Patent Publication Number: US-2023148629-A1

Title: Traditional chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent, direct-to-vat starter and preparation methods thereof

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims the benefit and priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202210091805.6, filed on Jan. 26, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as part of the present application. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the technical field of feed starter, and more specifically, to a traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent, a direct-to-vat starter and preparation methods thereof. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Fermented feed can regulate the microecological balance in aquatic animals, promote the healthy growth of animals, improve production performance, reduce costs and increase efficiency, regulate and protect the ecological environment of water bodies, and meet the development requirements of healthy and environment friendly fisheries. It has broad market application prospects. 
     In the preparation of fermented feed at present, the production strain in the dormant state is usually made into a liquid starter through the processes of activation, multiple expansion and culture, and then inoculated with feed raw materials for fermentation. Before the production of each batch of feed, the preparation process of liquid starter needs to be repeated. The process is cumbersome, requires high skills for fermentation equipment and technicians. The transportation cost of liquid starter is high. The vitality of the strain is easy to deteriorate. 
     Based on the problems of liquid starter, the direct-to-vat solid starter came into being. After high-density culture and cell concentration and separation, the strain is mixed with the protective agent to obtain the strain suspension. Finally, the high concentration and standardized direct-to-vat starter is prepared by drying and aseptic packaging. In actual production, activation, expansion, culture and other processes are no longer needed, and it is directly put into use. It has the advantages of small volume, convenient carrying, omitting the preparation process of the starter before production, and reducing the investment in the strain workshop. Moreover, it can effectively prevent the degradation and pollution of the strain, and has high fermentation vitality and long storage period, which can greatly improve the labor productivity and product quality of fermentation production. 
     At present, drying is the key problem that restricts the large-scale promotion of direct-to-vat fermentation. Common strain drying methods include spray drying, vacuum low-temperature drying and vacuum freeze-drying. Among them, the first two methods are limited due to serious damage to the cells, low activity of the prepared strains and difficulty in long-term preservation. Vacuum freeze-drying has become the mainstream drying method. First, the sample is frozen at low temperature (the water in the sample freezes into ice), and then the ice crystals sublimate under vacuum conditions to remove water, so as to ensure that the sample reaches a dry state. However, if vacuum freeze-drying is carried out directly, it will inevitably cause certain degree of damage to the cells, reduce the survival rate of cells and cell vitality, and affect its fermentation performance. The addition of freeze-drying protective agent in the strains can effectively change the physical and chemical environment of biological samples during freeze-drying, reduce or prevent the damage to cells caused by freeze-drying or rehydration, and maintain the original physiological and biochemical characteristics and biological activity of cells as much as possible. Therefore, the screening of freeze-drying protective agents is the core issue in the preparation of high activity direct-to-vat starter. However, the existing microbial freeze-drying protective agents have poor protection effect on the cells, resulting in low viability of the strains, especially after storage for a period of time, the fermentation vitality of the strains decreases, and the startup fermentation speed of the strains is slow. 
     Therefore, how to reduce the impact of the freeze-drying process on the cells and ensure the fermentation vitality of the direct-to-vat starter is a technical problem to be solved in the field. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure provides a traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent, a direct-to-vat starter and preparation methods thereof, which can effectively reduce the damage to the cells caused by freeze-drying. 
     In order to achieve the above purpose, technical solutions of the present disclosure are specifically described as follows. 
     The compound traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent is made from following raw materials:  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract,  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract, L-tyrosine, α-cyclodextrin and polyethyleneimine. 
     After the freeze-drying protective agent of the present disclosure is combined with water molecules, the viscosity of the solution is increased, the crystallization process of water is weakened, the damage of solute is reduced, and the permeability and integrity of the cell membrane are maintained, thus the effect of protecting the cells is achieved. Its application in the protection of the direct-to-vat starter for aquatic fermentation feed can reduce the damage to the cells caused by freeze-drying, improve the survival rate of the cells in the starter after freeze-drying, effectively prolong the storage period of the starter, and ensure that the fermentation activity remains at a high level during storage. 
     Further, the compound traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent is made from following raw materials:  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 10.0˜30.0 g/100 mL,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract 10.0˜20.0 g/100 mL,  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract 5.0˜20.0 g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 2.0˜10.0 g/100 mL, α-cyclodextrin 2.0˜7.0 g/100 mL and polyethyleneimine 2.0˜5.0 g/100 mL. 
     The preparation method of the compound traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent includes the following steps. 
     (1) Alkalization, etherification, ethanol precipitation and drying are performed on  Poria cocos  powder to obtain  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract. 
     (2) Ethanol extraction, ultrasonic extraction and drying are performed on  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder to obtain  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract. 
     (3) Microwave extraction, ethanol precipitation and drying are performed on  Radix codonopsis  powder to obtain  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract. 
     (4) The  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract and  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract are mixed in water, and the solution A is obtained after sterilization. 
     (5) The L-tyrosine, α-cyclodextrin and polyethyleneimine are mixed in water, and the solution B is obtained after sterilization. 
     (6) The solution A and the solution B are mixed to obtain the freeze-drying protective agent. 
     Further, in step (1), 
       Poria cocos  powder is screened through 100˜150 meshes; 
     the alkalization includes: adding NaOH solution into  Poria cocos  powder, continuously stirring until the  Poria cocos  powder is completely dissolved to obtain  Poria cocos  alkalinization solution; wherein 200˜400 mL NaOH solution is added to every 100 g of  Poria cocos  powder, and the mass fraction of the NaOH solution is 40˜60%; 
     the etherification includes: adding chloroacetic acid to the  Poria cocos  alkalization solution, continuously stirring, reacting at 45˜65° C. for 6˜8 h to obtain  Poria cocos  etherification solution; wherein for every 100 g of  Poria cocos  powder, 40˜100 g of the chloroacetic acid solid is added in batches; 
     the ethanol precipitation includes: adding 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution to the  Poria cocos  etherification solution for precipitation, redissolving the precipitate with water, then using ethanol solution with mass fraction of 95% for ethanol precipitation, and collecting the precipitate; 
     the volume ratio of 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution to  Poria cocos  etherification solution is 3:1 to 5:1, and the 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution is prepared by mixing ethanol solution with mass fraction of 95% and acetic acid with mass fraction of 95% in the volume ratio of 1:1; and 
     the drying includes: drying the precipitate obtained in the ethanol precipitation step by means of vacuum drying at 35˜45° C. for 4˜6 h. 
     Further, in step (2), 
       Atractylodes macrocephala  powder is screened through 100˜150 meshes; 
     the ethanol extraction incudes: adding ethanol solution into the  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder, heating and refluxing at 80˜85° C. for 2˜3 h, and filtering to obtain  Atractylodes macrocephala  granules; wherein the mass fraction of the ethanol solution is 70˜75%, and the dosage is calculated by adding 20 mL ethanol solution per gram of  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder; 
     the ultrasonic extraction includes: adding distilled water to the  Atractylodes macrocephala  granules, extracting them by ultrasonic at 75˜80° C. for 60˜90 min to obtain a filtrate, and filtering the filtrate for standby; and 
     the drying includes: vacuum freeze-drying the filtrate, wherein the filtrate is prefrozen at −20˜−35° C. for 5-8 h before freeze-drying. 
     Further, in step (3), 
       Radix codonopsis  powder is screened through 100˜150 meshes; 
     the microwave extraction includes: after soaking  Radix codonopsis  powder with water for 8-12 h, performing heating reaction in a microwave reactor at 200˜260° C. for 1˜1.5 h, filtering to obtain  Radix codonopsis  microwave extraction solution; wherein 1000˜2000 mL water is added into every 100 g of  Radix codonopsis  powder; 
     the ethanol precipitation includes: adding 3-5 times volume of ethanol into the  Radix codonopsis  microwave extraction solution for ethanol precipitation, standing for 6-8 h, centrifuging for 10-15 min at 4000 r/min, adding sewage reagent after removing the supernatant, swirling and mixing evenly, and then centrifuging for 10-15 min at 5000 r/min, subjecting the supernatant obtained by centrifugation to secondary ethanol precipitation and precipitate collection; wherein the sewage reagent is prepared from trichloromethane and n-butanol according to a volume ratio of 4:1; and 
