Nus Scientists Transform Kombu Into A Probiotic Superfood With Fruity Aromas

1 week ago

Kombu (Saccharina japonica) is simply a brownish seaweed extensively cultivated and consumed successful Japan, Korea and China. Despite its nutritional value, its beardown fishy and grassy odor tin deter immoderate consumers. Additionally, galore of kombu's nutrients are locked wrong rigid compartment walls and dense networks that nan quality digestive strategy cannot easy break down. As a result, overmuch of this wealth trove of nutrients passes done nan assemblage without being absorbed.

A squad of nutrient scientists astatine NUS has recovered a measurement to unlock nan trapped nutrients successful kombu and switch nan unpleasant odours pinch much appealing scents, straight overcoming nan 2 awesome challenges - constricted nutrient bioaccessibility and mediocre sensory experience.

Enzymes and lactic acerb germs (LAB) fermentation person been commonly utilized to amended kombu's nutritional worth by breaking down ample proteins and carbohydrates into smaller, much digestible components. However, these approaches cannot efficaciously region nan compounds that springiness kombu its characteristic fishy and grassy odor.

Building connected nan knowledge that yeast fermentation tin people nutrient pleasant fruity and floral aromas, nan NUS scientists took nan process a measurement further by co-fermenting enzyme-treated kombu pinch LAB and an aroma-producing yeast. The consequence is simply a caller probiotic kombu-based blend that is some healthier and much flavorful.

The team's activity was published successful nan technological diary International Journal of Food Microbiology connected 2 December 2025.

Banana and pear-flavored kombu, anyone?

In their earlier activity published successful October 2025, nan NUS squad demonstrated that fermenting enzyme-treated kombu pinch LAB efficaciously releases trapped nutrients. In their latest work, enzyme-treated kombu was fermented utilizing LAB together pinch an aroma-producing yeast. Analysis of nan fermented kombu blend revealed that nan LAB-yeast co-fermentation promotes nan maturation and endurance of probiotics compared to LAB-only fermentation. One peculiar co-fermentation substance (using nan LAB, L. plantarum and nan yeast, P. kluyveri) yielded much γ-aminobutyric acerb (GABA), a well-known bioactive compound commonly linked to calming effects, accent reduction, and imaginable benefits for intelligence health. Importantly, nan co-fermentation greatly reduced unpleasant off-flavor compounds while introducing compounds associated pinch nan aromas of bananas and pears.

Kombu has a tremendous magnitude of untapped imaginable to beryllium a superfood, but for its wellness benefits to scope a wider population, kombu has to beryllium much palatable and its nutrients much accessible. While enzymatic curen followed by lactic acerb germs fermentation liberates beneficial nutrients, nan operation pinch yeast fermentation further produces fruity aroma compounds, improving nan flavour floor plan of nan fermented kombu."

Liu Shao Quan, Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, NUS Faculty of Science

Fermented kombu arsenic a functional food

Following LAB-yeast co-fermentation, nan fermented kombu merchandise becomes exceptionally nutritious and is fortified pinch probiotics and GABA, which positively influences gut and intelligence wellness respectively. Subsequently, nan fermented kombu blend could beryllium utilized to create fermented kombu-based functional foods - foods that supply wellness benefits beyond their basal nutritional worth - and beverages that are patient and tasty.

"Our unsocial co-fermentation method of processing kombu is nan gateway to creating caller wellness products. With our tastier fermented kombu, we could create fermented seaweed drinks, probiotic seaweed-based supplements aliases moreover usage it arsenic ingredients successful plant-based foods," said Dr. Lu Yuyun, Senior Research Fellow and co-corresponding writer of nan investigation paper. "This attack whitethorn besides beryllium adapted to different seaweed type to broaden nan scope of appealing seaweed-derived products."

Currently, fewer if immoderate commercialized kombu products are made utilizing LAB-yeast fermentation, underscoring nan innovative quality of this research. "Elevating nan flavour floor plan of kombu makes it much enticing to a broader scope of consumers. Our adjacent extremity is to optimise fermentation conditions, specified arsenic fermentation sequence, clip and temperature, to further amended process ratio and merchandise quality," said Ms Geng Chenhan, third-year PhD student and first writer of nan investigation paper. "In future, we will besides behaviour sensory information to amended understand user preferences for seaweed-based foods."

Source:

Journal reference:

Geng, C., et al. (2025). Co-fermentation of probiotic lactic acerb germs and Pichia kluyveri enhances nan probiotic viability and spirit floor plan of enzyme-hydrolyzed kombu (Saccharina japonica) slurry. International Journal of Food Microbiology. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111553. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168160525004982