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Open Access

Amazake (Japanese fermented rice beverage) and its potential health benefits

Klaus W. Langea,b,c(), Yukiko Nakamuraa,b,c
Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93040, Germany
Japan Society for Culture, Science and Technology, Regensburg 93040, Germany
Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan

Peer review under responsibility of Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.

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Abstract

Amazake is a sweet and non-alcoholic beverage with a long history in Japan. There are two types of amazake, koji amazake produced from rice koji and sakekasu amazake made from sake lees. Amazake has been suggested to be a functional food with various health benefits and cosmetic effects. The efficacy of both koji amazake and sakekasu amazake in improving bowel movements and defecation has been well studied. Amazake may be useful as a food with constipation relieving effects. Furthermore, beneficial effects of amazake on skin barrier function and skin water content in humans have been well established in randomized controlled trials. The findings of amazake effects on gut microbiota, intestinal environment and gut barrier function, mainly demonstrated in animal models, suggest a role of substances contained in amazake as prebiotics. Preliminary evidence indicates the potential value of amazake in the management of obesity, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Long-term and excessive intake tests have demonstrated that the consumption of koji amazake is safe. There are few concerns regarding weight gain or increases in blood sugar levels. The functional compounds and mechanisms involved in the health effects of amazake need to be identified in future research.

Keywords

AmazakeGut microbiotaBowel movementSkin barrierFunctional foodHealth

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Food Science and Human Wellness
Volume 14 Issue 1,
January 2025
Article number: 9250076
DOI: 10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250076
Cite this article:
Lange KW, Nakamura Y. Amazake (Japanese fermented rice beverage) and its potential health benefits. Food Science and Human Wellness, 2025, 14(1): 9250076. https://doi.org/10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250076
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Two types of amazake: koji amazake and sakekasu amazake.

Index Koji amazake Sakekasu amazake
Note: A Exemplary figures from Kurahashi[9].
Production Use of rice koji, made by addition of A. oryzae to steamed rice Use of sake cake, a by-product of sake production, made from sake lees dissolved in water and added sucrose
Alcohol content None Small amounts (alcoholic fermentation with sake yeast)
Flavor Sweet, strong rice koji taste Sweet, distinct sake flavor
Nutritional valuesA
Energy (kcal/100 g) 105 102
Carbohydrates (g/100 g) 24.8 23.1
Glucose (g/100 g) 23.2 2.1
Sucrose (g/100 g) 0 13.8
Protein (g/100 g) 1.3 1.4
Fat (g/100 g) 0.1 0.5
Dietary fiber (g/100 g) 0.3 0.5

Findings of health-related effects of amazake.

Functionality Findings
Bowel movements Significant increase in defecation frequency after ingestion of koji amazake (no control group)[23] Significant increase in weekly defecation frequency and fecal weight after ingestion of koji amazake for 3 weeks compared to placebo[24] Significant improvement in constipation after ingestion of koji amazake for 2 weeks compared to control[25] Beneficial effects of ingestion of koji amazake on constipation in children and adults[26-28] Significant increase in number of defecations after daily ingestion of sakekasu amazake for 3 weeks[17] Increase in number of bowel movements and in defecation frequency after ingestion of amazake containing sake lees and rice koji for 30 days compared to placebo[29]
Intestinal function Significant increase in intestinal Bifidobacterium after ingestion of sakekasu amazake, but not koji amazake for 30 days compared to placebo[30] No microbiota changes after daily ingestion of sakekasu amazake for 4 weeks compared to placebo[31] Increase in intestinal B. coccoides in mice by koji glycosylceramide with potential health benefits[32] Increase in fecal mucin and Lactobacillus in mice after ingestion of mixture of sake cake and koji powder with potential health benefits[33]
Postprandial blood glucose levels Significant inhibition of glucose absorption after ingestion of koji amazake compared to placebo[34]
Cholesterol metabolism Significant reduction of liver cholesterol in obese mice fed koji glycosylceramide[35] Increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol after ingestion of sakekasu amazake[17]
Obesity Reduction of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (elevated in overweight and obese people) by koji amazake compared to placebo in humans[24] Significant reduction of serum triglyceride levels and weight gain by sakekasu amazake in mice fed a high-fat diet compared to controls[36]
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Improvements of various biochemical parameters and subjective symptoms in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and periodontal disease after daily ingestion of koji amazake for 60 days (small sample size, no control group)[37]
Blood pressure Significant reduction in systolic blood pressure after ingestion of sake lee hydrolysate and sake peptide fractions in spontaneously hypertensive rats[38]
Skin functions Significant reduction of trans-epidermal water loss after ingestion of koji amazake for 8 weeks compared to placebo[39] Unchanged skin water content in cheek after daily ingestion of koji amazake for 8 weeks compared to significant reduction in water content after placebo[40] Improved skin texture after ingestion of sakekasu amazake[17] Positive effects of amazake on sebum production in cells and humans as well as suppression of intracellular accumulation of lipids in differentiated hamster sebocytes[31] Significant reduction in sebum content of cheeks as well as increased facial skin brightness after daily ingestion for 4 weeks of amazake containing sake cake and rice koji compared to placebo (small sample size)[31]
Arthralgia Relief from arthralgia after ingestion of koji amazake compared to placebo[41]
Oxidative stress Anti-oxidative activity of koji[42-43]; stronger anti-oxidative activities of brown rice amazake than white rice amazake[44] Correspondence of high radical scavenging capacity of brown rice amazake with vitamin E and ferulic acid concentrations[45]
Immune-stimulating activity High innate immunity-stimulating activity of sake cake, but not rice koji in silkworm muscle contraction assay[46]
Anti-fatigue effects Anti-fatigue effects of koji amazake in studies with small numbers of participants[47-48]