This disclosure provides novel compositions comprising a pectin, a first xanthan gum, and optionally a second xanthan gum. These compositions are useful for improving mouthfeel properties of non-nutritive sweeteners, such as steviol glycosides and blends thereof, in food and beverages containing the same.

Provided is a strain CCFM8631 of Lactobacillus reuteri and use thereof. The strain CCFM8631 of Lactobacillus reuteri can significantly increase neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine level in peripheral blood, recover the hormone levels, for example testosterone and so on in peripheral blood of rat, normalize abnormal abundances of Blautia genus and Turicibacter genus, Oscillospira genus and Bifidobacterium genus in intestinal flora of rat affected by high-fat high-starch diet, show good tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal fluid and quickly colonize in intestinal, significantly improve pathological damages of tissues such as liver, duodenum and so on, and increase triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in serum and oral glucose tolerance of rat with metabolic syndrome caused by high-fat high-starch diet. The strain CCFM8631 of Lactobacillus reuteri can be used for preventing, relieving or treating metabolic disorder, such as metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and mental diseases related to metabolic syndrome such as anxiety, depression and so on.

The present invention relates to a soy milk containing methylpyrazine compounds consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine at a quantity of 40 to 7000 g per 1 L.

Disclosed herein is a whole-bean soymilk having an increased level of deglycosylated soy isoflavones and a method of preparing thereof. The method includes the steps of subjecting a mixture of a soybean material and water to a comminution treatment so as to obtain a soybean slurry, subjecting the soybean slurry to an enzymatic hydrolysis treatment using a -glucosidase to obtain a hydrolysate, and subjecting the hydrolysate to a media milling treatment using a milling medium.

The present invention relates to a novel strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus, compositions comprising said strain and to methods for the preparation of such compositions.

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a solid fermented soy milk product, comprising a fermentation step in which a fermentation substrate containing soy milk and with adjusted malic acid and free amino acid concentrations, is fermented with heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria.

Disclosed are sweetened consumables and methods of forming said sweetened consumables that comprise certain sweeteners and a compound of formula (1),

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of OH and OCH.sub.3, and R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of H and OH, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 comprise at least one OH group, and when R.sup.1 is OH then R.sup.2 is H (trilobatin), and when R.sup.1 is OCH.sub.3 then R.sup.2 is OH (HDG), in a concentration near its sweetness detection threshold. The sweeteners include sucrose, fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, xylose, arabinose, rhamnose, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, inositol, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, sucralose, saccharine, or combinations thereof.

A method for producing a fermented food composition by fermenting a food having a class-2 food allergen, includes: adding lactic acid bacteria having leucine aminopeptidase activity of 75 or more and 720 or less units, to a food having a class-2 food allergen, and fermenting the food while adjusting a pH of a mixture including the food to 4.0 or more and less than 8.5; and enzymatically treating the resulting mixture with a metalloprotease.

An equol-producing lactic acid bacteria-containing composition comprises, as an essential component thereof, a lactic acid bacterial strain belonging to the genus Lactococcus having an ability to utilize at least one daidzein compound selected from the group consisting of daidzein glycosides, daidzein, and dihydrodaidzein to produce equol. Such a composition is effective for the prevention and alleviation of malaise inclusive of climacteric disturbance in middle-aged and elderly women for which no effective prophylactic method or alleviating means has heretofore been available.

Provided are a lactic acid bacterium for a lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff, which takes a short fermentation time even when applied to a soybean raw material and has a wide optimal temperature range, and hence can cause curdling in a short period of time even at low temperature, thus being extremely suited for fermentation of the soybean raw material, a lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff comprising the lactic acid bacterium, and a production method for a lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff. The lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff comprises a lactic acid bacterium belonging to Streptococcus thermophilus and having an accession number of NITE BP-02207. The lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff of the present invention is preferably a yogurt-like lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff.