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: 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: Manufacture a powder with high milk-derived complex lipid content that contains milk-derived phospholipids and milk-derived ganglioside at high concentrations, which contains protein by 15 to 35 percent by dry weight and fat by 45 to 60 percent by dry weight, wherein the content of milk-derived complex lipids is 20 percent by dry weight or more, and which can be utilized as a material for functional food, mother's milk substitute or drug, by means of adjusting the pH value of a butter serum or butter serum powder reconstituted liquid to a range of 4.0 to 5.0, adding calcium chloride to promote coagulation of protein, removing the produced sediments, filtering the supernatant by means of ultrafiltration or microfiltration, and then drying the obtained concentrate.

Abstract: A skin beautifier contains sphingomyelin, which is a phospholipid, as an effective ingredient. In addition, skin-beautifying food or feed contains sphingomyelin as an effective ingredient. The present invention provides a skin beautifier and skin-beautifying food or feed supplying effects on beauty, such as skin-moisturizing and protecting effects, skin-roughness-preventing and improving effects, and a wrinkle-preventing effect, by oral ingestion thereof.

Abstract: A skin-beautifying agent, food, beverage, or feed for skin-beautification which has cosmetic effects such as moisturizing and beautifying the skin as well as preventing skin roughness and wrinkles by oral intake. Also described is a skin-beautifying agent containing a milk-derived phospholipid as an effective ingredient, and to provide food, beverage, or feed for skin- beautification containing the skin-beautifying agent. The milk-derived phospholipid is preferably a composition prepared from milk or milk material containing 40 to 70% by weight of lipid in a total solid content and containing 30% or more by weight of milk-derived phospholipid.

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 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: 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: The present disclosure relates to a method of inhibiting a fat accumulation for a fat cell in a subject, which includes administering a fat accumulation inhibitor for a fat cell which includes a milk-derived phospholipid as an active ingredient to the subject. The present disclosure also relates to a method of inhibiting a visceral fat accumulation in a subject, which includes administering the visceral fat accumulation inhibitor which includes a sphingosine-containing phospholipid as an active ingredient to the subject. The present disclosure also relates to a method of accelerating increase and/or inhibiting decrease of an adiponectin concentration in blood, which includes administering an agent which includes a sphingosine-containing phospholipid as an active ingredient to the blood. The present disclosure also relates to a method of inhibiting a fat accumulation for a fat cell in a subject, which includes administering a milk-derived phospholipid to a subject.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a skin whitening agent comprising, as an active ingredient, a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and an LF, a decomposition product of the complex, or a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and a decomposition product of an LF; and a food, beverage, feed or cosmetic comprising the skin whitening agent. The skin whitening agent can be ingested safely on a daily basis, and exhibits an excellent skin whitening effect.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a sense-improving agent which comprises, as an active ingredient, a phospholipid or a sphingosine-containing phospholipid and/or a derivative thereof, particularly a sphingomyelin, and which has an effect of improving the dulling of senses at a periphery when ingested orally or directly applied to the skin; and a sense-improving food, beverage, feed or cosmetic comprising the sense-improving agent. The phospholipid to be used may be a chemically synthesized phospholipid or a naturally occurring phospholipid, preferably a phospholipid derived from an edible material such as soybean and egg yolk, particularly preferably a phospholipid derived from milk.

Abstract: A skin beautifier contains sphingomyelin, which is a phospholipid, as an effective ingredient. In addition, skin-beautifying food or feed contains sphingomyelin as an effective ingredient. The present invention provides a skin beautifier and skin-beautifying food or feed supplying effects on beauty, such as skin-moisturizing and protecting effects, skin-roughness-preventing and improving effects, and a wrinkle-preventing effect, by oral ingestion thereof.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of preparing frozen or lyophilized microbial cells which can inhibit damages or death of microbial cells and have high viabilities in freezing or lyophilizing process. A method of preparing frozen or lyophilized microbial cells having high viabilities, characterized by using a permeate which is obtained by filtering milk or whey with ultra-filtration (UF) membrane, as a protecting agent at the time of freezing or lyophilizing.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel agent for improving the viability of lactic acid bacteria, which has an excellent effect on the improvement of the viability of lactic acid bacteria in the product, has no adverse effect on the flavor of the product and requires less production cost. An agent for improving the viability of lactic acid bacteria characterized by using manganese as an effective ingredient. A manganese-containing material may be used as manganese. Manganese is preferably formulated at 5 ?g/100 g or more in the final product.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a skin whitening agent including, as an active ingredient, a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and an LF, a decomposition product of the complex, or a complex of carbonic acid and/or bicarbonic acid, a metal and a decomposition product of an LF; and a food, beverage, feed or cosmetic including the skin whitening agent. The skin whitening agent can be ingested safely on a daily basis, and exhibits an excellent skin whitening effect.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a skin-beautifying agent, food, beverage, or feed for skin-beautification which has cosmetic effects such as moisturizing and beautifying the skin as well as preventing skin roughness and wrinkles by oral intake. The present invention further aims to provide a skin-beautifying agent containing a milk-derived phospholipid as an effective ingredient, and to provide food, beverage, or feed for skin-beautification containing the skin-beautifying agent. The milk-derived phospholipid is preferably a composition prepared from milk or milk material containing 40 to 70% by weight of lipid in a total solid content and containing 30% or more by weight of milk-derived phospholipid.

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: 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: 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: 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.