Abstract: The present invention provides a method for determination of the foam stability of a fermented malt beverage, wherein the concentration of protein Z7 (MZ7) in seeds of a barley which is used as a material for the fermented malt beverage, a malt obtained from the seeds, a wort obtained from the malt, a fermented malt beverage obtained by fermenting the wort, or a pre-fermentation or fermenting material solution of the fermented malt beverage, is used as an index having a negative correlation with the foam stability of the fermented malt beverage, to determine the foam stability of the fermented malt beverage. According to the determination method of the invention, it is possible to determine the foam stability from the concentration of a prescribed protein in the barley seeds, malt, wort, fermented malt beverage or the like without directly measuring the head retention of the fermented malt beverage.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to screen for hop varieties with high ? acid contents, as well as hop varieties with high contents of ? acids, ? acids, myrcene and/or xanthohumol in addition to ? acids, within a short time period utilizing a molecular screening method that employs a breeding marker. The invention provides a breeding marker represented by the following (a) or (b), which is used for screening of hop varieties with high ? acid contents. (a) A polynucleotide consisting of a nucleotide sequence of 20-1587 continuous nucleotides including nucleotide No. 899 of the polynucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5 (wherein the 899th nucleotide is t). (b) A polynucleotide consisting of the sequence complementary to the polynucleotide of (a) above.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel microorganism suitable for production of hydrogen. The microorganism according to the present invention is a Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum strain with an accession number of FERM BP-10793, or its mutants.

Abstract: A selection method for barley lipoxygenase-1 deficient barley, comprising a step of distinguishing the barley lipoxygenase-1 deficient barley by whether or not the guanine at the splicing donor site of the 5th intron of the barley lipoxygenase-1 gene is mutated to a different base; and a method for production of malt alcoholic beverages using a material for malt alcoholic beverages derived from barley obtained by the selection method.

Abstract: The method of soaking grains in water of the invention is a method of soaking grains in water for adding moisture to grains for germination, wherein grains are soaked in water containing microbubbles with bubble diameters of no greater than 50 ?m.

Abstract: The hydrogen fermentation apparatus is the one that generates hydrogen by decomposing organic matter through hydrogen fermentation. There are arranged a hydrogen fermentor which holds the treating liquid containing organic matter, and a string-shape carrier which is positioned to immerse itself in the treating liquid in the hydrogen fermentor, and on which hydrogen-generating bacteria are fixed.

Abstract: A production method of a biogas of the present invention comprises carrying out hydrogen fermentation of a subject solution containing organic matter with the use of a hydrogen fermentation microorganism, in which according to a correlation between a concentration of a predetermined substrate in a liquid to be processed containing an organic matter and a rate of consumption of the substrate by a hydrogen-fermenting microorganism a maximum tolerable concentration of the substrate consumable by the hydrogen-fermenting microorganism is determined in advance and in which in the actual hydrogen formation step, the concentration of the substrate in the liquid is maintained at one not higher than the maximum tolerable concentration. According to the production method of a biogas of the present invention, hydrogen fermentation can be performed sufficiently smoothly without any treatment of the material involving consumption of thermal energy such as heating/warming.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide processed barley products which are rich in GABA even after milling of barley seeds, and a processing method therefore. The present invention provides a method for processing barley comprising a step in which barley seeds, whose GABA residue when processed to a pearling degree of 60% is 50% or greater compared to that of the unprocessed seeds, are milled without germination.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for identifying brewer's yeast genes associated with alcoholic beverage flavor, to allow production of alcoholic beverages with desirable flavor by controlling the expression of the identified genes. In order to achieve this object, there is provided a method for identifying brewer's yeast genes using gene analysis means employing a DNA array or a DNA array and two-dimensional electrophoresis, a DNA array binding identified genes, and a method of selecting brewer's yeast using the DNA array.

Abstract: There is provided a method of detecting potentially beer-spoiling obligatory anaerobic gram-negative bacteria, and a method of simultaneously detecting and distinguishing different beer-spoilage microorganisms including such bacteria.

Abstract: A production method of a beer-taste alcoholic beverage with foaming properties which does not use barley wheat and malt, in which a proteolytic enzyme improving generating foam and foam stability is used as a part of a substance of raw materials, and the alcoholic beverage with foaming properties produced by the production method are disclosed The production method of an alcoholic beverage with foaming properties, in which a pre-fermentation liquid is processed using a syrup containing sources of carbon, sources of nitrogen, hops, coloring matter, an improving substance for generating foam and for foam stability, and water as raw materials without using barley, wheat and malt, and the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented using a brewers' yeast.

