This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and/or Sterptococcus thermophilus on the fermentation of yoghurt containing 5% (w/v) buckwheat sprouts. The results revealed that after 12 hours of fermentation the appropriate pH, titratable acidity and number of viable cells were attained. At that time, the rutin content of the buckwheat sprout-added yoghurt prepared by the mixed culture method was not changed, but the quercetin content increased greatly. Conversely, the rutin content of yoghurt that only contained Streptococcus thermophilus was decreased while the quercetin content was increased. The total phenol contents as well as the DPPH radical scavenging activities of both the mixed culture and Streptococcus thermophilus yoghurt did not differ significantly. Taken together, the results revealed that the use of a mixed culture of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus during the preparation of buchwheat sprout-added yoghurt was desirable due to the decrease in pH and increase in titratable acidity and viable cells that occurred after 12 hr of fermentation. Moreover, phytochemicals in buckwheat sprouts such as rutin, quercetin and phenol compounds were comparatively increased during fermentation and influenced the antioxidant activity in buckwheat sprout-added yoghurt.

The principal objective of this study was to investigate the influence of buckwheat sprouts on the acid production and growth of lactic acid bacteria in to which 5 and 10%(w/v) buckwheat sprouts was added, followed by fermentation with Lactobacillus bulgaricus. In yogurt to which 5 and 10% buckwheat sprouts was added, pH was lower and titratable acidity was higher than those of the control. It was also noted significant changes in the number of viable cell counts with differing amounts of added buckwheat sprouts until 12 hours. When the yogurt samples were stored for 12 days at 4℃, the pH and titratable acidity of the yogurt to which 5 and 10% buckwheat sprouts was added were maintained at lower and higher than control levels, respectively. The highest number of viable cell counts was found in the yogurt to which 5% buckwheat sprouts was added. Rutin content was reduced via lactic acid fermentation, but quercetin content increased significantly in the yogurt with added buckwheat sprouts. It may be that the glycosidic bonds connected to rutin were hydrolyzed during fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. The total phenol compound content of the yogurt samples also increased after fermentation. The antioxidative activity of yogurt to which 10% buckwheat sprouts was added was shown to have a 60.95% free radical scavenging effect, which was the highest among all yogurt samples evaluated.