Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing aromatic compounds or polymers thereof from a plant material in a short period of time and by a simple procedure. Concretely, the process treats the plant material with supercritical water or subcritical water to liberate aromatic compounds, which are contained in the plant material, and/or aromatic compounds, which have been generated upon decomposition of components of the plant material, to the outside of the plant material, and isolates the liberated aromatic compounds to produce aromatic compounds or polymers thereof.

Abstract: There is provided a process for enhancing the activity of a phenol oxidizing enzyme, comprising adding to the enzyme, as an enhancer for the activity of the enzyme, one or more compounds having the formula: wherein: A is an optionally substituted electron-withdrawing group, chosen from the group consisting of nitrile, carboxyl, and esters and salts thereof, amides, aldehydes, ketones, sulfoxides, sulfones, or sulphonates, and B is an optionally substituted electron-donating group, chosen from the group consisting of the oxide anion, sulfide anion, oxides, amines, imines, hydroxides, sulfides, ethers, carboxylic acids, and halogen substituents, and R1-R5 may each independently represent hydrogen, hydroxy, halogen, nitroso, formyl, carboxyl, and esters and salts thereof, carbamoyl, sulfo, and esters and salts hereof, sulfamoyl, nitro, amino, phenyl, C1-C20 alkyl, C1-C8 alkoxy, carbonyl-C1-C6-alkoxy, aryl-C1-C6-alkyl, and R2 and R5 together may form an alkylene group or an alkenylene group.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a new microorganism Streptomyces exfoliatus YJ-118 and a method for producing pravastatin sodium by using this microorganism which shows a strong tolerance to ML-236B and a high hydroxylation activity of ML-236B to pravastatin.

Abstract: A yeast strain capable of converting glucose to erythritol, said strain having the following identifying characteristics: an absence of motile spores; septate mycelia; asexual reproduction; an absence of reniform cells; conidia optionally formed on short denticles but not on elongate stalks; an absence of ballistoconidia; non-monopolar budding on a broad base; acropetal chains of blastoconidia; dark brown, thick-walled chlamydospores; an ability to assimilate sucrose, glycerol and maltose; an inability to assimilate lactose; an inability to ferment galactose; an ability to grow in a vitamin-free medium; and an ability to grow at 25° C. to 36° C.

Abstract: The invention discloses a two-step process for recovery of thuringiensin, comprising adsorbing the thuringiensin from fermentation broth by calcium silicate, and dissociating the thuringiensin by dibasic sodium phosphate. The resulting thuringiensin can be further purified by using semi-preparative HPLC and electrodialysis to remove the excess salts from the recovered thuringiensin solution.

Abstract: A proanthocyanidin and an isoflavone are incorporated into a food. Compounding of grape seed extract as a proanthocyanidin and soy sauce cake extract as an isoflavone gives an anti-arteriosclerotic composition that is effective at a small intake.