A biofertilizer composition and method of manufacturing the same contains a microorganism consortium in culture medium, a first additive having an organic acid chelating agent, a second additive having a nitrogen source, a potassium source, a chelated metal, and a salt, and water. The microorganism consortium comprises, at least, beneficial lactic acid fermenting microbes, bacteria belonging to the Bacilli class, and yeast.

Disclosed is a new and emerging serotype of Streptococcus pneumoniae designated serotype 6C, and assays and monoclonal antibodies useful in identifying same. Also disclosed is a novel pneumococcal polysaccharide with the repeating unit {.fwdarw.2) glucose 1 (1.fwdarw.3) glucose 2 (1.fwdarw.3) rhamnose (1.fwdarw.3) ribitol (5.fwdarw.phosphate}. This new serotype may be included in pneumococcal vaccines.

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 soybean yogurt lactic acid bacterium-fermented soybean foodstuff.

The present invention relates to the field of poly- and oligosaccharides and their dietary effects. In particular it relates to a method of producing a branched -glucan. Further aspects of the invention are a branched -glucan comprising linear segments of (1.fwdarw.4) linked D-glucose units interspersed with (1.fwdarw.6) glucosidic linkages and having (14,6) branching points; a food composition; and the use of an -glucanotransferase enzyme for reducing the digestible carbohydrates of a starch containing food material.

The invention provides compositions comprising bacterial strains for treating and preventing central nervous system disorders and conditions.

There is provided a lactic acid bacteria strain, Lactococcus lactis with accession number IDAC 270613-01, having a short fermentation lag phase of 1 to 5 hours which is compatible with modern bread making methods. Pre-ferment methods which use the strain for manufacture of leavened products and the leavened products produced therefrom are also disclosed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently obtaining a lactic bacterium having a high double-stranded RNA content obtained by the method. The object is achieved by: (1) a method for producing a double-stranded RNA-containing lactic acid bacterium, including a step of culturing a lactic acid bacterium under at least one condition of an aeration condition and a low-temperature condition lower than an optimum temperature, thereby obtaining the double-stranded RNA-containing lactic acid bacterium; (2) a double-stranded RNA-containing lactic acid bacterium, in which the content of double-stranded RNA is 2.0 times or more as compared with the content of double stranded RNA when a bacterium of the same strain is cultured for the same culture time under an optimum temperature and non-aeration condition; or the like.

The present invention discloses strains of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus which have a capacity to degrade gliadin peptides involved in coeliac disease and which peptide degrading activity is stable under low pH and in the presence of mammalian digestive enzymes. These strains are suitable in a product for use in prevention and/or treatment of celiac disease.

Provided are a composition and a food or drink, having the effect of enhancing an immune response to an antigen, which is administered by another route such as subcutaneous injection, by orally administering to a subject, lactic acid bacteria, a culture thereof, a treated product thereof, or a composition comprising the same. An oral ingestion composition, which comprises a lactic acid bacterium strain that is Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis enhancing the proliferation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and the generation of antibodies, or a culture or treated product thereof, and is used in combination with an antigen as a vaccine, wherein the oral ingestion composition is for use in enhancing the proliferation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) specific to the antigen and the generation of antibodies specific to the antigen.

A pharmaceutical preparation for prophylaxis against and treatment of Staphylococcus induced infections or condi-tions in humans and animals, is disclosed, wherein it comprises a combination of a) one or more viable -Streptococcus strains chosen from the group consisting of the Streptococcus sanguis JI strains having the accession numbers NCTMB 40104, NCTMB 40105, NCIMB 40106, and NCIMB 40873, the Streptococcus mitis strains having the accession numbers NCIMB 40107, and NCIMB 40874, the Streptococcus oralis strains having the accession numbers NCIMB 40875 and NCIMB 40876, the Streptococcus lactis strain LIA having the accession number NCIMB 40157, and one or more variants thereof having the same or essentially similar effect; and b) one or more viable Lactobacillus strains chosen from the group consisting of the Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain LB2 I having the accession number NCIMB 40564, the Lactobacillus plantamm strain LB3 having the accession number DSM 17852, and the Lactobacillus plantarwn strain LB7 having the accession number DSM 1 7853, and one or more variants thereof having the same or essentially similar effect; in at least one pharmaceutically acceptable medium in which said strains maintain their viability, as well as a kit for and a method of prophylaxis and treatment of Staphylococcus induced infections and conditions, and use.