Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.

Amano Enzyme Inc.

Hidehiko Wakabayashi

Yoichi Ueda

Hirokazu Kawaguchi

Yasushi Nishimura

Tomohiro Kodera

Noriki Nio

Nami Nakamura

Masanori Kohmura

Youhei Ishiguro, Legal Representative

Shouji Ishiguro, Legal Representative

Tatsuya Ishiguro, Legal Representative

Minori Ishiguro, Legal Representative

Hiroaki Nishiuchi

Hiroyuki Nakagoshi

Noriko Miwa

Takeshi Okamoto

Ryuichi Miyajima

Youichi Ueda

Reiko Sugimoto

Toshiya Numazawa

Mika Uda

Gaku Hibino

Koh-ichiro Sano

Noriaki Yamada

Tomohiro Sakamoto

Hikaru Shibata

Takako Tsubuku

Fumiyuki Hirose

A method of improving the quality of a starch-containing food and a method of suppressing the retrogradation of a starch-containing food by adding an enzyme having a glycosyl transfer activity, whereby an &#x3b1;-1,4 bond is converted into an &#x3b1;-1,6 bond, to the starch-containing food; and a quality improving agent for a starch-containing food which contains the enzyme.

Method of improving properties of starch-containing food and property-improving agent

The present invention provides a dairy product with smooth oral sensation and suppressed acidic taste and bitter taste and a method for manufacturing the same, wherein a protein deamidating enzyme is added to raw milk to act on the milk protein in the raw milk.

Dairy products and method of manufacturing the same

The present invention discloses a method for producing foods and/or beverage having improved taste and/or flavour, comprising reacting a microbial aminopeptidase on a protein material optionally under the co-existence of a protease, wherein said aminopeptidase has the properties of: (a) having an activity of catalyzing the reaction of specifically releasing a glutamic acid and an aspartic acid from the N-terminal of a peptide and/or a protein; (b) having 50% or more activity at pH6.0-9.0 as compared with the activity at the optimum pH; (c) having 40% or more activity after heating at 25-60&#xb0; C., pH7.5 for 30 minutes as compared with the activity of the non-heated enzyme; (d) having a molecular weight of about 40-60 kD as measured by SDS-PAGE and about 300-480 kD as measured by native-PAGE; (e) having a hydrolyzing activity of the aminopeptidase toward Glu-Glu dipeptide is 5 U/mg or more, preferably 10 U/mg or more.

Method of improving taste and/or flavour of foods and beverages

In the present application are disclosed a method for enhancing or improving the flavor of foods or drinks in general with the use of a non-volatile thiazolidine compound alone or a non-volatile flavor compound and/or a reaction flavor concurrently with the non-volatile thiazolidine compound, a simple and effective method for improving the flavor of a retort food by suppressing the flavor-deterioration upon heat sterilization or the unpleasant odor at the time of eating, and a simple and effective method for improving the flavor of a soybean-incorporated food product by suppressing the unpleasant, weed-like odor peculiar to soybean.

Composition for retaining and developing the flavor of a food or drink

The present invention relates to a method for producing a cysteine-rich food material by maintaining a food material containing &#x3b3;-glutamylcysteine at a ratio of at least 1 wt % to the solid content thereof at a temperature ranging from 50 to 120&#xb0; C. and at a pH ranging from 1 to 7. This process is conducted in the absence of a sugar and in the presence of water. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a cysteine-rich food material by reacting the food material with a &#x3b3;-glutamyl peptide hydrolase at a pH ranging from 3 to 9 and at a temperature ranging from 15 to 70&#xb0; C. in the present of water. Further, the present invention relates to a method for producing a flavor-enhancing material for use in food, food products obtained by these processes, and yeast cells or extracts for use in food products.

Process for producing a flavor-enhancing material for foods

Herein is disclosed a flavor precursor composition comprising as an active ingredient a flavor precursor compound (flavor precursor compound A) in which a volatile flavor compound having a mercapto group in the molecule and a non-volatile compound having a mercapto group in the molecule are bound to form a disulfide structure, or a flavor precursor compound (flavor precursor compound B) which is an organic compound represented by Formula (1) shown below in which RH is a non-volatile compound and RH is a volatile compound having in the molecule a furan ring structure (including a structure where part or all of the carbon&#x2014;carbon double bonds thereof are hydrogenated) or a thiophene ring structure (including a structure where part or all of the carbon&#x2014;carbon double bonds thereof are hydrogenated), said Formula (1) being:R&#x2014;(S)&#x2014;R&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)which composition can preserve, and release, the flavor effectively and can be used in the fields of fragrances and foods.

Flavor precursor composition and method for releasing the flavor component

A foodstuff having improved taste quality comprising a taste-improving amount of a pepper extract, a piperine-containing fraction of pepper or one or more piperines.

Foodstuffs having improved taste quality

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Hidehiko Wakabayashi