Abstract: Provided is an anti-aging agent for skin which contains, as an active component, an inositol derivative in which a monosaccharide or an oligosaccharide is bonded to inositol, in which a total amount of the monosaccharide or the oligosaccharide bonded to one inositol molecule is 2 or greater in terms of monosaccharide unit.

Abstract: Provided is an anti-aging agent for skin which contains, as an active component, an inositol derivative in which a monosaccharide or an oligosaccharide is bonded to inositol, in which a total amount of the monosaccharide or the oligosaccharide bonded to one inositol molecule is 2 or greater in terms of monosaccharide unit.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to obtain a protein monomer useful as a raw material for medicines industrially and economically in high yield and high purity. In the method for purifying a protein of the present invention, a protein solution containing a protein monomer and a protein aggregate is passed through a column holding a porous rigid polymeric self-supporting structure to which a hydrophobic group is immobilized, and then recovering the protein monomer in a flow-through mode.

Abstract: Provided is a method of removing a protein aggregate which can obtain a useful protein monomer in a high yield and a high purity as a raw material of a pharmaceutical product or the like. The method of removing a protein aggregate includes: a step of making the monomer of a protein and the aggregate of proteins adsorb to the column by making a solution containing a monomer of a protein and an aggregate of proteins pass through a column containing a hard porous polymer self-supporting structure to which a strong cation exchange group is fixed; and a step of making a mobile phase consisting of a mixed solution of a buffer solution and an ionic buffer solution pass through the column to which the monomer of a protein and the aggregate of proteins are adsorbed, to selectively elute the monomer of a protein.

Abstract: Provided is a method of culturing green algae which promotes the growth of the green algae which is in a state of being a green swarm cell by irradiating the green algae that accumulate astaxanthin with an artificial light. The green algae are grown in a liquid medium while maintaining a state in which the color of a culture solution of the green algae is green or brown by intermittently radiating a red illumination light while continuously radiating a blue illumination light.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing 1,4-butanediol through acetyl-CoA, acetoacetyl-CoA, 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, crotonyl-CoA, and 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA by using a microbe and/or a culture thereof, wherein the microbe in the manufacturing method for 1,4-butanediol includes any one of genes among (a) a gene that has a base sequence of sequence number 1, (b) a gene that has a base sequence such that one or more bases are deleted, substituted, or added in a base sequence of sequence number 1, wherein the gene has a base sequence with an identity greater than or equal to 90% with respect to the base sequence of sequence number 1, and (c) a gene that hybridizes with a gene that has a base sequence complementary with a gene that has a base sequence described in sequence number 1 on a stringent condition, and includes any one or more genes among (d) genes that have base sequences of sequence numbers 2 to 9, (e) genes that have base sequences such that one or more bases are deleted, substituted, or added in base sequences of seque

Abstract: Provided is a method of culturing green algae which promotes the growth of the green algae which is in a state of being a green swarm cell by irradiating the green algae that accumulate astaxanthin with an artificial light. The green algae are grown in a liquid medium while maintaining a state in which the color of a culture solution of the green algae is green or brown by alternately and continuously radiating a red illumination light and a blue illumination light.

Abstract: Provided is a method of culturing green algae which promotes the growth of the green algae which is in a state of being a green swarm cell by irradiating the green algae that accumulate astaxanthin with an artificial light. The green algae are grown in a liquid medium while maintaining a state in which the color of a culture solution of the green algae is green or brown by intermittently radiating a blue illumination light while continuously radiating a red illumination light.

Abstract: A screw extruder for industrially mass-producing a cellulose-containing composition having a high saccharification performance by continuously conducting pretreatment of cellulose-containing biomass to pretreatment, which screw extruder is characterized as including a raw-material feed portion, a pulverization section, a heating section and a cooling section, and having a plurality of seal rings arranged in the heating section.

Abstract: A treatment method for biomass, which is a pretreatment method including continuously performing hydrothermal treatment using a screw extruder to produce a biomass composition for saccharification from cellulose-containing biomass and containing only a small quantity of furfural, the treatment method sequentially including: pulverizing the cellulose-containing biomass so as to have a maximum grain size of 1,000 ?m or less and adjusting a water content ratio thereof to from 30% to 80%; performing hydrothermal treatment in which an element including a seal ring and at least one set of a kneading disc and/or a left-hand screw is arranged immediately upstream of the seal ring, at a temperature of (1) from 150° C. to 200° C. or (2) from 200° C. to 215° C. for 0.1 minute to 15 minutes while performing kneading pulverization having a grinding effect; and cooling a treated product to 100° C. or less to recover the treated product.

Abstract: A treatment method for biomass which is a pretreatment method including continuously performing hydrothermal treatment using a screw extruder to produce a biomass composition for saccharification from cellulose-containing biomass serving as a raw material with a small amount of electricity. The treatment method sequentially includes: pulverizing, in a pulverization section of the screw extruder, the cellulose-containing biomass so as to have a maximum grain size of 1,000 ?m or less and adjusting a water content ratio thereof to from 30% to 80%; performing, in a heating section of the screw extruder, hydrothermal treatment at a temperature of from 205° C. to 250° C. for 0.1 minute to 10 minutes while performing kneading pulverization having a grinding effect; and cooling, in a cooling section of the screw extruder downstream of the heating section, a treated product to 100° C. or less to recover the treated product.

