Abstract: It is intended to find novel pharmaceutical use of sphingomyelin and to provide preventive or therapeutic agents for various diseases as well as a food and drink product and feed comprising any of these agents. The present invention provides a pharmaceutical agent which contains sphingomyelin as an active ingredient and is any of the following agents: 1) a sialomucin secretion promoter, 2) an agent for preventing drunken sickness (hangover), 3) an antiallergic agent, 4) an antioxidant, 5) an agent for defending against infection, 6) a hair growth agent, 7) a therapeutic agent for demyelinating disease, 8) an anti-pigmentation agent, 9) an anti-inflammatory agent, and 10) an agent for improving learning ability. The present invention also provides a food and drink product or feed, characterized by comprising the agent. It is preferred that the sphingomyelin should be derived from milk.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a skin whitening agent comprising, as an active ingredient, a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and an LF, a decomposition product of the complex, or a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and a decomposition product of an LF; and a food, beverage, feed or cosmetic comprising the skin whitening agent. The skin whitening agent can be ingested safely on a daily basis, and exhibits an excellent skin whitening effect.

Abstract: A packaging material being a laminate formed by an outer layer comprising a laminated film which in turn is constituted by a cellophane sheet and easy-to-cut plastic film, and an inner layer comprising hot-melt material coating, wherein said packaging material allows for easy manufacturing control and storage control and offers good cutting properties in all directions when cut while a block of cheese or other food is packaged inside.

Abstract: Disclosed is: a visceral fat accumulation inhibitor or a food or drink for inhibiting the accumulation of a visceral fat, which composes a fat globule membrane component as an active ingredient; or a agent or food or drink for promoting the increase in the blood adiponection level and/or inhibiting the decrease in the blood adiponection level, which composes a fat globule membrane component as an active ingredient. A fat globule membrane component can inhibit the accumulation of a visceral fat, and/or can promote the increase in or inhibit the decrease in the blood adiponection level.

Abstract: Provided are: an agent for promoting growth hormone-secretion, containing a milk-derived basic protein fraction as an active ingredient, with the promotion of growth hormone-secretion being mediated by the promotion of secretion of ghrelin having an effect for promoting growth hormone-secretion; and a method of promoting the secretion of ghrelin by using a milk-derived basic protein fraction. The agent for promoting growth hormone-secretion may be ingested on a daily basis and is highly safe even with its ingestion for a long period.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a sense-improving agent which comprises, as an active ingredient, a phospholipid or a sphingosine-containing phospholipid and/or a derivative thereof, particularly a sphingomyelin, and which has an effect of improving the dulling of senses at a periphery when ingested orally or directly applied to the skin; and a sense-improving food, beverage, feed or cosmetic comprising the sense-improving agent. The phospholipid to be used may be a chemically synthesized phospholipid or a naturally occurring phospholipid, preferably a phospholipid derived from an edible material such as soybean and egg yolk, particularly preferably a phospholipid derived from milk.

Abstract: A skin beautifier contains sphingomyelin, which is a phospholipid, as an effective ingredient. In addition, skin-beautifying food or feed contains sphingomyelin as an effective ingredient. The present invention provides a skin beautifier and skin-beautifying food or feed supplying effects on beauty, such as skin-moisturizing and protecting effects, skin-roughness-preventing and improving effects, and a wrinkle-preventing effect, by oral ingestion thereof.

Abstract: A determination method quantifies a specific protein or peptide contained in a trace amount with high accuracy and in a simple manner without the need of using any expensive reagent. A protein or peptide of interest can be quantified by LC/MS/MS by using, as an internal standard, a protein or peptide including an amino acid sequence having the reshuffling the binding order of amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence for the protein or peptide of interest.

Abstract: To provide an agent promoting secretion and/or suppressing decrease of adiponectin, and an eating and drinking product and a feed promoting secretion and/or suppressing decrease of adiponectin. Provided are an agent promoting secretion and/or suppressing decrease of adiponectin, and a eating and drinking product and a feed promoting secretion and/or suppressing decrease of adiponectin, having as an active component a culture supernatant of Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Propionibacterium, yeast, Leuconostoc, and Lactococcus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of preparing frozen or lyophilized microbial cells which can inhibit damages or death of microbial cells and have high viabilities in freezing or lyophilizing process. A method of preparing frozen or lyophilized microbial cells having high viabilities, characterized by using a permeate which is obtained by filtering milk or whey with ultra-filtration (UF) membrane, as a protecting agent at the time of freezing or lyophilizing.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel agent for improving the viability of lactic acid bacteria, which has an excellent effect on the improvement of the viability of lactic acid bacteria in the product, has no adverse effect on the flavor of the product and requires less production cost. An agent for improving the viability of lactic acid bacteria characterized by using manganese as an effective ingredient. A manganese-containing material may be used as manganese. Manganese is preferably formulated at 5 ?g/100 g or more in the final product.