     the drying includes: drying the precipitate obtained in the ethanol precipitation step by means of vacuum drying at 35˜45° C. for 4˜6 h. 
     The freeze-drying protective agent can be applied to freeze-drying protection of microorganisms used for production of aquatic fermented feed. 
     The direct-to-vat starter includes the above compound traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent,  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus.    
     The preparation method of the direct-to-vat starter includes the following steps. The mixed strain solution of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  is mixed with the freeze-drying protective agent according to the volume ratio of 1:1 to 1:4, and the freeze-drying is carried out to obtain the direct-to-vat starter. 
     Further, in the mixed strain solution, 
     the viable concentration of  Enterococcus faecalis  is 1.0×10 10 ˜6.0×10 10  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Candida utilis  is 3.0×10 8 ˜6.0×10 8  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Aspergillus niger  is 8.0×10 7 ˜2.0×10 8  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Bacillus coagulans  is 5.0×10 7 ˜3.0×10 8  CFU/mL; and 
     the viable concentration of  Brevibacillus laterosporus  is 1.0×10 8 ˜4.0×10 8  CFU/mL. 
     Further, the preparation method of the mixed strain solution of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  includes the following steps. 
     (1) The various strains are activated. 
     (2) After the activation, all strains are mixed for multiplication culture, the culture solution is centrifuged and resuspension is performed with physiological saline to obtain the mixed strain solution. 
     The multiplication medium used in the process of multiplication culture is composite medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos.    
     The preparation method of the composite culture medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos  includes: mixing  Jerusalem artichoke  powder,  Poria cocos  water extract and water at a mass ratio of 2:3:5, hydrolyzing at 65° C. for 60 min, heating to 95° C. and hydrolyzing for 60 min, cooling, filtering with 8 layers of gauze, and adjusting pH value of the filtrate to 7.0˜7.3 to obtain the composite culture medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos;    
     The preparation method of the  Jerusalem artichoke  powder includes: slicing fresh  Jerusalem artichoke , drying the fresh  Jerusalem artichoke  slices at 70˜80° C. until the water content is lower than 8%, and then crushing the dried  Jerusalem artichoke  slices and sieving the crushed  Jerusalem artichoke  slices through 100 meshes to obtain the  Jerusalem artichoke  powder. 
     The preparation method of the  Poria cocos  water extract includes: slicing fresh  Poria cocos , drying the fresh  Poria cocos  slices at 70˜80° C., and then crushing the dried  Poria cocos  slices; adding 10˜15 times the mass of absolute ethanol, extracting for 2˜4 h and subjecting the extract to filtering to obtain a residue; adding 8˜10 times the mass of distilled water to the residue, heating and refluxing to extract for 2 h, filtering twice to obtain filtrates, combining the filtrates, subjecting the combined filtrate to concentrating and drying under reduced pressure to obtain the  Poria cocos  water extract. 
     Further, the activation process of each strain is as follows. 
     The slants of all strains are inoculated with the primary seed medium, and the primary seed solution is obtained after culture, and the primary seed solution is further activated and expanded for culture to obtain the secondary seed solution. 
     The activating conditions of  Enterococcus faecalis  strain are as follows. The primary seed culture conditions are 32˜35° C., 48 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds is 0.5%˜2%, the culture condition is 32˜35° C., the shaking table culture is 120˜480 r/min for 18˜24 hours, and the seeds are stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Candida utilis  strain are as follows. The primary seed culture conditions are 25˜28° C., 48 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds is 3.0%˜7.0%, the culture condition is 25˜28° C., the shaking table culture is 120˜480 r/min for 18˜24 hours, and the seeds are stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Aspergillus niger  strain are as follows. The primary seed culture conditions are 30˜35° C., 20 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds is 3.0%˜7.0%, the culture condition is 32˜35° C., the shaking table culture is 120˜480 r/min for 12˜48 hours, and the seeds are stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Bacillus coagulans  strain are as follows. The primary seed culture conditions are 45˜55° C., 16 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds is 1.0%˜3.0%, the culture condition is 45˜55° C., the shaking table culture is 120˜180 r/min for 12˜18 hours, and the seeds are stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Brevibacillus laterosporus  strain are as follows. The primary seed culture conditions are 20˜40° C., 24 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds is 2.0%˜5.0%, the culture condition is 20˜40° C., the shaking table culture is 120˜180 r/min for 24˜32 hours, and the seeds are stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The composition of primary and secondary seed culture media of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  is as follows. Every 100 mL of the media contains 1.0˜2.0 g of yeast powder, 2.0˜3.0 g of beef extract, 2.5˜4.5 g of tryptone, 0.1˜0.2 g of sodium bicarbonate, 1.8˜3.6 g of glucose, 0.1˜0.3 g of sodium chloride, 0.1˜0.2 g of sodium acetate, 0.015˜0.020 g of magnesium sulfate and 0.005˜0.008 g of manganese sulfate. 
     Further, in the freeze-drying step, the prefreezing process is carried out for 3 h at −80° C., and the strain solution is quickly transferred to a vacuum freeze-drying machine for freeze-drying after being completely frozen. The freeze-drying conditions are vacuum degree 10 Pa and cold trap temperature −55° C. And a setting procedure of diaphragm temperature is heating for 2 h at 10° C., heating for 3 h at 20° C., heating at 30° C., and freeze-drying for 20 h. 
     The direct-to-vat starter or the direct-to-vat starter prepared by the above method is applied to the preparation of aquatic fermentation feed, which can ensure the fermentation vitality, and thus help to ensure the stability of production of aquatic fermentation feed and product quality. 
     In summary, the freeze-drying protective agent of the disclosure has simple composition and low cost, can reduce the damage of freeze-drying to concentrated cells, improve the survival rate of cells in the starter after freeze-drying, and can effectively prolong the storage period of the starter, which is suitable for long-term storage of strains. The direct-to-vat starter prepared with the freeze-drying protective agent has high strain survival rate, high fermentation performance, fast start-up fermentation speed, and ensures that the fermentation activity is maintained at a high level during storage. After 150 days of storage at low temperature, the viable count and fermentation performance have no significant difference from that of liquid fermentation. It is suitable for the production of aquatic fermentation feed and is conducive to improving the safety and stability of feed quality. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the disclosure, all other embodiments made by those skilled in the art without sparing any creative effort should fall within the protection scope of the disclosure. 
     Embodiment 1 
     A freeze-drying protective agent included the following components:  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 10.0 g/100 mL,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract 10.0 g/100 mL,  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract 5.0 g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 2.0 g/100 mL, α-cyclodextrin 2.0 g/100 mL and polyethyleneimine 2.0 g/100 mL. 
     The preparation method of the freeze-drying protective agent included the following steps. 
     (1)  Poria cocos  decoction pieces were crushed with a common Chinese herbal medicine pulverizer and sieved through 100 meshes to obtain  Poria cocos  powder. 
     Alkalization: NaOH solution was added to the  Poria cocos  powder and continuously stirred until the  Poria cocos  powder was completely dissolved to obtain  Poria cocos  alkalization solution. 200 mL of NaOH solution was added to every 100 g of  Poria cocos  powder, and the mass fraction of NaOH solution was 50%. 
     Etherification: chloroacetic acid solid (domestic analytical pure) was slowly added to the  Poria cocos  alkalization solution in batches and continuously stirred to react at 45° C. for 6 h to obtain  Poria cocos  etherification solution. For every 100 g of  Poria cocos  powder, 100 g of the chloroacetic acid solid was added. 
     Ethanol precipitation: 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution was added to the  Poria cocos  etherification solution for precipitation, and the precipitate was redissolved with water. Then ethanol solution with mass fraction of 95% was used for ethanol precipitation, and the precipitate was collected. The volume ratio of 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution to  Poria cocos  etherification solution was 3:1, and the 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution was prepared by mixing ethanol solution with mass fraction of 95% and acetic acid with mass fraction of 95% in 1:1 volume ratio. 
     Drying: the precipitate obtained in the ethanol precipitation step was dried by means of vacuum drying at 35° C. for 4 h to obtain the  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract. 
     (2)  Atractylodes macrocephala  decoction pieces were crushed with a common Chinese herbal medicine pulverizer and sieved through 100 meshes to obtain  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder. 
     Ethanol extraction: ethanol solution was added into the  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder, subjected to heating and refluxing at 80° C. for 2 h, and was filtered to obtain  Atractylodes macrocephala  granules. The mass fraction of the ethanol solution was 75%, and the dosage was calculated by adding 20 mL ethanol solution per gram of  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder. 
