Abstract: The present invention provides an enzyme which catalyzes a reaction to transfer sugar to a hydroxyl group at position 2? of chalcones and a gene thereof, and preferably an enzyme which catalyzes a reaction to transfer glucose to a hydroxyl group at position 2? of the chalcones. Furthermore, the invention provides a plant whose flower color has been changed using the glycosyltransferase. Using probes corresponding to conservative regions of the glycosyltransferase, some tens of glycosyltransferase genes having nucleotide sequences corresponding to the conservative regions were cloned from flower petal cDNA libraries of carnation and the like. Furthermore, each of the glycosyltransferase genes was expressed in Escherichia coli, activity to transfer glucose to position 2? of the chalcone, i.e., the glycosyltransferase activity at position 2? of chalcone was confirmed in an extract solution of the Escherichia coli, and it was confirmed that cloned genes encoded the glycosyltransferase at position 2?.

Abstract: There are provided polyunsaturated fatty acids-containing oils/fats or triglycerides with high digestion and absorption properties and resistance to oxidative damage, which are suitable for applications in fields such as modified milk for infants, food products and healthy foods and/or supplements, produced by transesterification of polyunsaturated fatty acids-containing oils/fats or triglycerides with vegetable oils/fats or triglycerides using 1,3-position specific type lipases.

Abstract: A beverage filling method wherein a liquid is delivered from a storage tank into a filler tank of a filler, and the liquid is filled into containers by the filler. The method is characterized in that the liquid in the filler tank is returned through return piping attached to the filler tank and refluxed to the storage tank through a reflux path. According to this method, an excess of liquid in the filler can be circulated throughout the entire line.

Abstract: The present invention provides a safe and highly effective antibacterial composition without impairing the flavor of foods or drinks, which composition is used in products such as foods and oral care goods which are mainly to be taken into human or animal bodies or mainly to be used in the oral cavity. The composition according to the present invention contains gallocatechin gallate as an agent for enhancing the activity of antibacterial catechins in which the antibacterial activity of the antibacterial catechins against Streptococcus mutans is particularly enhanced. The composition according to the present invention can be produced by mixing the antibacterial catechins with gallocatechin gallate.

Abstract: A copyright information management system supporting the management and protection of products comprised of digitalized multimedia content in a product distribution environment. The copyright information management system (10) provides a copyright information management center (11), provided in a product distribution environment (15) where products are distributed through communications lines (14) between a product provider (12) including at least one of a copyright owner and distributor and a product user (13) receiving the product, for exchanging information relating to the products through the communications lines (14). The copyright information management center (11) centrally manages all copyright information through the communications lines (14) by preregistering copyright information relating to the individual products in the center (11).

Abstract: A novel technique is provided for drying a yeast for brewing and a method of producing alcoholic beverages by using the yeast. It is intended to provide a method of producing a dry yeast which has the optimum fermentability when directly used in fermentation and gives an appropriate flavor without needing prepropagation, and a method of producing alcoholic beverages by using the yeast. A method comprising incorporating a stabilizer such as trehalose into a yeast which has been recovered from the fermentation step, and, if desired, further incorporating glycerol into the yeast to thereby lower the water activity in the cells, and then dehydrating/drying the yeast while sustaining a high viable cell ratio and favorable fermentability; and alcoholic beverages produced by using the yeast.

Abstract: There is provided an oral composition capable of strimulating intracellular biosynthesis of glutathione in order to maintain in-vivo (i.e., in tissues and cells) glutathione level at a high level, by adding an active ingredient other than an amino acid precursor from a viewpoint of increasing intracellular glutathione synthesis, as a method which is an alternative or can be combined with a method of supplying an amino acid precursor to be used in glutathione biosynthesis. The oral composition is used for maintaining or increasing intracellular glutathione level and contains at least one rubrofusarin glycoside in an amount that is effective for increasing the intracellular glutathione.

Abstract: A composition and food or beverage containing arachidonic acid or a compound having arachidonic acid as a component fatty acid and having an action preventing or alleviating symptoms or diseases due to aging of the blood vessels.

Abstract: A composition having a normalizing action for infradian rhythm and/or a synchronization promoting action for circadian rhythm (biological clock) containing arachidonic acid and/or an arachidonic acid-containing compound.