Abstract: Provided is a prophylactic agent for an autoimmune disease, including a fraction of a milk-derived basic protein, lactoperoxidase, and lactoferrin as active ingredients. The agent can be taken on a daily basis, and even if it is taken over a long period of time, its safety is high, and hence, an autoimmune disease such as type I diabetes mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis, which could not be effectively prevented or treated by a conventional method, can be prevented.

Abstract: Disclosed is an osteoblast differentiation promoting and osteoclast differentiation inhibiting agent which comprises a milk protein fraction having the following characteristics (1) to (4): (1) the milk protein fraction is derived from milk; (2) the milk protein fraction is a fraction containing a protein component having a molecular weight of 75,000 to 85,000 Daltons; (3) the milk protein fraction has a basic amino acid content of 13 to 15 wt % in the constitutional amino acid composition, and has a basic amino acid/acidic amino acid of 0.5 to 0.7; and (4) the milk protein fraction has an osteoblast differentiation promoting effect and an osteoclast differentiation inhibiting.

Abstract: Disclosed is a bone-reinforcing agent which comprises a milk protein fraction having the following properties (1) to (4): (1) the milk protein fraction is derived from milk; (2) the milk protein fraction is a fraction containing a protein component having a molecular weight of 6,000 to 150,000 Daltons; (3) the milk protein fraction has a basic amino acid content of 12 to 14 wt % in the constitutional amino acid composition, and the ratio of the amount of a basic amino acid(s) to the amount of an acidic amino acid(s) is 0.5 to 0.7; and (4) the milk protein fraction has an activity of accelerating the calcification in an osteoblast.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liver function-protecting agent which comprises a phospholipid as an active ingredient, and which can exhibit an excellent prophylactic and ameliorating effect on the deterioration in the liver function when ingested orally. Also disclosed is a liver function-protecting food, beverage or feed. The phospholipid is preferably one derived from milk or a milk material. Alternatively, the phospholipid may be used in the form of a phospholipid-containing composition prepared from milk or a milk material and containing the phospholipid in an amount of 10 wt % or more relative to the total solid content.

Abstract: An agent for promoting the secretion of adiponectin and/or suppressing decrease of adiponectin, a food or beverage for promoting the secretion of adiponectin and/or suppressing decrease of adiponectin, and a feed, each of which comprises a culture supernatant of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (FERM BP-10953) as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A milk protein fraction having following properties (1) to (4) is excellent in bone resorption inhibitory effect, and is useful for preventing or treating bone diseases: (1) the milk protein fraction is derived from milk; (2) the milk protein fraction is a fraction containing a protein having a molecular weight of 12,000 to 16,000 Daltons; (3) the milk protein fraction has a basic amino acid content of 18 to 20 wt % in the constitutional amino acid composition, and the ratio of the amount of a basic amino acid(s) to the amount of an acidic amino acid(s) is 0.7 to 0.9; and (4) the milk protein fraction has a bone resorption inhibitory effect.

Abstract: Disclosed is an osteoclastogenesis inhibitory agent which comprises a milk protein fraction having the following properties (1) to (4) and the agent is excellent in an osteoclastogenesis inhibitory effect and useful for preventing or treating bone diseases: (1) the milk protein fraction is derived from milk; (2) the milk protein fraction is a fraction containing a protein having a molecular weight of 80,000 to 85,000 Daltons; (3) the milk protein fraction has a basic amino acid content of 16 to 18 wt % in the constitutional amino acid composition, and the ratio of the amount of a basic amino acid(s) to the amount of an acidic amino acid(s) is 0.65 to 0.85; and (4) the milk protein fraction has an osteoclastogenesis inhibitory effect .

Abstract: Disclosed are: a skin whitening agent including, as an active ingredient, a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and an LF, a decomposition product of the complex, or a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and a decomposition product of an LF; and a food, beverage, feed or cosmetic including the skin whitening agent. The skin whitening agent can be ingested safely on a daily basis, and exhibits an excellent skin whitening effect.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a skin-beautifying agent, food, beverage, or feed for skin-beautification which has cosmetic effects such as moisturizing and beautifying the skin as well as preventing skin roughness and wrinkles by oral intake. The present invention further aims to provide a skin-beautifying agent containing a milk-derived phospholipid as an effective ingredient, and to provide food, beverage, or feed for skin-beautification containing the skin-beautifying agent. The milk-derived phospholipid is preferably a composition prepared from milk or milk material containing 40 to 70% by weight of lipid in a total solid content and containing 30% or more by weight of milk-derived phospholipid.