Abstract: Lactoferrin tablets comprising as the active ingredients lactoferrin and lactulose and having a horizontal hardness of at least 4 kg and a vertical hardness of at least 3 kg; and lactoferrin tablets comprising as the active ingredients a microbial cell powder of at least one microorganism selected from among lactic acid bacteria, lactoferrin and lactulose and having a horizontal hardness of at least 4 kg and a vertical hardness of at least 3 kg. These tablets can be produced by using the conventional tableting apparatuses and yet have high hardness. Thus, they do not adhere to the inner wall of the oral cavity and have a favorable taste. Since no excessive tableting pressure is needed in the production process, moreover, these tablets can contain much viable cells of lactic acid bacteria, though they are in the form of rigid tablet.

Abstract: Fine granular feeds for fry of fishes and shellfishes capable of remarkably elevating the survival rate of fry, improving the cultivation efficiency, and causing little elution of nitrogen sources therefrom into seawater or water in feeding, which are characterized by containing at least three active components, i.e., (a) a long-chain unsaturated fatty acid calcium salt blend comprising 80% by weight or more of long-chain unsaturated fatty acid calcium salt(s) having at least 18 carbon atoms, (b) 20% by weight or less of a browned matter formed by heating molasses or saccharides, a browned matter formed by heating saccharides with amino acids or a mixture thereof at an arbitrary ratio, and (c) a mixture of peptides obtained by hydrolyzing animal protein, and being in the form of fine grains.

Abstract: An ice cream having a property of excellent meltdown in the mouth, a fat content of 5 to 18% by weight and an overrun of 10 to 150% by weight, containing air cells of 60 .mu.m or more in diameter at a ratio of at least 80% of the total air cells, is disclosed. Further, a process for producing an ice cream having a property of excellent softness even at a freezing temperature, which comprises incorporating air into an ice cream mix in a first cylinder of the cylinders of two linked continuous freezers to give an overrun, transferring the mix to a second cylinder at a specific temperature, and then mixing and kneading the mix in the second cylinder without giving any additional overrun. In the process for production, an apparatus characterized by having a pipeline linking an apparatus for supplying the rest of an ice cream mix to a pipeline linking the first cylinder and the second cylinder of the cylinders of 2 linked continuous freezers is used.

Abstract: A grandular product is prepared by fluidizing core material such as saccharide in a granulating chamber, spraying melted binding material such as fat to the fluidized core material and concurrently feeding dried viable microorganism cells such as bifidobacterium towards the fluidized core material to form a granular product having stratified structure by adhering microorganism cells on the periphery of the core material. Since the product is prevented from permeation of atmospheric oxygen and environmental moisture, the cell survival rate of the product is higher than that of the conventional product during prolonged storage periods.

Abstract: This invention relates to instant creaming powder enriched with flavor and/or color which contains at least 0.2% by weight of fine particles prepared by locking a small amount of flavor in a mixture of a saccharide dehydrate and a saccharide, or coloring the mixture, or subjecting the mixture to both of these treatments, to obtain suitable solubility, creaminess and whitening effect equal to those of the conventional instant creaming powder in spite of incorporating thereinto the fine particles for enrichment with flavor, and has a novel appearance in which fine particles having crystalline brilliance are uniformly dispersed in the instant creaming powder.

Abstract: This invention relates to a new microorganism belonging to Streptococcus thermophilus having an oxygen uptake ability of at least 30 nano moles per milligram of dried cell of said microorganism per minute which is defined by the quantity of oxygen consumption as determined by Warburg's manometric method, and to a microbial composition which comprises as main ingredients viable cell mass of (a) said microorganism and (b) bifidobacteria.

Abstract: A culture containing a viable mass of Bifodobacteria and lactic acid bacteria is obtained by incubating separately or together microorganisms of the genus Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and the species Streptococcus thermophilus in a medium containing milk as the main ingredient. The Streptococcus thermophilus is a strain having high oxygen uptake. When incubated separately, the microorganisms are mixed together after incubating. In the presence of the high oxygen uptake Streptococcus thermophilus, a high survival fraction of the Bifidobacteria is obtained when the culture is stored under aerobic conditions. The culture is useful in preparing food, medicine or feed.

Abstract: Latex reagents for quantitative assay of a variety of steroid hormones or metabolites thereof which are contained in body fluid or excreted fluid of human beings comprise latex particles which are immunologically sensitized with a conjugate selected from a variety of steroid-serum albumin conjugates in which the steroid to be detected is bonded to serum albumin in a very small ratio ranging from 0.5 to 7 molecules per 1 molecule of the serum albumin used.Sensitization of latex particles with such a conjugate is performed using a limited amount dependent on the bonding ratio of steroid molecules per molecule of serum albumin in the conjugate and the particle size of the latex used.The latex reagents show very high sensitivity amounting to 0.2-0.04 nmole steroid equivalent/ml.

Abstract: Therapeutic agents are prepared by:A. grinding placenta with water or diluted physiological saline to form an emulsion, and acidifying the emulsion with a mixture of aqueous acetic acid and hydrochloric acid, to 0.5 to 2.0N;B. heating the acidified emulsion;C. cooling the emulsion, removing insoluble protein by centrifugation, neutralizing the emulsion with an alkali solution, centrifuging said emulsion to remove insoluble matter and collecting a clear supernatant;D. concentrating the supernatant, and dialyzing the resulting concentrated liquid through a dialysis membrane, or filtrating said supernatant through a membrane filter to obtain a dialyzed fluid or filtrate;E. subjecting the dialyzed fluid or filtrate, after concentration to column chromatography, to obtain any one of fractions, of 0.96 - 1.82 in distribution coefficient with Sephadex G-25, of 0.35 - 1.24 with Sephadex G-15, or of 0.35 - 1.25 with Sephadex G-10; andF. lyophilizing the fraction.

Abstract: A granular composition having a grain size of 10 to 50 mesh and a bulk density of 0.5 to 0.7 g/cm.sup.3 suitable for use in a tobacco filter or a tobacco pipe and having the ability to selectively remove carcinogenic and deleterious components from tobacco smoke comprises granules which are composed of bovine milk whey protein power and/or egg white protein powder, and one or more excipients selected from the group consisting of powdered cellulose, wheat flour, starch, rice flour, sugar, glucose, lactose, talc, alumina, zeolite or silica gel; or composite granules which are a blend of said granules and charcoal granules.