     Ultrasonic extraction: distilled water was added to the  Atractylodes macrocephala  granules and extracted by ultrasonic at 75° C. for 60 min to obtain a filtrate, and the filtrate was filtered for standby. 
     Drying: vacuum freeze-drying was adopted, and the filtrate was prefrozen at −30° C. for 6 h before freeze-drying (the freeze-drying conditions were vacuum degree 10 Pa and cold trap temperature −55° C., and a setting procedure of diaphragm temperature was heating for 2 h at 10° C., heating for 3 h at 20° C., heating at 30° C., and freeze-drying for 20 h.) to obtain the  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract. 
     (3)  Radix codonopsis  decoction pieces were crushed with a common Chinese herbal medicine pulverizer and sieved through 100 meshes to obtain  Radix codonopsis  powder. 
     Microwave extraction: after soaking with water for 8 h, the  Radix codonopsis  powder was subjected to heating reaction in a microwave reactor at 250° C. for 1 h, and was filtered to obtain  Radix codonopsis  microwave extraction solution. 1000 mL purified water was added into every 100 g of  Radix codonopsis  powder. 
     Ethanol precipitation: 3 times volume of ethanol was added into the  Radix codonopsis  microwave extraction solution for ethanol precipitation, and after standing for 6 h and centrifuging for 10 min at 4000 r/min, the supernatant was removed, sewage reagent was added, swirled and mixed evenly, and then centrifuging was performed again for 10 min at 5000 r/min. The supernatant obtained by centrifugation was subjected to secondary ethanol precipitation and precipitate collection. The sewage reagent was prepared from trichloromethane and n-butanol according to a volume ratio of 4:1. 
     Drying: the precipitate obtained in the ethanol precipitation step was dried by means of vacuum drying at 35° C. for 4 h to obtain the  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract. The steps (1), (2) and (3) are in no order. 
     (4) The  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract and  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract were mixed in the purified water and sterilized with high pressure steam at 121° C. for 30 min to obtain solution A. 
     L-tyrosine, α-cyclodextrin and polyethyleneimine were mixed in purified water and sterilized with high pressure steam at 121° C. for 30 min to obtain solution B. The steps (4) and (5) are in no order. 
     (5) Under aseptic operation environment, the solution A and solution B were mixed to obtain the freezing-drying protective agent. 
     The above  Poria cocos  decoction pieces,  Atractylodes macrocephala  decoction pieces and  Radix codonopsis  decoction pieces were purchased from China (Bozhou) Traditional Chinese Medicine Trading Center. L-tyrosine, α-cyclodextrin and polyethyleneimine are AR grade and purchased from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd., Shanghai. 
     A direct-to-vat starter for aquatic fermentation feed included the above freeze-drying protective agent,  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus.    
       Enterococcus faecalis , CGMCC 1.15424, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Candida utilis , CGMCC 2.3047, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Aspergillus niger , CGMCC 3.15663, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Bacillus coagulans , CGMCC 1.10823, purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Brevibacillus laterosporus , CGMCC 1.15160, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
     The preparation method of the above direct-to-vat starter for aquatic fermentation feed included the following steps. 
     (1) Strain activation: the slants of all strains were inoculated with the primary seed medium, and the primary seed solution was obtained after culture, and the seed solution was further activated and expanded for culture to obtain the secondary seed solution. 
     The activating conditions of  Enterococcus faecalis  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 32° C., 48 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary was is 0.5%, the culture condition was 32° C., the shaking table culture was 120 r/min for 18 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Candida utilis  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 25° C., 48 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 3.0%, the culture condition was 25° C., the shaking table culture was 120 r/min for 18 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Aspergillus niger  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 30° C., 20 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 3.0%, the culture condition was 32° C., the shaking table culture was 120 r/min for 12 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Bacillus coagulans  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 45° C., 16 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 1.0%, the culture condition was 45° C., the shaking table culture was 120 r/min for 12 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Brevibacillus laterosporus  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 20° C., 24 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 2.0%, the culture condition was 20° C., the shaking table culture was 120 r/min for 28 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The composition of primary and secondary seed culture media of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  was as follows. Every 100 mL of the media contains 1.0 g of yeast powder, 2.0 g of beef extract, 2.5 g of tryptone, 0.1 g of sodium bicarbonate, 1.8 g of glucose, 0.1 g of sodium chloride, 0.1 g of sodium acetate, 0.015 g of magnesium sulfate and 0.005 g of manganese sulfate. 
     (2) After all strains were activated twice, they were inoculated into the multiplication medium. The inoculations of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  were 2%, 1%, 2%, 3% and 2% respectively. Then mixed culture was carried out at 34° C. for 12 h, centrifugation was carried out after culture and the supernatant was discarded. The same amount of sterilized 0.85% physiological saline was added to wash the cells twice. Under the same conditions, the mixed sludge of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  was obtained by centrifugation. The mixed sludge was suspended in physiological saline, and the final volume was 1/10 of the original fermentation liquid volume to prepare the mixed strain solution. The viable concentration in the mixed strain solution was determined to meet the following range: 
     the viable concentration of  Enterococcus faecalis  was 1.0×10 10 ˜6.0×10 10  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Candida utilis  was 3.0×10 8 ˜6.0×10 8  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Aspergillus niger  was 8.0×10 7 ˜2.0×10 8  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Bacillus coagulans  was 5.0×10 7 ˜3.0×10 8  CFU/mL; and 
     the viable concentration of  Brevibacillus laterosporus  was 1.0×10 8 ˜4.0×10 8  CFU/mL. 
     The freeze-drying protective agent was added into the mixed strain solution to obtain the mixed solution. The volume ratio of mixed strain solution and freeze-drying protective agent was 1:1. 
     The multiplication medium was composite medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos.    
     The preparation method of the composite culture medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos  included: mixing  Jerusalem artichoke  powder,  Poria cocos  water extract and water at a ratio of 2:3:5 (w/w/w), hydrolyzing at 65° C. for 60 min, heating to 95° C. and hydrolyzing for 60 min, cooling, filtering with 8 layers of gauze, and adjusting pH value of the filtrate to 7.0˜7.3 to obtain the composite culture medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos;    
     The preparation method of the  Jerusalem artichoke  powder included: slicing fresh  Jerusalem artichoke , drying the fresh  Jerusalem artichoke  slices at 70° C. until the water content is lower than 8%, and then crushing the dried  Jerusalem artichoke  slices and sieving the crushed  Jerusalem artichoke  slices through 100 meshes to obtain the  Jerusalem artichoke  powder. 
     The preparation method of the  Poria cocos  water extract included: slicing fresh  Poria cocos , drying the fresh  Poria cocos  slices at 70° C., and then crushing the dried  Poria cocos  slices; adding 10 times the mass of absolute ethanol, extracting for 2 h and subjecting the extract to filtering to obtain a residue; adding 8 times the mass of distilled water to the residue, heating and refluxing to extract for 2 h, filtering twice to obtain filtrates, combining the filtrates, subjecting the combined filtrate to concentrating and drying under reduced pressure to obtain the  Poria cocos  water extract. 
     (3) Freeze-drying: 2 mL of mixed solution obtained in step (2) was taken and put into vials. The prefreezing process was carried out for 3 h at −80° C., and the strain solution was quickly transferred to a vacuum freeze-drying machine for freeze-drying after being completely frozen. The freeze-drying conditions are vacuum degree 10 Pa and cold trap temperature −55° C. And a setting procedure of diaphragm temperature is heating for 2 h at 10° C., heating for 3 h at 20° C., heating at 30° C., and freeze-drying for 20 h. 
     The starter was obtained after freeze-drying, the finished product was obtained after aseptic packaging, and was stored at 4° C. 
     The performance of direct-to-vat starter was evaluated by freeze-drying survival rate and fermentation activity. 
     The freeze-drying survival rate was calculated by rehydrating the freeze-dried cell powder to the volume before freeze-drying, and culturing and counting it in the appropriate medium of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus . Cell survival rate=total viable cells measured after freeze-drying/total viable cells measured before freeze-drying×100%. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count and survival rate of direct-to-vat starter in each storage period 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Storage time (d) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Evaluating indicator 
                 0 
                 15 
                 30 
                 45 
                 60 
                 75 
                 90 
                 120 
                 150 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count (CFU/g) 
                 5.6 × 10 10   
                 5.4 × 10 10   
                 5.6 × 10 10   
                 5.5 × 10 10   
                 5.3 × 10 10   
                 5.4 × 10 10   
                 5.4 × 10 10   
                 5.5 × 10 10   
                 5.5 × 10 10   
               
