Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.

Nec Corporation

Sanwa Cornstarch Co., Ltd.

Ezaki Glico Kabushiki Kaisha

Takashi Kuriki

Takeshi Takaha

Hiroki Takata

Kazutoshi Fujii

Michiyo Yanase

Shigetaka Okada

Takahisa Nishimura

Hiroki Kaneko

Yoshinobu Terada

Toshikazu Takada

Kazuhisa Sugimoto

Hiroshi Kamasaka

Jiro Shimada

Kenichi Kudo

Michihiro Sunako

Hideki Kajiura

Junichi Takahara

Koji Odan

Masae Iiboshi

Reiichiro Sakamoto

Mamoru Wada

Nobuo Uotsu

Toshiyuki Kimura

Kenji Too

Taleshi Takaha

Tomoko Tanaka

Hiroki; Takata

The present invention relates to dietary compositions and oral compositions having an anti-dental caries function. The present invention provides dietary compositions and oral compositions having an anti-dental caries function which contain a buffering agent having a pH buffering action in the oral cavity.

Compositions having anti-dental caries function

The present application discloses a molded article, and a process for preparing a molded article consisting essentially of (i) high molecular weight linear &#x3b1;-1,4-glucan and (ii) low molecular weight linear &#x3b1;-1,4-glucan, wherein the process comprises the step of: adding the low molecular weight linear &#x3b1;-1,4-glucan to a solution comprising the high molecular weight linear &#x3b1;-1,4-glucan to gel the solution, wherein the low molecular weight linear &#x3b1;-1,4-glucan has a degree of polymerization of greater than or equal to 180 and less than 620, and has a molecular weight distribution of not greater than 1.25 and, the high molecular weight linear &#x3b1;-1,4-glucan has a degree of polymerization of greater than or equal to 620 and less than 37000, and has a molecular weight distribution of not greater than 1.25.

Molded object comprising &#x3b1;-1,4-glucans and/or modifications thereof and process for producing the same

A sucrose phosphorylase (SP) having improved thermostability obtained by modifying a natural SP and a method for producing the SP having improved thermostability is provided. This SP having improved thermostability has an amino acid residue which is different from that of the natural sucrose phosphorylase, in at least one position selected from the group consisting of a position corresponding to position 14, a position corresponding to position 29 and a position corresponding to position 44 in motif sequence 1; a position corresponding to position 7, a position corresponding to position 19, a position corresponding to position 23 and a position corresponding to position 34 in motif sequence 2; and a position corresponding to position 19 in motif sequence 3, and wherein the enzyme activity of the SP having improved thermostability at 37&#xb0; C., after heating the SP having improved thermostability in 20 mM Tris buffer (pH 7.0) at 55&#xb0; C. for 20 minutes, is 20% or more of enzyme activity of the SP having improved thermostability at 37&#xb0; C. before heating.

Method for improving the thermostability of sucrose phosphorylase (SP)

An &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability, which obtained by modifying natural &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase, and a method for producing this &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability are provided. The natural &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase is derived from a plant, this &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability has an amino acid residue which is different from that of the natural &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase in at least one position selected from the group consisting of a position corresponding to position 4 in a motif sequence 1L or 1H, a position corresponding to position 4 in a motif sequence 2, and a position corresponding to position 7 in a motif sequence 3L or 3H, and wherein the enzyme activity of &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability at 37&#xb0; C., after heating in a 20 mM citrate buffer (pH 6.7) at 60&#xb0; C. for 10 minutes, is 20% or more of the enzyme activity of the &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability at 37&#xb0; C., before heating.

Method of heat-stabilizing &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase (GP)

A method of producing glycogen comprising a step of: allowing a branching enzyme having the ability to synthesize glycogen to act on a substrate in a solution to produce a glycogen, wherein the substrate is an &#x3b1;-glucan being linked mainly with &#x3b1;-1,4-glucosidic bonds and having a degree of polymerization of 4 or more, and the number-average molecular weight of saccharides in the solution before initiation of the reaction is more than 180 but not more than 150,000. (The branching enzyme activity of the branching enzyme)/(the molecular-weight-decreasing activity of the branching enzyme) can be 500 or less. The branching enzyme can be a thermostable branching enzyme.

Method of producing glycogen

An &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability, which obtained by modifying natural &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase, and a method for producing this &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability are provided. The natural &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase is derived from a plant, this &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability has an amino acid residue which is different from that of the natural &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase in at least one position selected from the group consisting of a position corresponding to positionin a motif sequenceL orH, a position corresponding to positionin a motif sequence, and a position corresponding to positionin a motif sequenceL orH, and wherein the enzyme activity of &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability at 37&#xb0; C., after heating in a 20 mM citrate buffer (pH 6.7) at 60&#xb0; C. for 10 minutes, is 20% or more of the enzyme activity of the &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase having improved thermostability at 37&#xb0; C., before heating.

Method of heat-stabilizing &#x3b1;-glucan phosphorylase(GP)

A method for extracting a hydrophobic group-containing water-soluble organic compound, comprising the step of bringing an aqueous solution containing the hydrophobic group-containing water-soluble organic compound and a saccharide into contact with a polar organic solvent to obtain an aqueous phase and an organic phase, whereby the hydrophobic group-containing water-soluble organic compound is transferred to the organic phase. The saccharide concentration of the aqueous solution may be at least 12 g per 100 ml of the aqueous solution. The aqueous solution may further contain a phase separation assisting agent. The phase separation assisting agent may be selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, sodium citrate, magnesium sulfate, and ammonium sulfate.

Method of extracting and method of purifying an effective substance

A first method for producing glucan comprises the step of allowing a reaction solution containing sucrose, a primer, inorganic phosphate or glucose-1-phosphate, sucrose phosphorylase, and glucan phosphorylase to react to produce glucans. The maximum value of the sucrose-phosphate ratio of the reaction solution from the start of the reaction to the end of the reaction is no more than about 17. A second method for producing glucan comprises the step of allowing a reaction solution containing sucrose, a primer, inorganic phosphate or glucose-1-phosphate, sucrose phosphorylase, and glucan phosphorylase to react to produce glucans. The reaction is conducted at a temperature of about 40 C to about 70 C.

Production method and preparation method of glucans

An enzyme is altered by introducing an additional hydrophobic group to enhance the hydrophobic environment in the enzyme so as to interfere with entrance of a water molecule. In this connection, the site of introduction and kind of hydrophobic group to be introduced are selected on the basis of comprehensive analysis of amino acid sequence, three-dimensional structure, reaction mechanism or the like of the target enzyme. Using this method, an amino acid residue of neopullulanase derived from Bacillus stearothermophilus was replaced by another amino acid.

Method of altering enzymes and a novel neopullulanase

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Osaka, Japan

Takashi Kuriki