The dairy industry today faces a problem of providing an alternative to adding sweeteners to fermented milk products in order to achieve the desired sweet taste without the added calories. Furthermore, it would be highly advantageous to establish a method for reducing lactose in fermented milk products to a level which is acceptable for lactose-intolerant consumers. The above problems have been solved by providing mutant Streptococcus thermophilus strains and mutant Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains that excrete glucose to the milk when the milk is inoculated and fermented with such Streptococcus thermophilus strains and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus strains. Thus, the present invention relates to strains of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus which secrete glucose to the milk substrate during fermentation, as well as to mixed cultures comprising the Streptococcus thermophilus strains and the Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus strains, starter cultures comprising the strains and dairy products manufactured with the cultures. The present method also relates to use of the strains for decreasing the lactose content of a fermented food product and for boosting growth of the probiotic BB-12®.

The present invention relates to the field of microbiology, specifically the field of production of a dairy food product using fermentation and the field of gene transfer by conjugation.

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 present invention relates to a composition for producing a fermented milk product comprising (i) at least one Streptococcus thermophilus (St) strain, wherein the St strain is galactose-fermenting, wherein the strain carries a mutation in the DNA sequence of the glcK gene encoding a glucokinase protein, wherein the mutation inactivates the glucokinase protein or has a negative effect on expression of the gene, and (ii) at least one Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Lb) strain, wherein the Lb strain is lactose-deficient and capable of metabolizing a non-lactose carbohydrate.

The present invention relates to a composition for producing a fermented milk product comprising (i) at least one Streptococcus thermophilus (St) strain, wherein the St strain is galactose-fermenting, wherein the strain carries a mutation in the DNA sequence of the glcK gene encoding a glucokinase protein, wherein the mutation inactivates the glucokinase protein or has a negative effect on expression of the gene, and (ii) at least one Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Lb) strain, wherein the Lb strain is lactose-deficient and capable of metabolizing a non-lactose carbohydrate.

A method for producing a cheese with reduced amount of galactose comprising inoculating milk with Streptococcus thermophilus Gal(+) bacteria and Lactobacillus Gal(+) Lac(−) bacteria.

A delayed-release composition composed of a Lactobacillus bacterium, Bifidobacterium longum, Streptococcus thermophlus, inulin and xylooligosaccharide is provided for use in reducing nitrogenous waste products in the blood and treating renal failure.

The present invention relates to a bacterial of the Streptococcus thermophilus species with reference CNRZ160, for use in the prevention and/or treatment of intestinal inflammation in an individual.

Disclosed is a composition for promoting absorption of a poorly water-soluble phytochemical which can significantly improve the intake of a phytochemical into a body, especially a migration speed and/or a migration amount of the phytochemical into a blood. A polysaccharide-containing lactic acid bacterial product, which is produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus OLL1251, can significantly enhance the intake of a phytochemical Into a body, especially a migration speed and/or a migration amount of the phytochemical into a blood. Thus, the composition for promoting absorption of a phytochemical according to the present invention includes, as an active ingredient, the polysaccharide-containing lactic acid bacterial product. Furthermore, the composition for promoting absorption of a phytochemical is useful as a food additive composition. In addition, a food, or a beverage, or a food or beverage composition to which the composition for promoting absorption of a phytochemical is added can obtain an effect of promoting absorption of phytochemical.

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.