Oligosaccharide profiles of soybeans during kinema production

Oligosaccharide profiles of unfermented and fermented soybeans were determined by a high‐performance liquid chromatographic method using a Hypersil NH2 column. In raw soybeans, mean contents of sucrose, raffinose and stachyose on a dry weight basis were 6·3, 1·9 and 4·3%, respectively (ratio of 3·3 : 1 : 2·3). Although soaking and cooking treatments caused a 73–88% reduction in oligosaccharide content, fermentation lowered these levels below the limit of detection (1·0 g kg−1 dry wt), thus eliminating a potential cause of flatulence for consumers.