Abstract: A method for assaying cellulase activity, including: a process (A) of preparing two or more substrate solutions, which have an identical absorbance measured at an identical wavelength and in which cellulose is dispersed at an identical concentration, and measuring the absorbance of each of the substrate solutions; a process (B) of respectively adding different kinds of enzyme solutions to the substrate solutions, and performing an enzyme reaction under the same conditions; a process (C) of measuring the absorbance of each of the substrate solutions after the enzyme reaction; a process (D) of calculating the absorbance decrease values of the substrate solutions before and after the enzyme reaction; and a process (E) of assaying cellulase activities of the enzyme solutions based on the absorbance decrease values. In the assay of the process (E), it is determined that the enzyme solutions have higher cellulase activity as the absorbance decrease values become larger.

Abstract: A treatment method for biomass, which is a pretreatment method including continuously performing hydrothermal treatment using a screw extruder to produce a biomass composition for saccharification from cellulose-containing biomass serving as a raw material, the treatment method sequentially including: pulverizing the cellulose-containing biomass serving as a raw material so as to have a maximum grain size of 1,000 ?m or less and adjusting a water content ratio thereof to from 20% to 80%; performing, in a heating section of the screw extruder, hydrothermal treatment at a temperature of from 150° C. to 250° C. for 0.1 minute to 10 minutes while performing kneading pulverization having a grinding effect; and cooling, in a cooling section of the screw extruder downstream of the heating section, a treated product to 100° C. or less to recover the treated product of the cellulose-containing biomass having an average grain size of 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: A pretreatment method for producing sugar from a cellulose-containing biomass, which includes subjecting the cellulose-containing biomass to hydrothermal treatment while fluidizing the cellulose-containing biomass; a production method of a biomass composition for saccharification use, including the pretreatment method; and a method for producing sugar, which includes hydrolyzing the biomass composition for saccharification use obtained by the above-mentioned production method.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing 1,4-butanediol through acetyl-CoA, acetoacetyl-CoA, 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, crotonyl-CoA, and 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA by using a microbe and/or a culture thereof, wherein the microbe in the manufacturing method for 1,4-butanediol includes any one of genes among (a) a gene that has a base sequence of sequence number 1, (b) a gene that has a base sequence such that one or more bases are deleted, substituted, or added in a base sequence of sequence number 1, wherein the gene has a base sequence with an identity greater than or equal to 90% with respect to the base sequence of sequence number 1, and (c) a gene that hybridizes with a gene that has a base sequence complementary with a gene that has a base sequence described in sequence number 1 on a stringent condition, and includes any one or more genes among (d) genes that have base sequences of sequence numbers 2 to 9, (e) genes that have base sequences such that one or more bases are deleted, substituted, or added in base sequences of seque

Abstract: A method of manufacturing 1,4-butanediol, using a microbe and/or a culture thereof, by an enzyme reaction system that uses acyl-CoA reductase, via 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, crotonyl-CoA and 4-hydroxybutyryl CoA in this order, wherein the reactivity of the acyl-CoA reductase to 4-hydroxybutyryl CoA is greater than or equal to 0.05 times of the reactivity of the acyl-CoA reductase to 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA.

Abstract: A method for hydrolyzing a plant biomass, which includes hydrothermal treatment in the presence of an equivalent concentration of an acid equal to 30 to 1,000% of the equivalent concentration of cations in a plant-biomass hydrolysis reaction solution; and a method for producing glucose using the above method for hydrolyzing a plant biomass. The hydrothermal treatment is preferably conducted by using a solid catalyst comprising a carbon material and using inorganic acid as acid. The method eliminates reaction-inhibiting factors to thereby obtain a high glucose yield.

Abstract: A method for hydrolyzing a plant biomass, which includes a first process of heating a mixture containing a plant biomass, a solid catalyst, acid and water, and a second process for heating the mixture containing a solid containing a plant biomass and a catalyst separated from the reaction solution after the first process, acid and water, wherein the highest heating temperature in the second process is higher than that in the first process; and a method for producing glucose and xylose using the above-mentioned hydrolyzing method. In the method, both of glucose and xylose can be obtained efficiently from an actual biomass.

Abstract: A method for hydrolyzing a plant biomass, including hydrothermal treatment in which an equivalent concentration of an acid equal to the total of 30 to 1,000% of the equivalent concentration of cations and equivalent concentration of hydroxide ions in a plant-biomass hydrolysis reaction solution is added to the reaction solution; and a method for producing glucose using the above method for hydrolyzing a plant biomass. The hydrothermal treatment is desirably conducted using a solid catalyst including a carbon material and an inorganic acid. The method can eliminate reaction-inhibiting factors due to cations existing in the reaction system to thereby attain a high glucose yield.

Abstract: A pretreatment method (1) for improving saccharification performance of a cellulose-containing biomass as a saccharification starting material, which includes: step 1 of pulverizing cellulose-containing biomass; step 2 of subjecting the pulverized cellulose-containing biomass to hydrothermal treatment; and step 3 of finely pulverizing the cellulose-containing biomass subjected to the hydrothermal treatment. The fine pulverization in step 3 is performed by using a refiner or disc mill provided with a plate or disc without a flow passage leading from a center toward a circumferential direction. Also disclosed is (2) a method for producing a biomass composition for saccharification, which includes conducting the pretreatment method; and (3) a method for producing a sugar, which includes hydrolyzing a biomass composition for saccharification obtained by the production method.