Abstract: A skin-whitening agent offering an excellent whitening effect and being effective in preventing and treating age spots, freckles, etc., where such skin-whitening agent contains as its effective ingredient a whey protein hydrolyzate characterized by a molecular weight distribution of 10 kDa or less, main peak of 200 Da to 3 kDa, APL (average peptide-chain length) of 2 to 8, free amino acid content of 20% or less, and antigenicity of one-ten thousandth of ?-lactoglobulin or less, as well as a cosmetic, drink or food, feed, pharmaceutical preparation or other skin-whitening product containing such skin-whitening agent.

Abstract: Disclosed is an anti-fatty liver agent comprising a cell and/or a culture obtained by culturing a lactic acid bacterium belonging to Latobacillus gasserti as an active ingredient. Also disclosed is a pharmaceutical agent having an anti-fatty liver activity or an anti-fatty liver beverage/food comprising a cell and/or a culture obtained by culturing a lactic acid bacterium belonging to Latobacillus gasserti as an active ingredient.

Abstract: The production of RANKL may be inhibited by orally ingesting a milk-derived basic protein. Thus, a RANKL production inhibitor containing a milk-derived basic protein fraction as an active ingredient; a therapeutic agent for a metabolic bone disease and a therapeutic agent for an immune disease each containing the RANKL production inhibitor; and a food/beverage and a feed each containing a specified amount of the RANKL production inhibitor and being characterized by inhibiting the production of RANKL have a remarkable effect of inhibiting the production of RANKL, can be ingested on a daily basis, and exhibit high safety even when being ingested over a long period.

Abstract: The present invention provides fresh cheese that is significantly reduced in deterioration of taste or flavor and deterioration of texture and has excellent keeping quality, and a process for producing the same. The fresh cheese of the present invention has a whey protein content of 15 mg or lower per g of solid matter and an acetic acid content of 25 to 500 mg per 100 g of the cheese. The fresh cheese is produced by a process characterized by comprising steps of concentrating skim milk by a microfiltration membrane and adjusting the concentrated milk obtained by microfiltration to pH 4.8 to 5.8 by the addition of acetic acid, followed by heating and kneading.

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: It is intended to provide an oral flora-improving agent capable of forming a favorable flora in the oral cavity and a food or a drink for improving the oral flora. An oral flora-improving agent containing as an active ingredient a ganglioside and a food, a drink, or a feed for improving the oral flora containing the ganglioside exhibit an antibacterial effect on harmful bacteria in the oral cavity, which are undesirable from the viewpoint of decay and diseases such as periodontal disease, and a growth-improving effect on useful bacteria to be preserved in the oral cavity. Further, the ganglioside is efficaciously used as an active ingredient in an antibacterial agent or an antibacterial drink, food, or feed, a growth promoter, or a food, a drink, or a feed for promoting growth.

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: It is intended to provide a skin collagen production promoter, foods and drinks for promoting skin collagen production and cosmetics for promoting skin collagen production which are useful in preventing skin chapping, wrinkles, worsening in skin fitness, etc. Namely, a skin collagen production promoter, foods and drinks for promoting skin collagen production and cosmetics for promoting skin collagen production which contain as the active ingredient(s) a milk-origin basic protein fraction and/or a basic peptide fraction obtained by digesting the above-described basic protein fraction with a protein digesting enzyme such as pepsin or pancreatin. The above basic protein fraction and basic peptide fraction have an effect of increasing skin collagen level.

Abstract: Provide a visceral fat reducing agent for reducing the diseases and conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome which represents a condition where various risk factors such as those for hypertension, hyperlipemia, glucose tolerance dysfunction, etc., have accumulated, or simply reducing an accumulation of visceral fat, wherein the effective ingredient of said visceral fat reducing agent includes fungus bodies of lactic bacteria, especially lactic bacteria belonging to the Lactobacillus sp. and Lactococcus sp. and/or cultures thereof, while also providing a beverage, food or feed containing said visceral fat reducing agent.

