A method of making a flavoured sweetener or food product by incubating an unrefined plant extract containing sucrose as the main solute with a microorganism or microorganisms to form a modified unrefined plant extract; evaporating water from the modified sucrose-based plant extract to form a concentrate; and cooking the concentrate to develop colour and flavour to produce the flavoured sweetener is disclosed. The flavoured sweetener can serve as a coconut sugar substitute. In a preferred embodiment the unrefined plant extract comprises sugarcane juice or sugar beet juice, and the microorganisms may be selected from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus flexus, or a Klyveromyces species. The flavoured sweetener can be used to make a range of food and beverage ingredients and also food products including sauces, natural flavour extracts and flavour molecules, chocolate, health foods and convenience forms of the various forms of flavoured sweeteners.

Methods of preparing steviol glycosides, including Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside M, Rebaudioside N and Rebaudioside O are provided herein. Sweetener and sweetened consumables containing Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside M, Rebaudioside N and Rebaudioside O are also provided herein.

A method for producing fermented shiitake mushroom sauce according to an embodiment includes adding lactose and sucrose to shiitake mushroom concentrate followed by inoculation of Pediococcus pentosaceus strain or Lactobacillus acidophilus strain and fermentation to prepare lactic acid bacteria fermented product of shiitake mushroom, and mixing the lactic acid bacteria fermented product of shiitake mushroom prepared above with hot pepper extract, garlic extract, onion extract, and shiitake mushroom block, water, salt, lemongrass, and coriander, and the present invention also relates to fermented shiitake mushroom sauce produced by the aforementioned method.

The invention provides topical formulations and methods comprising charged bioactive agents complexed with amphipol polymers for dermal and transdermal delivery, optionally further including TJ-modulating peptides.

A food/beverage article, comprising: one or more compounds represented by formula (I):

##STR00001## wherein, R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.2-6 alkenyl group, R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.1-4 alkyl group, R.sup.5 and R.sup.7 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group, R.sup.6 represents a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.2-6 alkenyl group, X represents a direct bond, —CH.sub.2—, —CH═, or —C(═O)—, and Y represents —CH.sub.2—, —CH═, or —C(═O)—, wherein the total of the concentrations of the compounds is 1 ppm or more.

A food/beverage article, comprising: one or more compounds represented by formula (I):

##STR00001## wherein, R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.2-6 alkenyl group, R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.1-4 alkyl group, R.sup.5 and R.sup.7 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group, R.sup.6 represents a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.2-6 alkenyl group, X represents a direct bond, —CH.sub.2—, —CH═, or —C(═O)—, and Y represents —CH.sub.2—, —CH═, or —C(═O)—, wherein the total of the concentrations of the compounds is 1 ppm or more.

A flavour composition comprising a compound according to the formula (I) or edible salts thereof, ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1 is alkyl residue containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkene residue containing from 9 to 25 carbon atoms with 1 to 6 double bonds, R.sub.1 together with the carbonyl to which it is attached is a residue carboxylic acid, and NR.sub.2R.sub.3, in which R.sub.3 is H or together with R.sub.2 and the N-atom to which they are attached, a 5-membered ring, is a residue of an amino acid, in particular proteinogenic amino acid, ornithine, gamma-aminobutyric acid or beta alanine, or a 1-amino cycloalkyl carboxylic acid.

A flavour composition comprising a compound according to the formula (I) or edible salts thereof, ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1 is alkyl residue containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkene residue containing from 9 to 25 carbon atoms with 1 to 6 double bonds, R.sub.1 together with the carbonyl to which it is attached is a residue carboxylic acid, and NR.sub.2R.sub.3, in which R.sub.3 is H or together with R.sub.2 and the N-atom to which they are attached, a 5-membered ring, is a residue of an amino acid, in particular proteinogenic amino acid, ornithine, gamma-aminobutyric acid or beta alanine, or a 1-amino cycloalkyl carboxylic acid.

The present invention relates to the technical field of microbes, in particular to a Lactobacillus plantarum which can significantly inhibit the occurrence of colorectal cancer, and its use thereof. The Lactobacillus plantarum strain CCFM164 has a deposit number CGMCC No. 14520, which has a good tolerance to gastric acid and bile salts, significantly alleviate the level of colorectal inflammation in colorectal cancer model mice, and can reduce the number of tumors in the colon and rectum of the model mice by regulating the Notch1, Notch2 signaling pathway and the expression of VEGFR2 molecule in colorectal tissue. In addition, the Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM164 can also improve the intestinal flora population and short-chain fatty acid levels in the intestine. The Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM164 is used to prepare a fermented food for the inhibition of the occurrence of colorectal cancer with wild applications.

Methods of preparing steviol glycosides, including Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside M, Rebaudioside N and Rebaudioside O are provided herein. Sweetener and sweetened consumables containing Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside M, Rebaudioside N and Rebaudioside O are also provided herein.