A processed cheese composition and methods of making the processed cheese composition are provided. The processed cheese composition includes natural cheese, dairy materials and a cultured dairy component. The raw cheese is provided in a range of about 10 to about 90 weight %. The dairy materials are provided in a range of about 5 to about 50 weight % and include at least one of the group consisting of milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, whey, milkfat and cream. The cultured dairy component is provided in a range of about 1 to about 20 weight % and includes an antibacterial material and/or antibacterial producing bacterial culture in combination with an exopolysaccharide and/or an exopolysaccharide producing culture.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a camembert type cheese using a well-defined starter culture.

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.

An object is to provide a joint function-improving composition which is useful for prevention or treatment of various arthropathies such as osteoarthritis including knee osteoarthritis as a typical example and rheumatoid arthritis because the composition has an action of promoting growth of chondrocytes and an action of suppressing the production of an inflammation factor, a cartilage matrix degradation factor, a pain factor or a neuronal outgrowth factor by synoviocytes and to provide a joint function-improving product containing the composition such as a food or a drink, feed and a medicine. A joint function-improving composition containing bacterial cells and/or a culture of a bacterium belonging to genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus or Bifidobacterium and a joint function-improving agent, a joint function-improving food or drink, a joint function-improving nutritional composition, joint function-improving feed or a joint function-improving pharmaceutical agent which is characterized by containing the joint function-improving composition.

This invention provides an IFN inducer comprising, as an active ingredient, lactic acid bacteria and capable of inducing IFN production, an immunopotentiating agent or prophylactic agent against virus infection comprising such inducer, and a food or drink product comprising such IFN inducer and having IFN-inducing activity, immunopotentiating activity, or prophylactic activity against virus infection. The agent for inducing IFN production comprises, as active ingredients, lactic acid bacteria that can activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and promote IFN production, such as Lactococcus garvieae NBRC100934, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris JCM16167, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris NBRC100676, Lactococcus lactis subsp. hordniae JCM1180, Lactococcus lactis subsp. hordniae JCM11040, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis NBRC12007, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis NRIC1150, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM5805, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM20101, Leuconostoc lactis NBRC12455, Leuconostoc lactis NRIC1540, Pediococcus damnosus JCM5886, or Streptococcus thermophilus TA-45.

The present invention relates to a process for making low-moisture mozzarella cheese using recent developments in the technical knowledge about the interactions between cultures, coagulants and cheese technology to increase cheese yields and maintain the cheese quality and functionalities. An optimization may lead to a higher pH and higher dry matter of the curd at the whey off step i.e. pH higher than 6.3 and ideally higher than 6.4 and solid non-fact content higher than 18%, without any modification of the curd composition at the stretching step, i.e. pH between 5.0 and 5.3 and more precisely between without any modification of the curd composition at the stretching step, i.e. pH between 5.0 and 5.3 and more precisely between 5.05 and 5.25, Ca/SNF between 1.7% and 2.4% and more precisely between 1.7 and 2.2%, dry matter between 53% and 55% and more precisely between 53.5% and 54.5%. The coagulant has a C/P ratio of at least 25. This optimization may also lead to a reduction in the processing time in the cheese vat (near 15%), so a real increase in the through-put and profitability of the cheese vats.

The invention relates to a method for generating a Streptococcus thermophilus strain exhibiting a high galactose utilization profile, which is characterized by a high percentage of consumed galactose at the maximum speed of lactose consumption and optionally a high percentage of consumed galactose at the end of lactose consumption (both as determined by assay I), comprising modifying the sequence of the gal-lac gene cluster. The invention also relates to a Streptococcus thermophilus strain obtained or obtainable by this method, to a Streptococcus thermophilus strain characterized both by the sequence of its gal-lac gene cluster and its high galactose utilization profile, to a culture and kit-of part comprising such strains, as well as to the use of such strains in food applications.

Methods of production of edible filamentous fungal biomat formulations are provided as standalone protein sources and/or protein ingredients in foodstuffs as well as a one-time use or repeated use self-contained biomat reactor comprising a container with at least one compartment and placed within the compartment(s), a feedstock, a fungal inoculum, a gas-permeable membrane, and optionally a liquid nutrient medium.

Disclosed is a method for the manufacturing of pasta filata cheese, wherein skim milk is first supplied to a transport system having a plurality of separate transport containers, wherein curd is produced from the skim milk in the region of a first process section of the transport system, by the addition of acidification cultures; wherein the curd produced is coagulated in the region of a second process section, wherein the coagulated curd is exposed to an acidification process for an acidification period in the region of a third process section; and wherein the acidified curd is removed from the transport system in an outgoing section at the end of the acidification period and is supplied to a subsequent process step in which the acidified curd is divided into portions. The curd remains in the transport system up to the removal of the curd after the end of the acidification process.

The present invention discloses a novel probiotic fermented beverage based on whey, comprising whey and a high probiotic microorganism concentration in the range of 10.sup.7-10.sup.8 CFU/mL, and a method for producing said beverage. The probiotic microorganism is a commercial yogurt culture of Streptococcus salivarus subsp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbruecki subsp. bulgaricus and a commercial culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus. The method for producing the probiotic fermented whey based beverage comprises recovering whey by an enzymatic coagulation process, percolation, enriching and pasteurizing whey, fermentation, sweeting and flavoring. The beverage comprises the following physico-chemical characteristics: pH 5.00.00; titratable acidity 68.01.4 mL NaOH 0.1N/100 mL; total solids 12.40.1% w/v; fat 0.80.1% w/v; protein 10.1% w/v; cinder 0.550.02% w/v; Total sugar 10.00.2% w/v; Reducing sugar 4.200.15% w/v; and Energic value 87.20.00 cal/100 g sample. The beverage comprises the following physico-chemical characteristics and probiotics count at 4 C. and 8 C.: 1-21 day shelf-life; pH 4.77-4.85; titratable acidity 72-73 mL NaOH 0.1N/100 mL; and probiotic count of about 3110.sup.7-3910.sup.7 CFU/mL.