Abstract: Disclosed is an agent for accelerating the increase in and/or preventing the decrease in the blood adiponectin level, or a food, beverage or animal feed for accelerating the increase in and/or preventing the decrease in the blood adiponectin level, which comprises a culture or cell of a lactic acid bacterium belonging to the genus Lactobacillus, particularly Lactobacillus gasseri or Lactobacillus helveticus as an active ingredient. Also disclosed is a visceral fat accumulation inhibitor or a food or beverage for inhibiting the accumulation of a visceral fat, which comprises a culture or cell of Lactobacillus helveticus as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A dead cell of a lactic acid bacterium or a culture containing the dead cell of a lactic acid bacterium is added to the dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, milk beverage or the like in an amount of 0.001 wt % or more in dry weight of the dead cell, therefore, it is possible to enhance the growth of a lactic acid bacterium, to shorten the time required for fermentation, and to improve the viability of a lactic acid bacterium during storage over a long period, without affecting the flavor or production cost of the dairy product.

Abstract: Provide process cheese having an appropriate level of viscosity required in the manufacturing process when cheese is heated and melted, while also maintaining good physical properties, flavor, texture, meltability in mouth and storage stability of cheese product after cooling, through blending of starting cheese material that has been heated to a high temperature of 110° C. or above by 1 to 50 percent by weight relative to process cheese starting materials.

Abstract: Provided are an agent for maintaining hardness of tooth substances and a food or drink for maintaining the hardness of tooth substances, both of which include lactoferrin and iron-lactoferrin as an active ingredient. Lactoferrin and iron-lactoferrin suppress decalcification of enamel by use or ingestion thereof, and hence is effective for the prevention of dental caries.

Abstract: There are provided an iron composition including a milk protein and an iron preparation, which is stable in the presence of a substance having a property of releasing iron from the composition or reducing the released iron, and foods or drinks, animal feeds, and medicines blended with the iron composition. A milk protein such as skim milk is blended into an iron preparation, thereby producing the iron composition which is stable in the presence of a substance having a property of releasing iron from the composition or reducing the released iron (e.g., vitamin C or citric acid).

Abstract: Provided is a nutrient composition for promoting collagen production, which contains vitamin C, an iron preparation, and collagen as active ingredients, promotes collagen production in a living body such as skin or bone, prevents or treats skin aging or bone and joint diseases, and is an iron preparation-containing composition having stability imparted thereto. Also provided are a food or beverage, a feed, and a medicine each containing the nutrient composition incorporated therein.

Abstract: Provided is a novel agent for promoting osteogenesis and/or inhibiting bone resorption, which: can be directly taken from daily meals by mouth for long periods without any trouble in taste; directly impart a promoting effect on osteogenesis and an inhibiting effect on bone resorption to the bone; and can be expected to have therapeutic effects for preventing or ameliorating/treating various bone diseases. The above agent includes, as an active ingredient, any one or more of ?2-microglobulin, histone, complement component 3, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, lysozyme, ribonuclease, prothrombin, cytochrome P-450, plasminogen, transferrin, thrombin, plasmin, complement component 4, and ? defensin, and enzymatic digestion products thereof. Those substances have a remarkable inhibiting effect on bone resorption by osteoclasts and/or a promoting effect on osteogenesis via promotion of the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts.

Abstract: A multilayer structure produced by piling a plurality of laminated cheese foods. Each of the plurality of laminated cheese foods of the multilayer structure has at least three layers. The food with at least three layers includes two external layers of platy food material containing cheese which have inherent releasability from external layers of adjoining ones of the plurality of laminated cheese foods when piled into a multiplayer structure. An intermediate layer of platy food material, which may be formed of a plurality of intermediate layers of platy food material inherently bond together, is disposed between two external layers of each cheese food, the intermediate layer being inherently bonded to the two external layers of each cheese food.

Abstract: Fluid food materials which solidify when cooled are quantitatively supplied successively at a certain thickness in a plate form on cooling and carrying sides; of two cooling and carrying devices, cooled while being carried to form two monolayer platy food materials, and the two platy food materials are bonded and united making use of the surface not yet completely cooled and solidified of the monolayer platy food materials, and thereby producing a layered laminated cheese food and the like consisting of two layers.

Abstract: After yeast somatic components are digested with nuclease or hydrolyzed with alkali, polyamine is recovered to obtain a polyamine composition in volume efficiently at a high recovery rate from yeast somatic components.

Abstract: A milk-derived basic protein fraction and a basic peptide fraction are provided for use as an effective component for agents for improving lipid metabolism and reducing high blood pressure which can be administered orally, are effective with a relatively small dosage, have good taste and are stable during storage.