Process for producing L-arabinose, L-arabinose-containing enzymatically processed products, diet foods, diabetic diet foods and fruit or vegetable juices and process for producing the same

An enzyme-treated product containing L-arabinose which is prepared by treating a natural material containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan directly with an enzyme having an activity of acting on a natural material containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan and thus releasing L-arabinose to thereby release L-arabinose at a ratio of at least 2.1 g per 100 g of the starting material, as solid matter.

A process for producing L-arabinose or an enzyme-treated product containing L-arabinose comprising treating a natural material containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan directly with an enzyme which degrades L-arabinose together with pectinase to thereby release L-arabinose at a ratio of at least 2.1 g per 100 g of the starting material, as solid matter, without separating or extracting arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan from said natural material.

A diet food characterized by comprising L-arabinose and dietary fiber.

A process for producing a diet food comprising treating a dietary fiber material originating in a natural material containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan directly with an enzyme which degrades arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan to give an enzyme-treated product containing L-arabinose released at a ratio of at least 2.1 g per 100 g of the starting material, as solid matter, and dietary fiber, and adding the thus obtained enzyme-treated product to a food.

A diabetic food characterized by comprising L-arabinose and dietary fiber.

A process for producing a diabetic food comprising treating a dietary fiber material originating in a natural material containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan directly with an enzyme which degrades arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan to give an enzyme-treated product containing L-arabinose released at a ratio of at least 2.1 g per 100 g of the starting material, as solid matter, and dietary fiber, and adding the thus obtained enzyme-treated product to a food.

An L-arabinose-containing fruit or vegetable juice containing a fraction containing L-arabinose released at a ratio of at least 2.1 g per 100 g of the starting material, as solid matter, obtained by treating a fruit or vegetable press cake containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan directly with an enzyme.

A process for producing an arabinose-containing fruit or vegetable juice comprising treating a fruit or a vegetable containing arabinan, arabinoxylan or arabinogalactan to obtain a juice and a press juice cake, treating the press juice cake directly with an enzyme to release L-arabinose at a ratio of at least 2.1 g per 100 g of the starting material, as solid matter, and then adding the fraction containing the released L-arabinose to the juice.