Abstract: The present invention relates to a casein hydrolysate containing free amino acids and in vivo indigestible peptides having minimally suppressed in vivo enzymatic digestibility, and expected to express functions, such as hypotensive effect, in living organism, and to a method for preparing such a hydrolysate, and use thereof. The casein hydrolysate of the present invention contains free amino acids and peptides, such as in vivo indigestible peptides including Xaa-Pro and Xaa-Pro-Pro, obtained by hydrolyzing animal milk casein to have an average chain length of not longer than 2.1 in terms of the number of amino acid residues, and has ACE inhibitory activity or hypotensive effect.

Abstract: There is provided a fermented milk product that contains lactic acid bacteria capable of producing a large amount of lactotripeptide and a large amount of active ingredient having hypotensive activity and anti-stress effect, and that can be taken pleasantly as foods or beverages. Lactic acid bacteria of Lactobacillus helveticus having specific bacteriological properties, the bacteria, when cultured in a medium of animal milk containing 9 wt % solid of non-fat milk, producing tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro in an amount of 60 ?g in terms of Val-Pro-Pro per ml medium, and the bacteria exhibiting extracellular proteinase activity of not lower than 400 U/OD590. Lactobacillus helveticus CM4 strain (deposited at National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, deposition number FERM BP-6060). A fermented milk product obtained by fermenting an animal milk with these lactic acid bacteria.

Abstract: The present invention provides an agent for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction which may be taken daily and continuously, has excellent safety, and is capable of effectively preventing and/or suppressing hepatic dysfunction, such as hepatocellular necrosis, and functional food, such as foods for specified health uses, for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction containing this agent. The agent for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction of the present invention contains whey as the active component, and the functional food for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction contains the agent for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel in vivo indigestible peptides that are highly absorbable and hardly digestible in living organism when administered orally or through other route, and expected to effectively exhibit functions, such as hypotensive effect, in living organism, and ACE inhibitors prepared with the peptides, and medicine or functional food expected to effectively exhibit hypotensive effect in living organism. The in vivo indigestible peptides are dipeptides or tripeptides having Pro at the carboxyl terminals, selected from the group consisting of Ile-Pro, Glu-Pro, Arg-Pro, Gln-Pro, Met-Pro, and Ser-Pro-Pro.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods for producing fermented milk and whey that enable effective production in high yield of fermented milk and whey having high content of an ACEI peptide that is highly safe and applicable to pharmaceuticals, functional foods, health foods, and the like. The methods are: a method including the steps of mixing lactic acid bacteria and a starting material containing milk by stirring to prepare a mixed material, and fermenting the mixed material under stirring so that curd pieces and whey containing an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptide are generated, whereby fermented milk containing the curd pieces and the whey containing the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptide is produced; and a method including the steps of subjecting the resulting fermented milk to centrifugation and/or filter pressing to separate and recover whey.

Abstract: There are provided a method of treating organic waste, which is excellent in the smooth temperature elevation in the early stage of the treatment and satisfactory in temperature-maintenance in a high temperature range, and by which the stable treatment of organic waste is achieved and the evaporation of moisture is promoted, thereby a stable effect of treating organic waste and an increased treatment scale being achieved; an agent for treating organic waste; and microorganisms to be used therein. The method is characterized by the use of a mesophilic bacterium showing its activity at 15 to 50° C. and a thermophilic bacterium showing its activity at 50 to 70° C. in the organic waste. As the mesophilic bacteria, bacteria which have an exothermic action and form spores under a temperature of 50° C. or higher are preferable and Bacillus subtilis is more preferable. Among these bacteria, a C-3102 strain (FERM BP-1096) is especially preferable.

Abstract: An agent for relieving intestinal disorders which contain live cells of a strain belonging to Lactobacillus helveticus. This strain is preferably characterized by a resistance to a specific bile acid, adhesiveness to intestinal epithelial cells, etc. A method of controlling intestinal functions which involves the step of administering such a medicine to a subject with a need for the control of intestinal functions. When administered to humans or the like, these agents exert effects of elevating defecation frequency, etc., thereby efficaciously improving the intestinal environment.

Abstract: A process for efficiently, easily and stably producing tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro, which are useful as hypotensive drugs, anti-stress drugs, etc., by an enzymatic method. This process involves the step of cleaving a milk casein-containing material with a proteinase to form an intermediate peptide selected from the group consisting of a peptide containing the sequence Val-Pro-Pro but having no Pro other than this sequence, a peptide containing the sequence Ile-Pro-Pro but having no Pro other than this sequence, and a mixture of these peptides, and then cleaving the intermediate peptide with a peptidase to thereby give at least one of the tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro.

