concentration of Faecalis bacterium Type D: A type with a significantly higher concentration of Bifidobacterium Type E: Prevotella-dominant They propose classifying these into five categories (see Non-Patent Document 1 below).

[0006] In addition, several studies have reported that when comparing the intestinal flora of obese people with that of people with a normal body type, obese people tend to have fewer bacteria of the Bacteroidetes phylum and more bacteria of the Firmicutes phylum (Non-patent Documents 2 and 3 below). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] T Takagi, et al “Typing of the Gut Microbiota Community in Japanese Subjects”Microorganisms 2022, 10, 664 [Non-Patent Document 2] Turnbaugh PJ, et al “A core gut microbiome in obese and lean twins”Nature 467; 480-484; 2009 [Non-Patent Document 3] Scientific Reports (2021) 11:5532 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Obesity is said to worsen lifestyle-related diseases and cause various health disorders, and improving lifestyle and eating habits is recommended to reduce obesity. However, it is quite difficult for obese people to improve their past habits and continue to maintain the improved state over the long term. The present invention aims to solve these problems and provides a blended tea that can be expected to alleviate obesity simply by drinking it, and a method for producing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention is a blended tea made by dissolving granules made from an extract of raw materials derived from Chinese medicine in water or hot water and drinking it, and it is possible to reduce the Ruminococcus genus in the intestinal flora simply by drinking it. This blended tea is made using some or all of the raw materials selected from mung beans, jujubes, soybeans, Chinese yam, black beans, marigolds, lily root, plums, mulberries, tangerine, cinnamon, chrysanthemums, ginger, and tangerine.

[0010] In addition, the manufacturing method of the blended tea for reducing the Ruminococcus genus of the present invention includes an extraction step of applying high pressure to the raw material to extract the extract, a spray drying step of spray drying the extract to produce fine particles, and a granule production step of granulating the fine particles to produce the granules. Effect of the Invention

[0011] By drinking the blended tea for reducing the genus Ruminococcus of the present invention, a reduction in the amount of Ruminococcus in the intestinal bacterial flora has been observed, and it has been found that drinking this blended tea tends to cause the intestinal bacterial flora to become closer to that of a non-obese person. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the manufacturing process of the blended tea of ​​the present invention. [Diagram 2] A diagram showing changes in intestinal bacteria following consumption of blended tea DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The raw materials for the blended tea of ​​the present invention are mung beans, jujubes, soybeans, Chinese yam, black beans, ryegrass, lily root, plum fruit, mulberry fruit, Chinese chimpi, cinnamon, chrysanthemum flower, ginger, and tantoshi. All of these ingredients are derived from traditional Chinese medicine.

[0014] In traditional Chinese medicine, mung beans are said to have the effects of reducing heat (alleviating symptoms of heat), stimulating water circulation (excreting excess fluid from the body as urine and removing dampness), clearing heat (cooling down excess heat trapped in the body), detoxifying (removing waste products and toxins from the body), and quenching thirst (moistening the throat and quenching thirst). In traditional Chinese medicine, jujube is used for sedative, tonic, relaxation and diuretic purposes. In traditional Chinese medicine, soybeans are considered a typical food ingredient that promotes gastrointestinal health and replenishes energy. Nagaimo is said to be a food that strengthens the kidneys and hydrates the body, thereby preventing aging. Black beans are said to promote digestive health and replenish the kidneys.

[0015] Longan Niku is the pulp of the longan plant, which belongs to the Sapindaceae family, and is said to have the effect of relieving mental and emotional anxiety. Lily root is said to moisturize the lungs and relieve coughs. Plums are said to have the power to hydrate the body and quench thirst. Mulberries are said to replenish vital energy and have anti-aging effects. Chinpi is made from dried mandarin peel and is said to regulate gastrointestinal function and stimulate appetite.

[0016] Cinnamon is made by processing the bark and roots of trees belonging to the Cinnamomum genus of the Lauraceae family, and is said to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as the effects of improving blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Chrysanthemum flowers are said to have the effect of reducing fever and soothing headaches, sore throats, and bloodshot eyes. Ginger is a food ingredient that warms the body and is said to be effective in treating the early symptoms of a cold. Tantoushi is made by fermenting black soybeans to make natto, which is then dried (dried fermented black soybeans), and is said to be effective against various cold symptoms. In addition, when producing blended tea, all of the above raw materials may be used, or only a few of the raw materials may be used.

[0017] The preparation of blended tea is carried out according to the steps shown in Figure 1. First, the raw materials are mixed with a solvent (water / ethyl alcohol) and loaded into an extractor, where high pressure is applied to extract the extract (Step 1). The raw material pomace is removed from the extract. Next, in order to increase the concentration of the obtained extract, the solvent is removed from the extract using a thin membrane such as a reverse osmosis membrane (RO membrane) (step 2). (Note that a concentration method using a thin membrane is also described in detail in, for example, JP-A-5-201872.) The resulting concentrated liquid is spray-dried to produce fine particles (step 3). In the spray-drying method, the sprayed droplets are brought into contact with hot air to produce a dry powder. The resulting fine powder is then granulated to produce the formulated tea granules (step 4). The resulting granules are packaged in single serving packages.

[0018] Next, we will explain the results of an analysis conducted by the Institute of Quantitative Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, on the effects that drinking this blended tea has on the bacterial flora.

[0019] This analysis included 16 subjects, each of whom A sample of skin (cheek) bacterial flora before drinking the tea mixture (s1), Skin (cheek) bacterial flora samples after drinking the tea mixture for 6 weeks (s2), A sample of fecal (intestinal) flora before drinking the blended tea (g1), Fecal (intestinal) flora samples (g2) after drinking the tea mixture for 6 weeks. The study was conducted by collecting four types of samples. The samples were collected from July to September 2021.

[0020] To identify the type of bacteria, the 16SrRNA gene of the bacteria is analyzed and compared with a database. The 16SrRNA gene, which is about 1.5KBP long, has nine V regions (V1-V9) whose sequences differ for each type of bacteria. In this analysis, the 16SrRNA V1-V2 region is amplified based on the total DNA extracted from the sample, and the DNA base sequence is elucidated (sequenced).

[0021] The top 10 most common bacterial species found in skin samples were: Propionibacterium acnes(P.acnes), Streptococcus sp. Corynebacterium sp. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enhydrobacter sp. Actinomyces sp. Neisseriaceae gen.sp. Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii, Acinetobacter rhizosphaerae, Staphylococcus aureus Note that here, "sp" at the end means that the species name has not been determined, and "gen sp" means that the genus name and below have not been determined.

[0022] The skin microbiota data reveals the following: (1) The most common genera are Propionibacterium, Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Streptococcus. (2) Most of the samples had the highest amount of P. acnes. (3) Diversity is relatively low (the top 10 species explain more than half of the total). These characteristics are in good agreement with what is known about the skin microbiota. (4) In addition, samples from the same individual tended to have similar bacterial flora before and after drinking the blended tea, indicating that the characteristics of each individual's bacterial flora were accurately detected. Overall, it is highly likely that the results of this study accurately reflect the subjects' bacterial flora.

[0023] On the other hand, the fecal bacterial flora data reveal the following: (1) The majority of the bacteria belong to the phyla Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes and are known to be commonly found in the intestines. (2) It has a higher diversity (more species of bacteria) than the skin, which also matches the characteristics of intestinal bacteria. (3) The fecal samples also captured individual characteristics both before and after drinking the blended tea, suggesting that the results of the fecal samples accurately reflected the subjects' bacterial flora.

[0024] Next, we will examine the changes induced in the skin and fecal bacterial flora by drinking the blended tea. Fifty-one indicators were examined in skin samples, but no significant changes were found. On the other hand, for fecal samples (intestinal flora), 70 indicators were examined, and statistical analysis of the obtained data revealed a change in the amount of Ruminococcus bacteria that occurred as a result of drinking blended tea. A decrease in the genus Blautia and an increase in the order Bacteroidales were also observed.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the changes in fecal bacterial flora of Ruminococcus, Blautia, and Bacteroidales following consumption of the blended tea.

[0026] The p-value shown in the figure (p-value) is a standard value used in hypothesis testing in statistics to determine whether a set hypothesis is correct, and is defined as "the probability that a value more extreme than the observed value will be obtained when we assume that the null hypothesis is correct." Comparing the p-values, the p-value for the change in the abundance of Ruminococcus is extremely small compared to the other cases. This change is highly likely and is unlikely to have been observed by chance fluctuations. Thus, the proportion of Ruminococcus bacteria in the intestinal bacteria of subjects who continued to drink the blended tea for six weeks showed a significant tendency to decrease. A decrease in the genus Blautia and an increase in the order Bacteroidales were also observed, but these p-values ​​were not large enough to be considered "promising but uncertain results."

[0027] As mentioned above, several studies have reported that when comparing the intestinal (fecal) flora of obese people with that of people of normal body type, obese people tend to have fewer bacteria of the Bacteroidetes phylum, and more bacteria of the Firmicutes phylum instead. The Firmicutes phylum bacteria that increase in obese people include the genus Ruminococcus. The bacteria that changed most clearly after drinking blended tea were the genus Ruminococcus, and the direction of the change was a decrease. The Blautia genus, which also belongs to the Firmicutes phylum, also showed a downward trend. On the other hand, the Bacteroidetes order, which showed an upward trend in those who consumed blended tea, is a bacterium of the Bacteroidetes phylum (which is thought to be less prevalent in obese people). These results suggest that "drinking blended tea tends to reshape the intestinal microbiota to one that is more similar to that commonly seen in non-obese individuals."

[0028] It should be noted that the method for producing the blended tea shown in FIG. 1 is only one example, and the blended tea of ​​the present invention may be produced by other methods. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] The formulated tea of ​​the present invention can provide hope to many people who are trying to reduce obesity.

Claims

1. A blended tea for reducing the Ruminococcus genus in the intestinal flora, which is prepared by dissolving granules produced from an extract of a raw material derived from a Chinese herbal medicine in water or hot water and drinking the mixture, The blended tea for reducing the Ruminococcus genus is produced using a plurality or all of the following raw materials: mung beans, jujubes, soybeans, Chinese yams, black beans, ryegrass, lily root, plums, mulberries, tangerine, cinnamon, chrysanthemums, ginger, and tantoshi.

2. A method for producing the blended tea for reducing Ruminococcus according to claim 1, An extraction step of applying pressure to the raw material to extract the extract; a spray drying step of spray drying the extract to produce microparticles; a granule generating step of granulating the fine particles to generate the granules; A method for producing a blended tea for reducing Ruminococcus spp.

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