Abstract: This invention provides a novel material having a vasodilator action thereby suppressing or ameliorating various human diseases and disorders.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide marine algae powder for food and drink or granulated substance thereof, wherein abundant nutritional ingredients and health functional ingredients of Porphyra marine algae and Undaria marine algae are preserved as they are, while the odor contained in the marine algae is effectively abated or reduced, or to provide a powdered drink or food containing the marine algae powder wherein the marine algae powder for food and drink or the granulated substance thereof is used. The present invention comprises making a marine algae powder for food or drink and granulated substance thereof where nutritional ingredients and health functional ingredients of Porphyra marine algae and Undaria marine algae are preserved as they are, while the smell of the sea of the marine algae is abated, by powdering Porphyra marine algae and/or Undaria marine algae, and mixing powdered tea leaf into the marine algae powder.

Abstract: Porphyran with modified bioactivity and physical property, method of making the modified Porphyran and use of modified Porphyran. Porphyran with modified bioactivity and physical property is produced by dissociating a salt from a sulphate group in Poryphran and removing it, making Porphyran having a free sulphate group wherein a salt is dissociated. Further, Porphyran with modified bioactivity and physical property is produced by dissociating a salt from sulphate group in Porphyran and removing it, and then altering the sulphate group, with the use of a given salt, into a sulphate salt of the given salt. The modified Porphyran also can be obtained by converting a salt of a sulphate group in Porphyran into a sulphate salt of a given salt by ion exchange. The modified Porphyran be added to cosmetics, food, and drink, and used as cosmetic, food and drink having inhibitory activity against hyaluronidase activity.

Abstract: This invention provides a novel material having a vasodilator action thereby suppressing or ameliorating various human diseases and disorders.

Abstract: This invention provides a novel health food which is effective in prevention and treatment of life-style related diseases in organs in the circulatory system, such as hypertension, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction etc. by improving blood fluidity. Phospholipid components or mineral components are collected from seaweeds of the genus Porphyra and/or seaweeds of the genus Undaria and then formed into a health food improving blood fluidity. This health food has an improving action on blood fluidity, and is thus effective in prevention and treatment of life-style related diseases in organs in the circulatory system, such as hypertension, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction etc.

Abstract: The invention provides cosmetics obtained from naturally occurring algae as the starting material and exhibiting protective and cosmetic effects on the skin and hair. Algal proteins or their hydrolysates peptides, or derivatives thereof such as esters are contained in usual skin cosmetics, hair cosmetics, bath agents etc. The algae are preferably algae of the genus Porphyra, wakame seaweed, Chlorella or Spirulina, and preferably the proteins are extracted with a solvent directly after destroying cell walls of the algae by milling etc. The algal peptides can be obtained by treatment of the algae themselves or by enzyme decomposition, acid or alkali hydrolysis of the proteins or heating extraction under pressure.

Abstract: This invention provides a composition capable of efficiently exhibiting various kinds of physiological activities possessed potentially by seaweeds of the genus Porphyra. The laver protein-containing composition is obtained by adding water, a saline solution or an aqueous dilute alkali solution to seaweeds of the genus Porphyra or finely divided dry particles thereof, wet milling the materials to extract soluble components therefrom, and separating proteins form the extract. A composition containing different kinds of laver proteins may be obtained by separately conducting extraction with water, a saline solution or an aqueous dilute alkali solution, or a composition containing a mixture of laver proteins may be obtained by conducting such extraction procedures successively.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparation of a powder with no unpleasant odor at a higher &bgr;-glucans content and a larger bulk density but with a smaller bacterial number, from the fruit body of Maitake or Yamabushitake, comprising immersing the fruit body of Maitake or Yamabushitake in a heated aqueous acid solution followed by drying and grinding. The aqueous acid solution includes aqueous solutions of inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid and edible organic acids such as acetic acid, citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and succinic acid. Acetic acid or citric acid is preferable in terms of cost and effect.

Abstract: The present invention provides materials from laver (a seaweed) as the starting material, which are useful in the field of pharmaceutical preparation, the field of health food, etc. The present invention relates to enzyme-decomposed materials from laver comprising a peptide mixture having an antihypertensive action obtained by decomposing laver with pepsin, wherein laver is boiled as a starting material for 1 hour or more and then the broth is removed whereby their antihypertensive action is further raised while their bitter taste, smell, viscosity etc. are eliminated. Accordingly, these enzyme-decomposed materials are made further useful as an antihypertensive agent and also suitable when added to food for use as health food. Further, these materials after decomposed with pepsin are further decomposed with an enzyme having a peptidase activity thereby improving tastes and providing more suitable food additives.

Abstract: A hepatic disturbance improver which reduces fat in hepatocytes which includes an oligosaccharide of formula (1), (2) or (3), obtainable by hydrolyzing porphyran contained in seaweed of the genus Porphyra. The hepatic disturbance improver is advantageous, in that it reduces fat in hepatocytes without causing side effects.