Abstract: An accelerating agent for elimination of dioxins which comprises, as an active ingredient, a microorganism having an activity of accelerating elimination of dioxins in the body to the outside of the body.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods for producing fermented milk and whey that enable effective production in high yield of fermented milk and whey having high content of an ACEI peptide that is highly safe and applicable to pharmaceuticals, functional foods, health foods, and the like. The methods are: a method including the steps of mixing lactic acid bacteria and a starting material containing milk by stirring to prepare a mixed material, and fermenting the mixed material under stirring so that curd pieces and whey containing an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptide are generated, whereby fermented milk containing the curd pieces and the whey containing the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptide is produced; and a method including the steps of subjecting the resulting fermented milk to centrifugation and/or filter pressing to separate and recover whey.

Abstract: A poultry eggshell strengthening composition for enhancing eggshell thickness and external eggshell membrane thickness, containing a viable microorganism of the genus Bacillus as an active ingredient, optionally together with a carrier or diluent.

Abstract: An anti-stress agent and functional food containing the anti-stress agent and having an anti-stress effect, which contain as an effective ingredient fermented sour milk prepared by, for example, fermenting animal milk starting material with lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, which can be taken repeatedly and daily without any problems with safety, and which can mitigate and prevent mental and physical symptoms caused by stress.

Abstract: There is provided a fermented milk product that contains lactic acid bacteria capable of producing a large amount of lactotripeptide and a large amount of active ingredient having hypotensive activity and anti-stress effect, and that can be taken pleasantly as foods or beverages. Lactic acid bacteria of Lactobacillus helveticus having specific bacteriological properties, the bacteria, when cultured in a medium of animal milk containing 9 wt % solid of non-fat milk, producing tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro in an amount of 60 &mgr;g in terms of Val-Pro-Pro per ml medium, and the bacteria exhibiting extracellular proteinase activity of not lower than 400 U/OD590. Lactobacillus helveticus CM4 strain (deposited at National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, deposition number FERM BP-6060). A fermented milk product obtained by fermenting an animal milk with these lactic acid bacteria.

Abstract: There is provided a fermented milk product that contains lactic acid bacteria capable of producing a large amount of lactotripeptide and a large amount of active ingredient having hypotensive activity and anti-stress effect, and that can be taken pleasantly as foods or beverages. Lactic acid bacteria of Lactobacillus helveticus having specific bacteriological properties, the bacteria, when cultured in a medium of animal milk containing 9 wt % solid of non-fat milk, producing tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro in an amount of 60 &mgr;g in terms of Val-Pro-Pro per ml medium, and the bacteria exhibiting extracellular proteinase activity of not lower than 400U/OD590. Lactobacillus helveticus CM4 strain (deposited at National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, deposition number FERM BP-6060). A fermented milk product obtained by fermenting an animal milk with these lactic acid bacteria.

Abstract: Granules and tablets for oral administration, containing angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibiting peptides and treated whey with a mixing fluid bed processor, wherein said whey is obtained from lactic acid fermentation liquid. The granules have properties of narrow particle distributions, low moisture absorption, and heavy specific gravity, as well as high free flowing. A process is also provided for producing the granules by the steps of: a) onto seed granules obtained in an earlier operation in a mixing fluid bed processor, spraying purified whey of lactic acid fermentation liquid to form preliminary granules; b) treating the preliminary granules thus obtained to reduce particle size in a size reduction mill; c) returning the treated powder to the mixing fluid bed processor, and, d) spraying additional purified whey onto the returned powder in the mixing fluid bed processor to form granules, while fluidizing the said powder.

Abstract: A method for administering viable microorganism compositions for poultry, comprising: administering a viable microorganism composition comprising viable lactic acid bacteria belonging to Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus johnsonii at the stage of newborn fledgling; and administering a viable microorganism composition which comprises a viable microorganism belonging to Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for reducing stress comprising administering an anti-stress agent winch can be administered repeatedly and daily without any problems with safety, and which can mitigate and prevent mental and physical symptoms cause by stress. The anti-stress gent comprises as an effective ingredient a tripeptide, particularly Ile-Pro-Pro and/or Val-Pro-Pro and/or a salt thereof, having angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activity.

Abstract: A physiologically functional food having brain function-improving, learning ability-enhancing and memory-enhancing functions, which comprises as an active ingredient a lactic acid bacterium fermented milk, a lactic acid bacterium and yeast co-fermented milk, or a treated product thereof, or a mixture thereof, optionally also including a pharmaceutically or nutritionally acceptable carrier or diluent.

Abstract: In a method of purifying whey separated from lactic acid fermentation liquid by electrodialysis wherein said whey contains angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibiting peptides, the improvement which comprises using an anion exchange membrane having a permeability of diffusion coefficient in the range of 3.0 to 9.0×10−6 cm/sec. An anion exchange membrane having a permeability of diffusion coefficient in the range of 5.0 to 7.0×10−6 cm/sec. is more efficiently used. The product is particularly suited to produce granules and tablets.

Abstract: An antihypertensive agent containing an effective amount of dipeptide Tyr-Pro and/or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, the effective amount being from 0.05 to 10 mg/kg body weight/day, and a method for producing the same.