Gochujang, a traditional Korean food, is fermented by mixing red pepper powder, various grain, meju and salt. Changes in the kind of ingredients and fermentation method could increase health functionalities. In this study, in vivo anti-colitis effects of gochujang prepared with mixed grains, bamboo salt baked 3 times and meju starters on DSS-induced colitis in C57BL/6 mice were studied. We prepared gochujang prepared with mixed grains (MG), bamboo salt, and Aspergillus oryzae (A) and Baccillus subtilis (B) mixed starters (MG-AB) and gochujang prepared with MG, bamboo salt and A, B and Lactobacillus plantarum (L) mixed starters (MG-ABL). MG-AB and MG-ABL significantly increased body weight and colon length compared to the control (p<0.05). MG-ABL showed significantly decreased interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression in serum compared to the control and MG-AB group (p<0.05). MG-ABL also regulated mRNA and protein levels of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in the mice colon tissue (p<0.05). Therefore, MG-ABL exhibited the increased anticolitis effects by inhibiting damage of colon tissue, probably by regulating a pro-inflammatory cytokine of IL-6 and regulated apoptosis related genes. These results indicated that gochujang changed with good ingredients and starters had colitis preventive effects and might be due to active compounds in mixed grain and bamboo salt, and produced by L during the fermentation of gochujang.

• Eui-Seong Park(Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Yonsei University, 연세대학교 식품영양학과) | 박의성
• Ju-Hee Heo(Microbial Institute for Fermentation Industry, 발효미생물산업진흥원) | 허주희
• Yaung-Iee Lim(Department of Food and Nutrition, Sungshin Women's University, 성신여자대학교 식품영양학과) | 임양이
• Jaehyun Ju(Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Cha University, 차의과학대학교 식품생명공학과) | 주재현
• Kun-Young Park(Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Cha University, 차의과학대학교 식품생명공학과) | 박건영 Corresponding author