               
                 survival rate (%) 
                 96.6 
                 93.1 
                 96.6 
                 94.8 
                 91.4 
                 93.1 
                 93.1 
                 94.8 
                 94.8 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     After 150 days of storage at 4° C., the viable count in the direct-to-vat starter made of  Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, Radix codonopsis  compound polysaccharide extracts remained above 10 10  CFU/g, the survival rate was still 94.8%, and the survival rate was stable at 91.4˜96.6% during the whole storage process. 
     The evaluation method of fermentation activity was to use 1.5% inoculum of the direct-to-vat starter stored for 150 days into 10%  Jerusalem artichoke  juice for fermentation, and evaluate the changes of viable count, pH value, reducing sugar, total sugar and total amino nitrogen during the fermentation process of the starter. Inoculation of direct activated expanded culture seed solution of strain was as the control. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Evaluation of fermentation performance of direct-to-vat starter after 150 days of storage 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Fermentation process (h) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 0 
                 6 
                 12 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Evaluating indicator 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count (CFU/mL) 
                 1.1 × 10 8   
                 1.0 × 10 8   
                 7.5 × 10 8   
                 7.5 × 10 8   
                 1.2 × 10 10   
                 1.3 × 10 10   
               
               
                 pH value 
                 6.3 
                 6.3 
                 5.5 
                 5.7 
                 5.2 
                 5.0 
               
