Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been applied in the production of many fermented foods (1). Various fungi have been used in order to produce amylolytic enzymes for starch degradation. Many fungal amylolytic enzymes are used to advantage in prebiotic oligosaccharide production. Isomaltooligosaccharides which are known as prebiotic branched-oligosaccharides have been synthesized from starch (2,3). The specific amylolytic enzyme, α–glucosidase, has been found to possess the activity of transglucosylation. This enzyme can catalyse both the hydrolysis of α-D-gluco-
oligosaccharides and transfer of the glucosyl group to 6-OH of other glucosyl residues resulting in the synthesis of isomalto-oligosaccharides (4).
Isomalto-oligosaccharides have a great potential to improve the physiochemical quality of many foods as anti-fading agent for food pigments, as food antioxidant and as a sweetener. In addition, these oligosaccharides have physiological functions such as the improvement of intestinal microflora based on the selective proliferation of bifidobacteria stimulation (5,6). They are also associated with a lower risk of infections and diarrhea, and an improvement of the immune system response (7).