Process for producing an ambient storage food product comprising providing a food product with a pH of between 3.4 and 4.4, subjecting the food product to a heat treatment to obtain a heat treated food product, adding aseptically to the heat treated food product one or more of ambient storage lactic acid bacteria strains to obtain an ambient storage food product, and storing the ambient storage food product at ambient temperature for a period of time, wherein the ambient storage lactic acid bacteria strain is selected from the group consisting of strains: (i) wherein the strain is capable of retaining viability at the end of 20 days at a temperature of 25 #C; and (ii) wherein the pH at most decreases 0.8 units during the storage period; and (iii) wherein the strain is selected from the group consisting of strains of the genus Oenococcus, and mutants thereof.

Bacteriophage Insensitive Mutants (BIMs) of three Streptococcus thermophilus parent strains were generated and characterized for phage sensitivity, sedimentation rate, cell chain length, phage adsorption and CRISPR loci alterations. Several BIMs showed an altered sedimentation phenotype as well as an increase cell chain length, reduced phage sensitivity, reduced phage adsorption and 100% identity in three CRISPR loci. The results show that the derived BIMs have become phage-resistant through a mechanism other than CRISPR.

The present invention relates to compositions for use and formulation as weight management products and in particular fermented dairy foodstuffs. The compositions generally comprise two or more of the following components: a) a microbiome modifying component; b) a satiety modifying component; and c) a metabolic modifying 5 component and at least one of the following: d) Streptococcus thermophilus CBS 139100 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CBS 139099 microbial strains or mutant strains or fragments or fractions thereof; e) a combination of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus microbial strains which together, or individually, are capable of secreting polysaccharides having high levels of galactosamine 10 and no or low levels of rhamnose and glucuronic acid when grown on a dairy substrate; or f) polysaccharides formed of: i) 15-25% galactosamine; ii) 45-60% galactose; and iii) 20-30% glucose. The compositions may also be useful in the management or treatment of obesity, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease.

A process for the manufacture of a fermented dairy product comprising (a) subjecting a milk base to fermentation with a starter comprising of a weakly post-acidifying bacterial culture, until a desired pH value in the range of 4.0 and 5.0 is reached (end of fermentation), (b) optionally cooling the fermented milk base obtained in step (a); and (c) packaging the fermented dairy product.

The present invention provides a method for producing a fermented food, comprising: a fermentation step of fermenting a raw material milk-containing milk preparation solution added with Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Streptococcus thermophilus carrying a prtS gene.

The invention relates to a polynucleotide comprising a lacZ gene (lacZ.sup.FS) encoding a β-galactosidase characterized by a particular profile regarding its efficiency of hydrolysis of lactose. The invention is also directed to a Streptococcus thermophilus strain comprising a lacZ.sup.FS allele and bacterial composition thereof, and their use to obtain fermented milk not undergoing post-acidification.

In a preparation step, raw material milk is prepared. In a lactose degradation step, at least part of lactose included in the prepared raw material milk is degraded using a lactose-degrading enzyme. The lactose concentration in the raw material milk in which lactose is degraded is not more than 2.5% by mass with respect to a total amount of the raw material milk. A lactic acid bacterium is added to the raw material milk in which at least part of lactose is degraded, and the raw material milk to which the lactic acid bacterium is added is fermented.

The present invention relates a heteropolysaccharide characterized in that it is substantially composed of the monosaccharides glucose and galactose and rhamnose and N-acetylgalactosamine and a process for the production thereof. The invention further relates to a bacterium capable of producing said heteropolysaccharide and to the use of the heteropolysaccharide and the bacterium for improving the texture of fermented milk products.

The invention is directed to a lactose-positive, galactose-negative, Streptococcus thermophilus strain releasing glucose during milk fermentation. This Streptococcus thermophilus strain carries mutation in the glcK gene, in the ccpA gene, in the lacZ gene and/or in the ptsH gene, and optionally in one or more genes, in particular one gene, encoding a protein of the mannose-glucose-specific PTS. The invention also concerns a composition comprising at least one, lactose-positive, galactose-negative, Streptococcus thermophilus strain of the invention, and the use of this strain or composition to manufacture a fermented dairy product.

By a method for producing a culture for obtaining a culture by culturing a lactic acid bacterium and/or a bacterium belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium in a milk peptide-containing medium which is characterized in that a culture temperature is 3° C. or more lower than an optimum culture temperature of the lactic acid bacterium and/or the bacterium belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium, the change in the acidity during the storage of the product is not accelerated, and the bacterial count at the time of the preparation of the product can be maintained at a high level, even when the lactic acid bacterium or the like is cultured in a medium containing a milk peptide added thereto.