Abstract: A method for producing 4?-demethylnobiletin or 4?-demethyltangeretin including fermenting a skin derived from at least one citrus fruit selected from citrus fruits belonging to section Acrumen in subgenus Metacitrus in genus Citrus or citrus fruits belonging to section Aurantium in subgenus Archicitrus in genus Citrus, or a water extract product thereof using one or more Aspergillus molds selected from Aspergillus kawachii, Aspergillus awamori, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus saitoi, and Aspergillus usamii to obtain a fermented product.

Abstract: A fermentation product (fermented food) that has high functionality by subjecting a fructan-containing material (in particular, a material including garlic or rakkyo containing fructan at a high concentration) directly to lactic acid fermentation without performing a heat treatment or an enzymatic treatment. More specifically, provided are: a fermentation product having an immunopotentiating effect, which is obtained by lactic acid fermentation of a fructan-containing material using a lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum S506 strain (MITE BP-643) having fructan-utilizing ability, a mutant strain of the S506 strain having fructan-utilizing ability, or a strain isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum and having the same bacteriological properties as those of the S506 strain; and a fermented food which contains the fermentation product.

Abstract: A method for producing 4?-demethylnobiletin or 4?-demethyltangeretin including fermenting a skin derived from at least one citrus fruit selected from citrus fruits belonging to section Acrumen in subgenus Metacitrus in genus Citrus or citrus fruits belonging to section Aurantium in subgenus Archicitrus in genus Citrus, or a water extract product thereof using one or more Aspergillus molds selected from Aspergillus kawachii, Aspergillus awamori, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus saitoi, and Aspergillus usamii to obtain a fermented product.

Abstract: A fermentation product (fermented food) that has high functionality by subjecting a fructan-containing material (in particular, a material including garlic or rakkyo containing fructan at a high concentration) directly to lactic acid fermentation without performing a heat treatment or an enzymatic treatment. More specifically, provided are: a fermentation product having an immunopotentiating effect, which is obtained by lactic acid fermentation of a fructan-containing material using a lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum S506 strain (NITE BP-643) having fructan-utilizing ability, a mutant strain of the S506 strain having fructan-utilizing ability, or a strain isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum and having the same bacteriological properties as those of the S506 strain; and a fermented food which contains the fermentation product.

Abstract: A method for producing an orally ingestible composition containing an arabinofuranosyl vitexin and/or a hydrolysate thereof by using Basella alba as a raw material. The product of such method has a sedative effect and a sleep-inducing effect.