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 present disclosure generally relates to methods of preparing protein hydrolysates for use in pediatric nutritional compositions. Specifically, alpha-, beta- and/or kappa casein enriched casein, acid casein or caseinates can be hydrolyzed with proteases such as trypsin (trypsin-like), chymotrypsin (chymotrypsin-like), pepsin and/or plasmin to produce a hydrolysate that is close to the peptide composition of human breast milk.

The present invention is in the field of food technology. The present invention provides methods of controlling growth of Listeria by limiting their access to manganese More specifically, the present invention provides a method of inhibiting or delaying growth of Listeria by reducing the manganese concentration in a food product which is preferably a dairy product. The invention also provides manganese scavengers and uses thereof to inhibit or delay Listeria growth.

The present disclosure relates to a composition for preventing, relieving or treating climacteric symptoms, the composition comprising lactic acid bacteria and prebiotic composition. The lactic acid bacteria of the present disclosure have β-glucosidase activity and a very excellent ability to convert isoflavones into equol compounds, and thus may exhibit estrogenic activity through synergism with the gut microbiota. Therefore, the lactic acid bacteria of the present disclosure may be effectively used for the prevention, relief or treatment of women's climacteric or menopausal symptoms.

The present invention provides a lactic acid bacteria starter comprising: Streptococcus thermophilus; and a lactic acid bacterium of the Lactobacillaceae other than Lactobacillus delbrueckii.

An oral composition comprising at least one probiotic bacteria selected from the genera: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus and ferric pyrophosphate.

The present disclosure relates to a coated probiotic having enhanced acid tolerance, bile tolerance, gastrointestinal survivability, cold storage stability and room temperature storage stability by including milk-derived phospholipid and Aloe vera gel as a coating agent, a food composition containing the same, and a method for producing the same. As the coated probiotic includes the Aloe vera gel and the milk-derived phospholipid as the coating agent, it may have increased stabilities against external environmental stress, such as lyophilization stability and storage stability of the probiotic itself, and may have significantly enhanced acid tolerance and bile tolerance which are the indices of the gastrointestinal stability of the probiotic after taking.

Animal feeds comprising probiotics are preserved using an enzymatic antioxidant. Polypeptides having catalase activity and/or superoxide dismutase activity preserve and promote probiotic growth and activity in animal.

The present invention relates to a microorganism belonging to the group of lactic acid bacteria characterized in that it is capable of specifically binding to Streptococcus mutans, wherein the specific binding is (i) resistant to heat treatment; and/or (ii) resistant to protease treatment; and/or (iii) calcium-dependent; and/or (iv) formed within a pH range between 4.5 and 8.5; and/or (v) formed in the presence of saliva. Preferably, the specific binding can be assayed as follows: (a) growing said microorganism to stationary phase; (b) mixing said microorganism with Streptococcus mutans which has been grown to stationary phase; (c) incubating the mixture obtained in step (b) under conditions allowing the formation of aggregates of said microorganism and Streptococcus mutans and (d) detecting aggregates by the occurrence of a pellet. Another aspect of the present invention is an analog or fragment of said microorganism which is thermally inactivated or lyophilized, wherein said analog or fragment retains the capability of specifically binding to Streptococcus mutans. In addition, the present invention encompasses compositions and additives for food, feed or drinks comprising the microorganism belonging to the group of lactic acid bacteria which specifically bind to Streptococcus mutans or an analog or fragment thereof. Moreover, uses of said microorganism or said analog or fragment thereof for the preparation of an anticariogenic or pharmaceutical composition or anticariogenic food or feedstuff as well as methods for producing said compositions or food or feedstuff are provided by the present invention.

The disclosure provides compositions and dosage forms for promoting healthy microbial flora in a mammal, for example, a human. The disclosure further provides compositions and dosage forms for disrupting biofilm or preventing formation of biofilm containing pathogenic bacteria and/or pathogenic fungi in a particular region of a subject. The dosage forms contain (i) an isolated non-pathogenic fungal strain that is viable in the region of the subject, (ii) an isolated non-pathogenic bacterial strain that is viable in the region of the subject, and optionally (iii) an enzyme capable of disrupting the biofilm. The present disclosure also provides methods of disrupting a biofilm or preventing formation of a biofilm with such a composition or dosage form, methods of identifying a subject suitable for treatment with such a composition or dosage form, and methods of improving nutrient absorption using such a composition or dosage form.