Gochujang prepared using rice and wheat koji partially alleviates high‐fat diet‐induced obesity in rats

• Published in: Food science & nutrition Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 1562 - 1574
• Main Authors: Son, Hee‐Kyoung, Shin, Hye‐Won, Jang, Eun‐Seok, Moon, Byoung‐Seok, Lee, Choong Hwan, Lee, Jae‐Joon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-03-2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Adipose tissue; Amino acid composition; Amino acids; anti‐obesity; Body weight; Body weight gain; Capsaicin; Cholesterol; Chromatography; Composition; Daidzein; Diet; Embryos; Fatty acids; Fatty liver; Fatty-acid synthase; Fermentation; Genistein; Gochujang; High fat diet; Koji; Leptin; Lipase; Lipids; Lipoprotein lipase; Liquid chromatography; Malic enzyme; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Obesity; Original Research; Proteins; Rice; rice koji; secondary metabolite; Secondary metabolites; Solvents; Soyasaponin; Soybeans; Triglycerides; Wheat; wheat koji; anti‐obesity; Gochujang; high‐fat diet; rice koji; wheat koji; secondary metabolite
• ISSN: 2048-7177; 2048-7177
• DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1443

The aim of this study was to compare whether gochujang products prepared using giant embryo rice koji (rice gochujang, RG) and wheat koji (wheat gochujang, WG) have anti‐obesity effects on rats fed a high‐fat diet (HFD), who served as a model for obesity. The nutritional composition of RG and WG including proximate constituents, amino acid and fatty acid compositions were investigated. Consequently, the secondary fermented metabolites were analyzed in RG and WG by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Rats were fed a HFD containing 10% RG powder (HFD‐RG) or 10% WG powder (HFD‐WG) for 8 weeks. Body weight gain, weights of liver, epididymal, retroperitoneal, perirenal, and total white fat pads, and levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and leptin were lower in all gochujang groups than in the HFD group. Furthermore, RG and WG treatment decreased the hepatic TG content and lipid accumulation and significantly reduced the size of epididymal adipocytes. These effects are probably mediated through inhibition of hepatic fatty acid synthase, acetyl CoA carboxylase, malic enzyme, and adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activities. The anti‐obesity effect was slightly greater in the HFD‐RG group than in the HFD‐WG group. This effect may be attributed to secondary metabolites, such as capsaicin, genistein, daidzein, soyasaponin, and lysophosphatidylcholines, contained in gochujang prepared using giant embryo rice or wheat koji.
The aim of this study was to compare whether gochujang products prepared using giant embryo rice koji (RG) and wheat koji (WG) have anti‐obesity effects on rats fed a high‐fat diet (HFD). Anti‐obesity effects were slightly greater in the HFD‐RG group than in the HFD‐WG group. These effects were attributed to secondary metabolites, such as capsaicin, genistein, daidzein, soyasaponin and lysophosphatidylcholines, contained in gochujang prepared using giant embryo rice or wheat koji.