Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.

Research Development Corporation of Japan

Rikagaku Kenkyusho

Morinaga Milk Industry

Kenkyusho, Rikagaku

Mitsunori Takase

Mamoru Tomita

Koji Yamauchi

Wayne R Bellamy

Seiichi Shimamura

Hiroyuki Wakabayashi

Kozo Kawase

Yasuo Fukuwatari

Hitoshi Saito

Yoshitaka Tamura

Hirotoshi Hayasawa

Susumu Kobayashi

Hiroshi Miyakawa

Kouki Horikoshi

Hiroaki Abe

Yukiko Tokita

Kouzou Kawase

Toshio Ohashi

Yasuhiro Takeda

Ayako Horigome

Mai Murata

Junichi Hashimoto

Hirohiko Nakamura

Yasunobu Antoku

Kyoichi Oshida

Kosuke Tsukamoto

Fumihiko Koike

Koji Sayama

Tomoyuki Hagiwara

Hiroyuki Matukuma

Takashi Tokuyama

Ikumi Kojima

Kohji Yamauchi

Kohzo Kawase

Wolfgang Konig

Yukio Tokita

Yukiko Tokida

Kouzo Kawase

An agent for thermally stabilizing lactoferrin, which comprises a nucleic acid as an active ingredient, can be added to lactoferrin to impart thermal stability to lactoferrin. Thermally stabilized lactoferrin can be heat-sterilized at a pH value around a neutral pH value while keeping its activity.

Method of imparting heat resistance to lactoferrin

A fat composition for oral or enteral administration which contains eicosapentaenoic acid and/or a derivative thereof, docosahexaenoic acid and/or a derivative thereof, and a Cor higher monoenoic acid and/or a derivative thereof and functions to diminish hexacosanoic acid; and a hexacosanoic acid depressant which comprises as active ingredients eicosapentaenoic acid and/or a derivative thereof, docosahexaenoic acid and/or a derivative thereof, and a Cor higher monoenoic acid and/or a derivative thereof. They can be prepared by extraction from a fish oil or the like, purification, blending, etc. Based on the function of diminishing hexacosanoic acid, the composition and the depressant produce an aging-inhibitory effect on cell membranes, which is effective in the prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related diseases.

Fat composition for oral or enternal administration and hexacosanoic acid depressant

A growth promoting composition which significantly grows and does not produce any side effect such as diarrhea, and a blend comprising the above composition and other edible ingredients, and the composition comprises at least one oligosaccharide selected among lactulose, fructo-oligosaccharide, and galacto-oligosaccharide, and raffinose as the active ingredients.

Lactobacillus bifidus growth promoting composition and use thereof

Antioxidant

Antimicrobial agents and method for treating products therewith

Immunostimulatory agent

Biologically pure strains of Thermus sp. FERM BP-1678, FERM BP-1679 and FERM BP-1680 have been isolated, and are capable of producing a beta-galactosidase. The beta-galactosidase produced by these strains has specific characteristics wherein the enzyme is optimum at a temperature of 75 to 85 degrees celsius and pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Further, the enzymatic activity is reduced by at most 10% in the presence of 50 millimoles (mM) of galactose and glucose, respectively.

Thermostable strains of the genus thermus capable of producing a .beta.

An antimicrobial peptide containing at least the following amino acid sequence, or a derivative thereof, an antimicrobial agent containing said antimicrobial peptide or a derivative thereof as active components at a concentration of at least 1 .mu.M, an antimicrobial composition containing said antimicrobial peptide or a derivative thereof, and a method for processing products which uses the antimicrobial agent containing at least said antimicrobial peptide or a derivative thereof:

Antimicrobial peptide and antimicrobial agent

An antimicrobial peptide containing an amino acid sequence comprising at least from three to six arbitrary amino acid residues, or a derivative thereof, an antimicrobial agent containing said antimicrobial peptide or a derivative thereof as active components at a concentration of at least 2 .mu.M, an antimicrobial composition containing said antimicrobial peptide or a derivative thereof, and a method for processing products which uses the antimicrobial agent containing at least said antimicrobial peptide or a derivative thereof.

Lactoferrin hydrolyzates, having a decomposition rate between 6%-20% as measured by formol titration, for use as an antibacterial agent, and which have remarkably more potent activity than unhydrolyzed lactoferrin; and lactoferrin hydrolyzates, having a decomposition rate between 4-50% as measured by formol titration, for use as a tyrosinase inhibition agent, are obtainable by conventional methods for hydrolysis with acids or enzymes, and are stable to heating.

Lactoferrin hydrolyzate for use as an antibacterial agent and as a

Lactoferricin (Trade Mark), also called LFCIN (Trade Mark), a potent antimicrobial peptide, is produced by contacting an enzymatic hydrolysate of bovine lactoferrin or any mixture of peptides containing lactoferricin preferably with a butyl moiety-containing hydrophobic interaction chromatography medium, or alternatively with a carboxymethyl moiety-containing cation-exchange chromatography medium, rinsing the medium to remove unbound peptides, desorbing the lactoferricin solution at constant pH, and desalting the desorbed solution. The utility of the process is illustrated, for example, as follows. An enzymatic hydrolysate of bovine lactoferrin (600 g) was contacted with 3000 ml of BUTYL-TOYOPEARL 650M, the medium was rinsed with water, and then with McIlvaine (citric acid-sodium phosphate) buffer at pH 7.0., and lactoferricin was desorbed with McIlvaine buffer at pH 5.0. The desorbed material was desalted by contacting it with BUTYL-TOYOPEARL 650M, rinsing the medium with water to remove the buffer salts, and desorbing the lactoferricin with 10 mM HCl. A yield of 10.5 g of 99% purity was obtained. The product has applications as a safe and effective antimicrobial agent for use in oral hygiene products, cosmetics, clinical foods, etc.

Process for large-scale production of antimicrobal peptide in high purity

An antimicrobial peptide containing at least the following amino acid sequence (a), (b), (c) or (d), an antimicrobial agent containing the said antimicrobial peptide as active components at a concentration of at least 5 ppm (weight), an antimicrobial composition the said antimicrobial peptide and a method for processing products which uses the antimicrobial agent containing the said antimicrobial peptide. ##STR1##

Fragments of lactoferrin having potent antimicrobial activity

A .beta.-galactosidase having a high thermostability is produced by Thermus sp. FERM BP-1678, FERM BP-1679, and FERM BP-1680. The .beta.-galactosidase has an optimum temperature of 75 to 85 degrees celsius, and an optimum pH of 4.5 to 6.5 and an enzymatic activity which is not lowered substantially by 50 mM each of galactose and glucose. The .beta.-galactosidase is used to hydrolyze lactose in foods, such as milk, at a high temperature at which the putrefaction by saprophytes is difficult.

.beta.-galactosidase from Thermus sp

Lactoferrin hydrolyzates, having a decomposition rate between 6%-20% as measured by formol titration, for use as an antibacterial agent and which have remarkly more potent activity than unhydrolyzed lactoferrin; and lactoferrin hydrolyzates, having a decomposition rate between 4-50% as measured by formol titration, for use as a tyrosinase inhibition agent, are obtainable by conventional methods for hydrolysis with acids or enzymes, and are stable to heating.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Mitsunori Takase