Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.

Japan as Represented by Director General of Agency of Industrial Science

Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co., Ltd.

Nakano Vinegar Co., Ltd.

Gentaro Okada

Yoshiya Kawamura

Toshiaki Kono

Hirofumi Akano

Hajime Okumura

Takeshi Sato

Teruo Nakakuki

Takashi Yamanobe

Takehiro Unno

Seishiro Kainuma

Masako Mizuno

Shoji Gotoh

Takanori Nihira

Mesophilic xylanases

A .beta.-glucooligosaccharide-containing composition comprising at least one material selected from food, drink and medicine, and at least one selected from a glucooligosaccharide comprising at least one .beta.-1,6 bond and a reduced product thereof. A method of improving intestinal floras, comprising administering to a human or animal for ingestion a physiologically effective amount of at least one selected from a glucooligosaccharide comprising at least one .beta.-1,6 bond and a reduced product thereof. The ingestion of the .beta.-glucooligosaccharide and/or the reduced product thereof can bring about promotion of the selective growth of useful bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria, inhibition of the growth of harmful bacteria or putrefactive bacteria, and hence improvement in the intestinal floras.

Method of improving intestinal floras

A dental plaque-degrading composition containing endodextranase produced by Arthrobacter globiformis W31 exhibiting high degradation efficacy to insoluble glucan produced by Streptococcus mutans IFO 13955, the dental plaque-degrading composition additionally containing .alpha.-amylase of various origins. These compositions are useful for preventing the settlement of Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity and the formation of new dental plaque and for preventing the dental caries, and provided in the form of dentifrices, denture detergents, troches, mouth washes, chewing gums or candies.

Dental plaque-degrading compositions

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Gentaro Okada