               
                 Reducing sugar (mg/mL) 
                 5.4 
                 5.4 
                 3.9 
                 3.3 
                 1.6 
                 1.4 
               
               
                 Total sugar (mg/mL) 
                 57.9 
                 58.1 
                 56.5 
                 55.9 
                 52.3 
                 51.8 
               
               
                 Total amino nitrogen 
                 0.85 
                 0.84 
                 0.81 
                 0.80 
                 0.74 
                 0.75 
               
               
                 (mg/mL) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Fermentation process (h) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 18 
                 24 
                 30 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Evaluating indicator 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count (CFU/mL) 
                 1.01 × 10 10   
                 1.1 × 10 10   
                 8.5 × 10 9   
                 8.6 × 10 9   
                 6.2 × 10 8   
                 6.3 × 10 8   
               
               
                 pH value 
                 4.2 
                 4.1 
                 3.7 
                 3.6 
                 3.8 
                 3.8 
               
               
                 Reducing sugar (mg/mL) 
                 1.3 
                 1.3 
                 1.2 
                 1.1 
                 1.1 
                 1.1 
               
               
                 Total sugar (mg/mL) 
                 49.5 
                 48.7 
                 48.2 
                 47.5 
                 47.9 
                 47.4 
               
               
                 Total amino nitrogen 
                 0.68 
                 0.68 
                 0.71 
                 0.69 
                 0.66 
                 0.65 
               