Abstract: The method of differentiating beer yeast of the invention is a method which comprises a first step of synthesizing a primer capable of amplifying the linker portion between a base sequence (A) and a base sequence (B) in a novel gene (C) which has the base sequence (B) comprising a portion of yeast chromosome IX linked downstream from the base sequence (A) comprising a portion of the N-terminal end of yeast gene Lg-FLO1, and which includes the base sequences listed as SEQ. ID. Nos. 1-6 of the Sequence Listing; a second step of carrying out a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) using the primer synthesized in the first step and DNA separated from a yeast specimen; and a third step of differentiating whether the yeast is bottom-fermenting yeast or wild yeast, based on the PCR amplification product obtained from the second step.

Abstract: A method of selecting a barley variety comprising: a heat treatment step of heat-treating a crude enzyme solution extracted from a seed of a barley (e.g., at 57.5° C. for 30 minutes); an activity-determining step of determining the enzyme activity of ?-amylase in the crude enzyme solution heat-treated; and a selection step of selecting the barley variety containing a ?-amylase having a residual activity of from 85 to 90% as a result of the activity determination.

Abstract: A swallowing movement measuring device is disclosed that has plural pressure sensors which are arranged in a line and supported in a vertical direction and a tool for wearing the pressure sensors and for fixing the pressure sensors to touch an anterior region of the neck of a subject. The tool for wearing the pressure sensors is provided with an urethane foam in which the pressure sensors are arranged and placed in line and supported along a direction of the up and down movement of thyroid cartilage when food is swallowed. A fixing tool of the pressure sensors supports the urethane foam and a holding band holds the fixing tools of the pressure sensors on the anterior region of neck of the subject.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of producing a foaming alcoholic beverage such as beer, low-malt beer, and a beer-flavored foaming alcoholic beverage obtained by producing, without using any kind of barley (e.g., barley, wheat, malt), a pre-fermentation liquid using at least a syrup containing sources of carbon, sources of nitrogen, hops and water as raw materials and fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with use of brewers' yeasts, wherein germinated grains are used; to thereby increase fermentability and attain superior flavor and improved foam quality. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an alcoholic beverage manufactured by the aforementioned method.

Abstract: A method of selecting a barley variety comprising: a heat treatment step of heat-treating a crude enzyme solution extracted from a seed of a barley (e.g., at 57.5° C. for 30 minutes); an activity-determining step of determining the enzyme activity of ?-amylase in the crude enzyme solution heat-treated; and a selection step of selecting the barley variety containing a ?-amylase having a residual activity of from 85 to 90% as a result of the activity determination.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for production of an effervescent alcoholic beverage, the process comprising: a pH adjusting step in which the pH of a yeast-containing fermentate obtained by fermenting the raw material of an effervescent alcoholic beverage with the yeast is adjusted, and a storage step in which the fermentate is aged to yield an aged liquor. According to the present invention, it is possible to produce an effervescent alcoholic beverage which has a low hydrogen sulfide concentration and an excellent flavor without using gene recombination, while avoiding adverse effects on the main fermentation step.

Abstract: A nucleic acid and a protein increasing expression levels under salt stress provide a nucleic acid with a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ. ID. NO. 1 in Sequence Listing, a variant nucleic acid thereof, a protein with an amino acid sequence of SEQ. ID. NO. 2 in Sequence Listing, and a variant protein thereof. Each of the nucleic acids and the proteins increases an expression level under salt stress. The nucleic acid and the protein are capable of providing a novel protein with a function to impart salt stress tolerance to a plant, and providing a novel gene encoding the novel protein.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for production of non-uracil-requiring flocculant alcohol-fermenting yeast, comprising a step of introducing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived URA3 gene only at one of the two LEU2 loci on the chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain FSC27 (FERM P-16023).

Abstract: It is intended to provide a pure line plant which is required in constructing a seed propagation variety of orchid. An auxin solution is dropped to unfertilized orchid flowers so as to form seeds based on parthenogenesis. Then these seeds are germinated and haploid plants are selected from orchid plants thus grown. The germinating seeds judges as haploid plants are grown to give pure line plants having doubled chromosomes. Thus, a seed propagation variety of orchid is obtained.