Precipitation of a carbohydrate, such as trehalose, in a solution is prevented by mixing an effective amount of at least one antifreeze protein with the carbohydrate in the solution, wherein the antifreeze protein is in whole or in part one of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, and SEQ ID NO: 4, and the antifreeze protein mass to the carbohydrate mass is between about 1:8000 and 1:30. The method is especially useful for improving the applications of a carbohydrate, such as trehalose, and the quality of the carbohydrate-containing products in industries by preventing crystallization of the carbohydrate in formulations and products.

The present invention relates to a modified MNEI protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has two or more amino acids deletions, insertions, replacements, or any combination thereof, from a reference MNEI protein, wherein the modified MNEI protein has at least one improved food-related property compared to the reference MNEI protein; and to uses thereof in the food industry.

The present invention relates to a modified MNEI protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has two or more amino acids deletions, insertions, replacements, or any combination thereof, from a reference MNEI protein, wherein the modified MNEI protein has at least one improved food-related property compared to the reference MNEI protein; and to uses thereof in the food industry.

The present invention relates to a modified protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has one or more amino acids replacements from a reference protein, wherein the modified protein has at least one improved food-related property compared to the reference protein and to uses thereof in the food industry.

The present invention relates to a modified protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has one or more amino acids replacements from a reference protein, wherein the modified protein has at least one improved food-related property compared to the reference protein and to uses thereof in the food industry.

The invention relates to disulfide-rich peptides derived from spider venom and their use, particularly as neuroprotective agents. The invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding the peptides as well as constructs and host cells comprising those nucleic acid molecules.

Newly identified fungal sweet-taste modifying proteins, and the cDNA encoding said proteins are described. Specifically, Myd proteins active in sweet taste activation, and the cDNA encoding the same, are described, along with methods for isolating such cDNA and for isolating and expressing such proteins. Also disclosed is use of a sweetening composition which includes the proteins of the invention, and methods to provide improved flavor to a product for oral administration.

The present invention relates to functional taste-improving composition comprising at least one taste-modifying protein (TMP), e.g., a sweet protein (SP) and at least one micropatching (MP) agent; and to uses thereof in the food and beverage industry.

Provided are a novel Dermatophagoides farinae protein, and a diagnostic drug, a prophylactic drug and a therapeutic drug for an allergic disease caused by Dermatophagoides farinae. A Dermatophagoides farinae protein selected from the group consisting of the following (a) to (c), or a fragment peptide thereof: (a) a protein including an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2; (b) a protein including an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acids have been substituted, deleted, or added relative to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, and having allergenicity of Dermatophagoides farinae; and (c) a protein including an amino acid sequence having 90% or higher identity with the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, and having allergenicity of Dermatophagoides farinae.

A method for constructing an metal ion binding motif by identifying an metal ion binding peptide that binds an metal ion with specificity, ascertaining at least a portion of a nucleic acid sequence encoding the metal ion binding peptide, tailoring the nucleic acid sequence encoding the metal ion binding peptide into an metal ion binding site, identifying a host protein and a relevant portion of the nucleic acid sequence of the host protein, operatively linking the tailored nucleic acid sequence encoding the metal ion binding peptide and the host protein nucleic acid sequence into an metal ion binding motif sequence, and expressing metal ion binding motif sequence, in which the nucleic acid sequence encoding the metal ion binding peptide is tailored so as to achieve the metal ion binding motif with a desired specificity for the metal ion. Also, the proteins encoded by the metal ion binding motif sequence as constructed by the method.