               
                 (mg/mL) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The direct-to-vat starter made of  Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala  and  Radix codonopsis  compound polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent can maintain high fermentation activity. In the process of fermentation of 10%  Jerusalem artichoke  juice, the cells grew rapidly, had strong acid production capacity, and consumed reducing sugar and total sugar quickly, and the overall effect was not significantly different from that of direct activation inoculation. 
     The viable count in Table 1 and Table 2 was the sum of the viable count of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus.    
     Embodiment 2 
     A freeze-drying protective agent included the following components:  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 30.0 g/100 mL,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract 20.0 g/100 mL,  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract 20.0 g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 10.0 g/100 mL, α-cyclodextrin 7.0 g/100 mL and polyethyleneimine 5.0 g/100 mL. 
     The preparation method of the freeze-drying protective agent included the following steps. 
     (1)  Poria cocos  decoction pieces were crushed with a common Chinese herbal medicine pulverizer and sieved through 100 meshes to obtain  Poria cocos  powder. 
     Alkalization: NaOH solution was added to the  Poria cocos  powder and continuously stirred until the  Poria cocos  powder was completely dissolved to obtain  Poria cocos  alkalization solution. 300 mL of NaOH solution was added to every 100 g of  Poria cocos  powder, and the mass fraction of NaOH solution was 50%. 
     Etherification: chloroacetic acid solid (domestic analytical pure) was slowly added to the  Poria cocos  alkalization solution in batches and continuously stirred to react at 50° C. for 7 h to obtain  Poria cocos  etherification solution. For every 100 g of  Poria cocos  powder, 50 g of the chloroacetic acid solid was added. 
     Ethanol precipitation: 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution was added to the  Poria cocos  etherification solution for precipitation, and the precipitate was redissolved with water. Then ethanol solution with mass fraction of 95% was used for ethanol precipitation, and the precipitate was collected. The volume ratio of 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution to  Poria cocos  etherification solution was 4:1, and the 95% ethanol-acetic acid solution was prepared by mixing ethanol solution with mass fraction of 95% and acetic acid with mass fraction of 95% in 1:1 volume ratio. 
     Drying: the precipitate obtained in the ethanol precipitation step was dried by means of vacuum drying at 40° C. for 5 h to obtain the  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract. 
     (2)  Atractylodes macrocephala  decoction pieces were crushed with a common Chinese herbal medicine pulverizer and sieved through 100 meshes to obtain  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder. 
     Ethanol extraction: ethanol solution was added into the  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder, subjected to heating and refluxing at 82° C. for 2 h, and was filtered to obtain  Atractylodes macrocephala  granules. The mass fraction of the ethanol solution was 75%, and the dosage was calculated by adding 20 mL ethanol solution per gram of  Atractylodes macrocephala  powder. 
     Ultrasonic extraction: distilled water was added to the  Atractylodes macrocephala  granules and extracted by ultrasonic at 80° C. for 80 min to obtain a filtrate, and the filtrate was filtered for standby. 
     Drying: vacuum freeze-drying was adopted, and the filtrate was prefrozen at −30° C. for 6 h before freeze-drying (the freeze-drying conditions were vacuum degree 10 Pa and cold trap temperature −55° C., and a setting procedure of diaphragm temperature was heating for 2 h at 10° C., heating for 3 h at 20° C., heating at 30° C., and freeze-drying for 20 h.) to obtain the  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract. 
     (3)  Radix codonopsis  decoction pieces were crushed with a common Chinese herbal medicine pulverizer and sieved through 100 meshes to obtain  Radix codonopsis  powder. 
     Microwave extraction: after soaking with water for 10 h, the  Radix codonopsis  powder was subjected to heating reaction in a microwave reactor at 250° C. for 1 h, and was filtered to obtain  Radix codonopsis  microwave extraction solution. 1500 mL purified water was added into every 100 g of  Radix codonopsis  powder. 
     Ethanol precipitation: 4 times volume of ethanol was added into the  Radix codonopsis  microwave extraction solution for ethanol precipitation, and after standing for 7 h and centrifuging for 12 min at 4000 r/min, the supernatant was removed, sewage reagent was added, swirled and mixed evenly, and then centrifuging was performed again for 12 min at 5000 r/min. The supernatant obtained by centrifugation was subjected to secondary ethanol precipitation and precipitate collection. The sewage reagent was prepared from trichloromethane and n-butanol according to a volume ratio of 4:1. 
     Drying: the precipitate obtained in the ethanol precipitation step was dried by means of vacuum drying at 40° C. for 5 h to obtain the  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract. 
     The steps (1), (2) and (3) are in no order. 
     (4) The  Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract,  Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide extract and  Radix codonopsis  polysaccharide extract were mixed in the purified water and sterilized with high pressure steam at 121° C. for 30 min to obtain solution A. 
     L-tyrosine, α-cyclodextrin and polyethyleneimine were mixed in purified water and sterilized with high pressure steam at 121° C. for 30 min to obtain solution B. 
     The steps (4) and (5) are in no order. 
     (5) Under aseptic operation environment, the solution A and solution B were mixed to obtain the freezing-drying protective agent. 
     The above  Poria cocos  decoction pieces,  Atractylodes macrocephala  decoction pieces and  Radix codonopsis  decoction pieces were purchased from China (Bozhou) Traditional Chinese Medicine Trading Center. L-tyrosine, α-cyclodextrin and polyethyleneimine are AR grade and purchased from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd., Shanghai. 
     A direct-to-vat starter for aquatic fermentation feed included the above freeze-drying protective agent,  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus.    
       Enterococcus faecalis , CGMCC 1.15424, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Candida utilis , CGMCC 2.3047, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Aspergillus niger , CGMCC 3.15663, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Bacillus coagulans , CGMCC 1.10823, purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
       Brevibacillus laterosporus , CGMCC 1.15160, was purchased from China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC). 
     The preparation method of the above direct-to-vat starter for aquatic fermentation included the following steps. 
     (1) Strain activation: the slants of all strains were inoculated with the primary seed medium, and the primary seed solution was obtained after culture, and the seed solution was further activated and expanded for culture to obtain the secondary seed solution. 
     The activating conditions of  Enterococcus faecalis  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 34° C., 48 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary was is 1.0%, the culture condition was 34° C., the shaking table culture was 150 r/min for 18 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Candida utilis  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 26° C., 48 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 4.6%, the culture condition was 26° C., the shaking table culture was 150 r/min for 18 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Aspergillus niger  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 32° C., 20 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 5.0%, the culture condition was 32° C., the shaking table culture was 150 r/min for 18 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Bacillus coagulans  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 45° C., 16 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 2.0%, the culture condition was 45° C., the shaking table culture was 120 r/min for 12 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The activating conditions of  Brevibacillus laterosporus  strain were as follows. The primary seed culture conditions were 30° C., 24 hours. The inoculation amount of secondary seeds was 4.0%, the culture condition was 30° C., the shaking table culture was 150 r/min for 30 hours, and the seeds were stored at 4° C. for standby. 
     The composition of primary and secondary seed culture media of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  was as follows. Every 100 mL of the media contains 1.8 g of yeast powder, 2.4 g of beef extract, 3.0 g of tryptone, 0.1 g of sodium bicarbonate, 2.4 g of glucose, 0.2 g of sodium chloride, 0.1 g of sodium acetate, 0.015 g of magnesium sulfate and 0.006 g of manganese sulfate. 
     (2) After all strains were activated twice, they were inoculated into the multiplication medium. The inoculations of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  were 3%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 3% respectively. Then mixed culture was carried out at 34° C. for 12 h, centrifugation was carried out after culture and the supernatant was discarded. The same amount of sterilized 0.85% physiological saline was added to wash the cells twice. Under the same conditions, the mixed sludge of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus  was obtained by centrifugation. The mixed sludge was suspended in physiological saline, and the final volume was 1/10 of the original fermentation liquid volume to prepare the mixed strain solution. The viable concentration in the mixed strain solution was determined to meet the following range: 
     the viable concentration of  Enterococcus faecalis  was 1.0×10 10 ˜6.0×10 10  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Candida utilis  was 3.0×10 8 ˜6.0×10 8  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Aspergillus niger  was 8.0×10 7 ˜2.0×10 8  CFU/mL; 
     the viable concentration of  Bacillus coagulans  was 5.0×10 7 ˜3.0×10 8  CFU/mL; and 
     the viable concentration of  Brevibacillus laterosporus  was 1.0×10 8 ˜4.0×10 8  CFU/mL. 
     The freeze-drying protective agent was added into the mixed strain solution to obtain the mixed solution. The volume ratio of mixed strain solution and freeze-drying protective agent was 1:3. 
     The multiplication medium was composite medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos.    
     The preparation method of the composite culture medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos  included: mixing  Jerusalem artichoke  powder,  Poria cocos  water extract and water at a ratio of 2:3:5 (w/w/w), hydrolyzing at 65° C. for 60 min, heating to 95° C. and hydrolyzing for 60 min, cooling, filtering with 8 layers of gauze, and adjusting pH value of the filtrate to 7.0˜7.3 to obtain the composite culture medium of  Jerusalem artichoke  and  Poria cocos;    
     The preparation method of the  Jerusalem artichoke  powder included: slicing fresh  Jerusalem artichoke , drying the fresh  Jerusalem artichoke  slices at 75° C. until the water content is lower than 8%, and then crushing the dried  Jerusalem artichoke  slices and sieving the crushed  Jerusalem artichoke  slices through 100 meshes to obtain the  Jerusalem artichoke  powder. 
     The preparation method of the  Poria cocos  water extract included: slicing fresh  Poria cocos , drying the fresh  Poria cocos  slices at 75° C., and then crushing the dried  Poria cocos  slices; adding 12 times the mass of absolute ethanol, extracting for 3 h and subjecting the extract to filtering to obtain a residue; adding 10 times the mass of distilled water to the residue, heating and refluxing to extract for 2 h, filtering twice to obtain filtrates, combining the filtrates, subjecting the combined filtrate to concentrating and drying under reduced pressure to obtain the  Poria cocos  water extract. 
     (3) Freeze-drying: 2 mL of mixed solution obtained in step (2) was taken and put into vials. The prefreezing process was carried out for 3 h at −80° C., and the strain solution was quickly transferred to a vacuum freeze-drying machine for freeze-drying after being completely frozen. The freeze-drying conditions are vacuum degree 10 Pa and cold trap temperature −55° C. And a setting procedure of diaphragm temperature is heating for 2 h at 10° C., heating for 3 h at 20° C., heating at 30° C., and freeze-drying for 20 h. 
     The starter was obtained after freeze-drying, the finished product was obtained after aseptic packaging, and was stored at 4° C. 
     The freeze-drying survival rate and fermentation activity of the direct-to-vat starter were evaluated. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count and survival rate of direct-to-vat starter in each storage period 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Storage time (d) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Evaluating indicator 
                 0 
                 15 
                 30 
                 45 
                 60 
                 75 
                 90 
                 120 
                 150 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count (CFU/g) 
                 6.2 × 10 10   
                 6.1 × 10 10   
                 6.1 × 10 10   
                 6.0 × 10 10   
                 6.2 × 10 10   
                 6.1 × 10 10   
                 6.1 × 10 10   
                 6.2 × 10 10   
                 6.1 × 10 10   
               
