A method for producing a fermentate including the steps of obtaining a fruit or vegetable extract, treating the extract with a hydrolytic enzyme, mixing the extract with a fermenting microorganism, water, and a growth media to produce a liquid composition; and incubating the liquid composition at a controlled temperature and a controlled pH to produce a fermentate. A method for killing or inhibiting the growth of a contaminating microorganism on or within a food product, and a food product including a fermentate having a cellular mass component from a fermenting microorganism, a fermented fruit or vegetable extract and a hydrolytic enzyme are disclosed. A fermentate produced by any one of the methods described is contemplated. The fermentate may be a concentrated liquid or a dry powder and has the ability to inhibit the growth of a contaminating microorganism by 100% when diluted to less than 5% (w/v).

The present invention provides novel Lactococcus lactis lactic acid bacterium strains having improved texturing properties and methods of using the strains for producing food products.

Provided is a pharmaceutical composition and food composition for treating or preventing a skin disease caused by abnormal growth of a skin bacterium or infection with a pathogenic microorganism. A composition comprising a lactic acid bacterium as an active ingredient, for suppressing bacterial abnormal growth, or preventing or ameliorating deterioration of skin condition caused by a bacterial abnormal growth, by oral intake thereof.

The present invention relates to a strain having liver function improving activity, and a use thereof. Specifically, the present invention relates to a health food composition for improving liver function and a pharmaceutical composition for improving liver function, which contain, as an active ingredient, one or more strains selected from the group consisting of a Lactobacillus pentosus KF8 (accession number KCCM11997P) strain, a Bacillus subtilis KF11 (accession number KCCM11981P) strain, and a Lactococcus lactis KF140 (accession number KCCM11673P) strain, a lysate thereof or a culture product thereof. The strain of the present invention shows excellent activity in inhibiting the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST), inhibiting an increase in the concentration of total cholesterol or triglycerides in the liver, and inhibiting fat accumulation in the liver, thereby being effectively usable in the preparation of a food composition and a pharmaceutical composition for improving liver function.

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 application relates to methods for producing beverages with low levels of acids, cations and/or sugars. The methods comprise the step of removing acidic ions through an AX-REED membrane stack and optionally removing cations through a CX-REED membrane stack. In certain embodiments, the AX-REED and the CX-REEF membrane stacks are operated in parallel. The methods may also comprise a step of converting sugar to organic acid, while simultaneously removing the generated organic acid through the AX-REED membrane stack. The sugar may for example be converted with the aid of enzymes and/or microorganisms.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a fermented milk soft cheese product comprising the steps of a) Providing a first milk base, b) Optionally subjecting the first milk base to a concentration step to obtain a concentrated first milk base, c) Adding a first starter culture comprising at least one EPS producing lactic acid bacterium strain, d) Fermenting the concentrated first milk base for a period of time until a target pH is reached to obtain an EPS-containing fermented milk composition, e) Mixing the EPS-containing fermented milk composition with one or more other ingredients, if any, selected from the group consisting of a milk fat composition, a second fermented milk composition and one or more additives, to obtain a fermented milk mixture, and f) Subjecting the fermented milk mixture to heat treatment to obtain a fermented milk soft cheese product.

The Lactobacillus curvatus strain deposited as DSM18775 is used as a biopreservative culture in a wide range of meat products due to its production of bacteriocin. The present invention relates to Lactobacillus curvatus strains having an extended lag phase of at least 24 hours at 30° C. relative to DSM18775. In a presently preferred embodiment, the strains are mutants of DSM18775, such as the Lactobacillus curvatus strain deposited as DSM32590 and the Lactobacillus curvatus strain deposited as DSM 32591. Further, the invention relates to a method for inhibiting Listeria in a food product comprising adding bacteria of a Lactobacillus curvatus strain according to the invention to a food product in a concentration of at least 10.sup.5 CFU/g.

The invention relates to a method for producing a fermented dairy product, comprising: (a) providing a milk substrate, (b) fermenting said milk substrate with a lactic acid bacterium starter culture, wherein step (b) is conducted in the presence of at least one Bacillus strain selected from the group consisting of a sporulation-negative Bacillus subtilis subsp. natto strain, a sporulation-negative Bacillus coagulans strain, wherein a sporulation-negative strain is a strain, which forms no spores when subjected to the following method: i) inoculating 1% of a culture of the strain to be tested, grown over night in Veal Infusion Broth (VIB) at 37° C., 180 rpm, into 50 ml of a standard sporulation inducing medium contained in a 500 ml baffled shake flask, ii) allowing the inoculated medium to grow overnight at 37° C. while subjecting it to shaking at 0rpm, and iii) testing for spores the next day.

A method for producing a fermentate including the steps of obtaining a fruit or vegetable extract, treating the extract with a hydrolytic enzyme, mixing the extract with a fermenting microorganism, water, and a growth media to produce a liquid composition; and incubating the liquid composition at a controlled temperature and a controlled pH to produce a fermentate. A method for killing or inhibiting the growth of a contaminating microorganism on or within a food product, and a food product including a fermentate having a cellular mass component from a fermenting microorganism, a fermented fruit or vegetable extract and a hydrolytic enzyme are disclosed. A fermentate produced by any one of the methods described is contemplated. The fermentate may be a concentrated liquid or a dry powder and has the ability to inhibit the growth of a contaminating microorganism by 100% when diluted to less than 5% (w/v).