Abstract: A method of preventing a decrease in sweetness of thamatin, characterized in that, chitosan or hydrolyzed chitosan is added to thaumatin in an amount which is effective for prevention of a decrease in sweetness of thaumatin.

Abstract: There is disclosed a food additive comprising a water soluble hemicellulose resulting from a degradation of a protein by degrading water insoluble vegetable fibers containing protein under acidic conditions of at about the isoelectric point of the protein and at a temperature of 130.degree. C. or lower, and composed of rhamnose, fucose, arabinose, xylose, galactose, glucose and uronic acid. This food additive is useful as a dispersant, a protein stabilizer, a modifier, and/or a foaming agent for food. Food containing the food additive is also disclosed.

Abstract: A milk mineral concentrate free from any turbidity or precipitation can be obtained by filtering whey, which is a by-product obtained in the production of cheese and the use of which has been extremely limited so far, at a pH value of from 4 to 6 through an ultrafiltration membrane of a cut-off molecular wright of 40,000 or below; concentrating the filtrate until the concentration of lactose reaches approximately 50%; allowing the concentrate to stand; and removing the lactose thus precipitated. The milk mineral concentrate thus produced has a well-balanced composition containing all essential minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium, which enable it to be used as an additive for various foods such as drinks for the purpose of providing nutrition.

Abstract: Process for preparing a layered hydrogel product is provided by separately or simultaneously pouring into a mold of a desired shape an aqueous solution (I) containing at least one gelling agent, and an aqueous solution (II) containing xanthan gum and at least one thickening agent including locust bean gum, tara gum, cassia gum and glucomannan, and cooling the resulting material to give a layered hydrogen product.

Abstract: A process for dissolving a sparingly water-soluble flavonoid in an aqueous medium by use of one or more kinds of quercetin-3-0-glycosides, which is applicable to the case of using the sparingly water-soluble flavonoid as an antifading agent for colored drinks.

Abstract: A salt substitute comprising whey mineral which is produced by reducing lactose and protein from whey, an alkali metal salt, and optionally an alkaline earth metal salt is disclosed. A seasoning which is prepared by combining the salt substitute with one or more subtances selected from sweeteners, protein hydrolyzates, amino acids and nucleic acid-related substances, as well as a foodstuff containing the salt substitute are also disclosed.The salt substitute produced by the method described herein has salty taste comparable to that of the common salt when used in the same way of the common salt, and allows the sodium ion intake to be lowered while keeping the taste of the foodstuff unchanged.

Abstract: A process for preparing vegetable or fruit juices which utilizes mcrofiltration followed by ultrafiltration and/or reverse osmosis, which can be practiced e.g., without entailing a reduction in filtration rate due to the contamination of the membrane, so that ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis unit can be smaller than the one conventionally used and can be cleaned with greater ease.

Abstract: A disposable plastic container for ices comprising a pair of substantially equally shaped films of a thermoplastic synthetic resin laid one upon the other and welded or adhered to each other. They are joined only partly to define therebetween a liquid inlet which is closed after a liquid for forming ices has been introduced therethrough, and a plurality of compartments each capable of holding the liquid therein and allowing it to be frozen at a low temperature. The films define a joined edge portion surrounding all of the compartments and provided with a plurality of notches which enable the films to be torn across the compartments, so that the frozen products which have been formed in the compartments can be removed therefrom.