               
                 survival rate (%) 
                 96.9 
                 95.3 
                 95.3 
                 93.8 
                 96.9 
                 95.3 
                 95.3 
                 96.9 
                 95.3 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     After 150 days of storage at 4° C., the viable count in the direct-to-vat starter made of  Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, Radix codonopsis  compound polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent remained above 10 10  CFU/g, the survival rate was still 95.3%, and the survival rate was stable at 93.8˜96.9% during the whole storage process. 
     1.5% inoculum of the direct-to-vat starter stored for 150 days into 10%  Jerusalem artichoke  juice for fermentation was used, and the changes of viable count, pH value, reducing sugar, total sugar and total amino nitrogen during the fermentation process of the starter were evaluated. Inoculation of direct activated expanded culture seed solution of strain was as the control. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Evaluation of fermentation performance of direct-to-vat starter after 150 days of storage 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Fermentation process (h) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 0 
                 6 
                 12 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Evaluating indicator 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count (CFU/mL) 
                 1.3 × 10 8   
                 1.3 × 10 8   
                 7.9 × 10 8   
                 7.8 × 10 8   
                 1.5 × 10 10   
                 1.5 × 10 10   
               
               
                 pH value 
                 6.3 
                 6.3 
                 5.4 
                 5.3 
                 5.3 
                 5.2 
               
               
                 Reducing sugar (mg/mL) 
                 5.3 
                 5.3 
                 3.5 
                 3.2 
                 1.7 
                 1.6 
               
               
                 Total sugar (mg/mL) 
                 56.4 
                 56.2 
                 55.2 
                 55.0 
                 51.2 
                 51.1 
               
               
                 Total amino nitrogen 
                 0.86 
                 0.84 
                 0.80 
                 0.79 
                 0.73 
                 0.74 
               
               
                 (mg/mL) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Fermentation process (h) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 18 
                 24 
                 30 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Evaluating indicator 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
                 Direct-to-vat 
                 Control 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Viable count (CFU/mL) 
                 1.5 × 10 10   
                 1.5 × 10 10   
                 7.9 × 10 9   
                 8.2 × 10 9   
                 9.5 × 10 8   
                 9.4 × 10 8   
               
               
                 pH value 
                 4.3 
                 4.1 
                 3.8 
                 3.7 
                 3.7 
                 3.6 
               
               
                 Reducing sugar (mg/mL) 
                 1.1 
                 1.0 
                 1.0 
                 1.1 
                 1.0 
                 1.0 
               
               
                 Total sugar (mg/mL) 
                 47.5 
                 47.7 
                 45.3 
                 45.8 
                 44.9 
                 44.8 
               
               
                 Total amino nitrogen 
                 0.67 
                 0.68 
                 0.68 
                 0.68 
                 0.67 
                 0.66 
               
               
                 (mg/mL) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The direct-to-vat starter made of  Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala  and  Radix codonopsis  compound polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent can maintain high fermentation activity. In the process of fermentation of 10%  Jerusalem artichoke  juice, the cells grew rapidly, had strong acid production capacity, and consumed reducing sugar and total sugar quickly, and the overall effect was not significantly different from that of direct activation inoculation. 
     The viable count in Table 3 and Table 4 was the sum of the viable count of  Enterococcus faecalis, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus coagulans  and  Brevibacillus laterosporus.    
     Embodiment 3 
     The freeze-drying protective agent was prepared according to the components shown in Table 5, and the direct-to-vat starter was prepared. The specific steps and parameter settings of the experimental process were carried out according to embodiment 2. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 5 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Experimental design 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                 Experimental 
                   
               
               
                 group 
                 Components 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Experiment 1 
                   Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 20.0  g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 5.0 g/100 mL, 
               
               
                   
                 α-cyclodextrin 5.0 g/100 mL,  polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                 Experiment 2 
                   Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide  extract 15.0 g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 5.0 
               
               
                   
                 g/100 mL, α-cyclodextrin 5.0 g/100 mL,  polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                 Experiment 3 
                   Radix Codonopsis  polysaccharide extract  12.0 g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 5.0 g/100 mL, 
               
               
                   
                 α-cyclodextrin 5.0 g/100 mL,  polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                 Experiment 4 
                   Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 20.0  g/100 mL,  Atractylodes macrocephala   
               
               
                   
                 polysaccharide extract 15.0 g/100 mL,  L-tyrosine 5.0 g/100 mL, α-cyclodextrin 5.0 
               
               
                   
                 g/100 mL, polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                 Experiment 5 
                   Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 20.0  g/100 mL,  Radix Codonopsis   
               
               
                   
                 polysaccharide extract 12.0 g/100 mL,  L-tyrosine 5.0 g/100 mL, α-cyclodextrin 5.0 
               
               
                   
                 g/ 100 mL, polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                 Experiment 6 
                   Atractylodes macrocephala  polysaccharide  extract 15.0 g/100 mL,  Radix   
               
               
                   
                   Codonopsis  polysaccharide extract 12.0  g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 5.0 g/100 mL, 
               
               
                   
                 α-cyclodextrin 5.0 g/100 mL,  polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                 Experiment 7 
                   Poria cocos  polysaccharide extract 20.0  g/100 mL,  Atractylodes macrocephala   
               
               
                   
                 polysaccharide extract 15.0 g/100 mL,   Radix Codonopsis  polysaccharide extract 
               
               
                   
                 12.0 g/100 mL, L-tyrosine 5.0 g/100 mL,  α-cyclodextrin 5.0 g/100 mL, 
               
               
                   
                 polyethyleneimine 3.0 g/100 mL 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The freeze-drying survival rates of cells after different storage time were shown in Table 6. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 6 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Freeze-drying survival rate in different groups during storage (%) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Storage time (d) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Experimental group 
                 0 
                 15 
                 30 
                 45 
                 60 
                 75 
                 90 
                 120 
                 150 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Experiment 1 
                 32.1 
                 30.0 
                 23.6 
                 11.2 
                 10.2 
                 9.8 
                 7.5 
                 7.2 
                 6.2 
               
               
                 Experiment 2 
                 26.7 
                 25.4 
                 22.2 
                 18.3 
                 7.6 
                 6.1 
                 5.7 
                 5.6 
                 4.5 
               
               
                 Experiment 3 
                 27.5 
                 18.9 
                 16.2 
                 10.1 
                 8.7 
                 6.2 
                 5.6 
                 4.1 
                 3.9 
               
               
                 Experiment 4 
                 62.1 
                 48.9 
                 45.1 
                 40.8 
                 38.7 
                 34.6 
                 32.3 
                 30.1 
                 29.9 
               
               
                 Experiment 5 
                 58.1 
                 40.1 
                 40.2 
                 39.4 
                 35.1 
                 36.0 
                 28.7 
                 27.3 
                 22.1 
               
               
                 Experiment 6 
                 64.5 
                 49.2 
                 39.7 
                 32.8 
                 29.4 
                 16.7 
                 11.2 
                 9.5 
                 6.3 
               