Abstract: A liquid composition according to the present invention contains, as sorption components, a hydrocarbon component, an ester component, an aldehyde component, an alcohol component, and a phenol component. These sorption components contain at least one compound having an evaporation energy-based solubility parameter of not less than 26.3. When this liquid composition is used to evaluate the sorption behavior of flavor compounds, it is possible to evaluate the sorption behavior of the flavor compounds, even in a packaging container using a high-polarity material such as PET, with a higher degree of reliability.

Abstract: A composition having autonomic nerve function regulating action, comprising sesamin and/or episesamin as an active ingredient, is provided.

Abstract: Arachidonic acid and/or compounds containing arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid are used to obtain compounds which prevent decline of, improve or enhance normal responses of cognitive abilities of a healthy person, and which are highly suitable for pharmaceuticals as well as food products, with minimal side effects.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for analyzing gene of an industrial yeast. The method of the present invention comprises (a) determining the whole genome sequence of the industrial yeast; and (c-1) selecting a gene of the industrial yeast encoding an amino acid sequence having 70 to 97% identity to an amino acid sequence encoded by the gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or (c-2) selecting a gene of the industrial yeast consisting of a nucleotide sequence having 60 to 94% identity to the nucleotide sequence of the gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: The present invention provides a circadian rhythm normalizing composition containing astaxanthin and/or its ester as an active ingredient, and a composition having the action of enhancing the circadian rhythm normalizing action of melatonin by protecting melatonin. The composition can be in the form of a drug, a functional food, a food or a beverage. This composition has a circadian rhythm normalizing action, and has the action of preventing or alleviating sleep disorder and various diseases due to disturbance of the circadian rhythm.

Abstract: There is provided an aminophenoxyacetic acid derivative of the following formula (I): wherein, R1, R2, R3 and R4 are, independent from each other, alkoxy group, alkyl group or aryl group, etc.; E1 and E2 are oxygen atom, sulfur atom, etc.; n is 0 to 5; X and Y are alkylene group, cycloalkylen group, or alkenylen group; Q is pheny group which may be substituted or benzoyl group, etc, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. These compounds have neuroprotective effects by inducing calbindin D28Kd, one of Ca2+-binding proteins.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and an apparatus for imaging a liquid-filling container in which a light emitting unit is provided for emitting and irradiating light onto the container and a light receiving unit is provided for receiving the light transmitted through the container. The object of the present invention is to provide such a method and an apparatus for imaging a liquid-filling container. This method and apparatus assures reliable detection of the surface of liquid filled in a container or of foreign substance mixed in the liquid or present in the container or the container material not only when the container is transparent, but also when the container is a colored container of a dark color such as black, dark green or dark brown or the container has a frosted surface of when the liquid filled in the container has a dark color.

Abstract: The present invention provides a protein having aurone synthase activity involved in the color of flowers such as snapdragons, a gene that encodes it, cDNA in particular, and its applications. This gene can give yellow color to the flowers of plants by introducing into plants deficient in chalcone isomerase and so forth and expressing.

Abstract: A seawater mineral component-containing composition is produced which contains mineral components having a good effect on health, such as magnesium and calcium, has a decreased content of sodium, and thus can be used widely for foods. When processed, the seawater mineral component-containing composition provides foods and beverages useful for preventing cardiovascular diseases and lifestyle-related diseases. The seawater mineral component-containing composition is obtained by subjecting seawater to electrodialysis, and has a sodium concentration of 6 mg/L or less when adjusted to form an aqueous solution having a hardness of 100 (EDTA method).

Abstract: A micro array instrument is used in which an oligonucleotide based on a species- or genus-specific nucleotide sequence of subject bacteria is immobilized on a surface of a substrate. By confirming whether the oligonucleotide immobilized on the substrate has hybridized with a probe prepared from a test sample, bacteria contained in the test sample can be detected and identified easily, quickly, and accurately.

Abstract: A process for producing lipids containing arachidonic acid comprising culturing a microorganism in which ?3 desaturase activity has been decreased or is lacking at a temperature lower than the optimum growth temperature from the start of culturing or after culturing at the optimum growth temperature, said microorganism being obtained by the mutation treatment of a microorganism capable of producing arachidonic acid and belonging to the genus Mortierella and the like; and then recovering lipids containing arachidonic acid from the culture.