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 present invention provides a method of controlling growth of unwanted microorganisms by limiting their access to manganese. More specifically, the present invention provides a method of inhibiting or delaying growth of yeast and mold by reducing the manganese concentration in a product which is preferably a food product. The invention also provides manganese scavengers and uses thereof to inhibit or delay fungal growth. The manganese scavenger may be a bacterial cell, specifically a lactic acid bacterial cell, more specifically Lactobacillus rhamnosus alone or in combination with Lactobacillus paracasei.

A Lactobacillus species strain isolated from kimchi or human feces is described. The particular bacillus species strain described is highly safe by being isolated from kimchi or human feces and has various functionalities, such as excellent blood sugar control activity, anti-obesity activity, blood cholesterol-lowering activity, blood neutral lipid-lowering activity, arteriosclerosis-inhibiting activity or inflammation-inhibiting activity. Accordingly, the particular bacillus species strain described can be used as a useful food and drug material for preventing, alleviating or treating a metabolic syndrome including diabetes, obesity, fatty liver, glycosuria, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arteriosclerosis and/or diabetes, an inflammatory disease, and the like.

A Lactobacillus species strain isolated from kimchi or human feces is described. The particular bacillus species strain described is highly safe by being isolated from kimchi or human feces and has various functionalities, such as excellent blood sugar control activity, anti-obesity activity, blood cholesterol-lowering activity, blood neutral lipid-lowering activity, arteriosclerosis-inhibiting activity or inflammation-inhibiting activity. Accordingly, the particular bacillus species strain described can be used as a useful food and drug material for preventing, alleviating or treating a metabolic syndrome including diabetes, obesity, fatty liver, glycosuria, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arteriosclerosis and/or diabetes, an inflammatory disease, and the like.

The present invention relates to a method for reducing the concentration of pathogenic organisms such as Listeria spp. in fermented food products. The method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a food material, (ii) mixing said food material with a starter culture, (iii) mixing the food material with at least one adjunct culture in form of a bacteriocin-producing Pediococcus species, (iv) subjecting the mixture provided in step (iii) to a fermentation process, said fermentation process being con-ducted at conditions that are sub-optimal for growth of the bacteriocin-producing Pediococcus species in order to provide a limited acidification and allow for a high production of bacteriocin, and obtain a fermented food product. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of bacteriocin-producing Pediococcus species as an adjunct culture for securing microbial safety of fermented food products.

Inorganic anions nitrate and nitrite influence metabolic rate and glucose homeostasis. Infusion of nitrite iv caused an acute drop in resting energy expenditure (oxygen consumption) and nitrate, when given perorally, caused a reduction in oxygen consumption during exercise and a depression of the increase in blood glucose observed after an oral glucose tolerance test. The doses of nitrate and nitrite did not cause any detectable change in methemoglobin levels of blood. Also, nitrate and nitrite did not alter lactate levels in blood. This discovery provides useful treatments to regulate the energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis of a mammal by administration of inorganic nitrite and/or nitrate.

Inorganic anions nitrate and nitrite influence metabolic rate and glucose homeostasis. Infusion of nitrite iv caused an acute drop in resting energy expenditure (oxygen consumption) and nitrate, when given perorally, caused a reduction in oxygen consumption during exercise and a depression of the increase in blood glucose observed after an oral glucose tolerance test. The doses of nitrate and nitrite did not cause any detectable change in methemoglobin levels of blood. Also, nitrate and nitrite did not alter lactate levels in blood. This discovery provides useful treatments to regulate the energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis of a mammal by administration of inorganic nitrite and/or nitrate.

The present invention relates to a novel Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (deposited as Korea Accession Number accession KCCM11830P) strain and a composition comprising the same. The novel strain has abilities of preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, or improving sexual function.

The present invention relates to a novel Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (deposited as Korea Accession Number accession KCCM11830P) strain and a composition comprising the same. The novel strain has abilities of preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, or improving sexual function.

The present invention is directed to a method for decreasing the lag time in a fermentation of a culture medium to prepare a target substance, wherein the target substance is not yogurt and wherein the fermentation results in formation of acid or ethanol, which method comprises the steps of providing, to a suitable culture medium, a fermentation starter culture comprising a microorganism which liberates acid or ethanol, adding a potato protein protease inhibitor to the culture medium, culturing the microorganism, and obtaining the target substance.

It has been found that addition of potato protein protease inhibitor to a fermentation feed significantly reduces the lag time of the fermentation. The required amount of potato protein is low enough not to affect the taste of the target substance adversely, and the lag time reduction occurs both in batch- and in semi-continuous processes. The invention further pertains to a fermented food product which is not yogurt, comprising potato protein protease inhibitor.