               
                 Experiment 7 
                 96.9 
                 95.0 
                 95.2 
                 94.3 
                 95.2 
                 93.2 
                 94.3 
                 95.1 
                 94.4 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     It can be seen from Table 5 and Table 6 that the freeze-drying survival rate of cells can be significantly improved by using the polysaccharide extract freeze-drying protective agent in experiment 7. Especially during the 150-day storage period, the protective agent in experiment 7 had a significant effect compared with the use alone or paired. 
     Embodiment 4 
     The freeze-drying protective agent and direct-to-vat starter were prepared according to the experiment 7 of embodiment 3. The specific steps and parameter settings of the experimental process were carried out according to embodiment 2. The mixing ratio (v/v) of mixed strain solution and freeze-drying protective agent was adjusted. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 7 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Freeze-drying survival rate during storage under different mixing ratio (%) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                 Different 
                 Storage time (d) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 mixing ratio 
                 0 
                 15 
                 30 
                 45 
                 60 
                 75 
                 90 
                 120 
                 150 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 1:0.5 
                 83.1 
                 82.8 
                 81.1 
                 75.4 
                 73.2 
                 72.1 
                 70.0 
                 64.5 
                 69.9 
               
               
                 1:1.0 
                 90.1 
                 90.5 
                 90.1 
                 89.1 
                 89.1 
                 85.4 
                 88.4 
                 86.5 
                 87.9 
               
               
                 1:1.5 
                 91.1 
                 88.7 
                 89.7 
                 90.1 
                 90.5 
                 90.0 
                 85.6 
                 88.7 
                 90.0 
               
               
                 1:2.0 
                 92.1 
                 91.5 
                 91.7 
                 91.2 
                 90.5 
                 90.1 
                 89.8 
                 90.0 
                 90.1 
               
               
                 1:2.5 
                 95.0 
                 94.5 
                 95.1 
                 91.2 
                 92.5 
                 92.7 
                 91.9 
                 91.5 
                 92.0 
               
               
                 1:3.0 
                 96.9 
                 95.0 
                 95.2 
                 94.3 
                 95.2 
                 93.2 
                 94.3 
                 95.1 
                 94.4 
               
               
                 1:3.5 
                 95.8 
                 94.8 
                 95.3 
                 94.7 
                 95.1 
                 94.0 
                 94.2 
                 95.2 
                 94.5 
               
               
                 1:4.0 
                 97.1 
                 95.1 
                 95.2 
                 94.9 
                 95.1 
                 94.4 
                 94.5 
                 95.1 
                 94.4 
               
               
                 1:4.5 
                 94.2 
                 94.0 
                 94.2 
                 92.5 
                 90.1 
                 87.2 
                 85.1 
                 80.2 
                 79.5 
               
               
                 1:5.0 
                 9.6 
                 93.2 
                 92.1 
                 91.0 
                 90.0 
                 89.2 
                 87.1 
                 82.3 
                 80.1 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     It can be seen from the above table that when the volume ratio of mixed strain solution to freeze-drying protective agent was 1:1˜1:4, the freeze-drying survival rate of cells can still reach 87.9˜94.5% on the 150th day of storage. When the volume ratio was 1:0.5, the freeze-drying survival rate decreased significantly, and at the 150th day of storage, the freeze-drying survival rate was only 69.9%. When the volume ratio was 1:4.5 and 1:5.0, the freeze-drying survival rates were 79.5% and 80.1%, respectively. Therefore, the volume ratio of the concentrated strain cell suspension and the freeze-drying protective agent preferred by the disclosure was 1:1˜1:4. Further, it was preferably 1:1.5 to 1:4. Further, it was preferably 1:2.5 to 1:4. 
     Embodiment 5 
     On the formula of experiment 7 in embodiment 3, the direct-to-vat starter was prepared according to the best ratio selected in embodiment 4. In addition, four kinds of commercial direct-to-vat starter (all within the shelf life) were purchased, and the differences in the Viable count and pH value on fermentation performance between the direct-to-vat starter and the commercial starter were dynamically compared and analyzed. The method for evaluation of fermentation performance was as described in embodiment 2. 
     The results were as shown in Table 8. Compared with the commercial direct-to-vat starter, the direct-to-vat starter of the present disclosure can maintain a higher fermentation activity. In the process of fermenting 10%  Jerusalem artichoke  juice, the direct-to-vat starter of the present disclosure had the fastest fermentation speed, the cells grew rapidly and had the best acid production performance. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 8 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Comparison of fermentation performance between the direct-to-vat 
               
               
                 starter of the present disclosure and the commercial starters 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Fermentation process (h) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Sample 
                 0 
                 6 
                 12 
                 18 
                 24 
                 30 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                 Viable count (CFU/mL) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Direct-to-vat starter 
                 2.3 × 108 
                 7.9 × 108 
                 3.5 × 1010 
                  2.0 × 1010 
                 8.8 × 109 
                 3.1 × 109 
               
               
                 of present disclosure 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 1 
                 5.2 × 108 
                 6.0 × 108 
                 7.6 × 109 
                 9.1 × 109 
                 9.5 × 109 
                 1.0 × 109 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 2 
                 7.1 × 107 
                 8.0 × 107 
                 1.0 × 108 
                 6.0 × 108 
                 2.2 × 109 
                 1.9 × 108 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 3 
                 3.5 × 108 
                 1.6 × 108 
                 2.7 × 109 
                  1.9 × 1010 
                 3.2 × 109 
                 1.2 × 109 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 4 
                 9.0 × 107 
                 1.0 × 108 
                  2.1 × 1010 
                 9.1 × 109 
                 3.7 × 108 
                 1.5 × 108 
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                 pH value 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Direct-to-vat starter 
                 6.3 
                 5.2 
                 4.7 
                 4.0 
                 3.6 
                 3.6 
               
               
                 of present disclosure 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 1 
                 6.3 
                 5.9 
                 5.3 
                 4.5 
                 4.1 
                 3.8 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 2 
                 6.3 
                 5.7 
                 5.0 
                 4.3 
                 3.9 
                 3.7 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 3 
                 6.3 
                 5.6 
                 5.4 
                 4.6 
                 4.2 
                 3.8 
               
               
                 Commercial starter 4 
                 6.3 
                 5.5 
                 4.9 
                 4.5 
                 4.1 
                 3.9 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Various embodiments in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, and the emphasizing description of each embodiment is different from the other embodiments. The same and similar parts of various embodiments can be referred to for each other. 
     The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables the skilled in the art to achieve or use the disclosure. Multiple modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be achieved in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. The present disclosure will therefore not be restricted to these embodiments shown herein, but rather to comply with the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.