MEIJI CO., LTD.

The effects of NMN on infants are clarified. The object is to provide a composition that can promote development of brain functions in infants or children. There is provided a composition for promoting development of a brain function in an infant or child, the composition comprising a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-related substance or a salt thereof acceptable for use in foods or pharmaceuticals. The development of a brain function is preferably development in any area selected from the group consisting those of communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social.

A means for controlling growth of bacteria of the genus Collinsella in the intestinal tract is provided. An object of the present invention is to provide a novel material that can control growth of bacteria of the genus Collinsella . There is provided a composition for controlling growth of bacteria of the genus Collinsella in intestinal bacterial microbiota, which contains any selected from the group consisting of a human milk oligosaccharide and a constituent sugar of a human milk oligosaccharide.

A food physical property evaluation method includes: placing a food to be evaluated on a lower occlusal part of a lower plunger which has a shape to occlude with an upper occlusal part of an upper plunger and faces the upper occlusal part of the upper plunger; causing the upper plunger or the lower plunger to perform a reciprocating linear movement in a linear direction in which the upper plunger and the lower plunger are occluded and separated, causing the upper plunger or the lower plunger to perform a reciprocating rotation movement in a rotation direction with the linear direction as a rotation axis, and adjusting a pressure applied between the upper plunger and the lower plunger; and measuring a physical quantity including a force and a torque applied to the upper plunger or the lower plunger, and evaluating food physical properties based on the physical quantity.

There is provided a composition that comprises a propionic acid bacterium or a composition that comprises an oligosaccharide. The composition that comprises a propionic acid bacterium or the composition that comprises an oligosaccharide can suppress an increase of body weight of a subject by having the subject ingest the composition.

This invention provides an expanded food containing a milk protein in a proportion of 75 mass % or more based on the total protein, wherein the expanded food has a pore structure as measured with an X-ray computed tomography scanner, the structure satisfying the following ranges: Specific Surface Areas: (1A) Specific surface area of solid region: 6 to 22/mm; and (1B) Specific surface area of void: 3 to 8/mm.

An object is to provide a method for effectively utilizing byproducts of the production of dairy products. Another object is to provide a method for producing galactosylkojibiose having a superior prebiotic ability. Another object is to provide a solution or composition comprising galactosylkojibiose, wherein at least 80% of galactosylkojibiose is maintained even after heated. A method for producing a composition comprising an oligosaccharide, the method comprising the step of allowing a glucansucrase to act on a composition comprising lactose and sucrose to obtain a composition comprising galactosylkojibiose is provided. It is preferable to use a lactic acid bacterium that constitutively expresses a membrane-bound type glucansucrase. There are provided a solution containing galactosylkojibiose, which has a pH lower than 7, and a composition comprising galactosylkojibiose, wherein when the composition is made into a solution having a solid content concentration of 10 to 80%, the solution has a pH lower than 7.

The present invention provides firm set-type pasteurized fermented milk. The set-type pasteurized fermented milk of the present invention has curd tension (X) and particle size after stirring (Y) that satisfy the following conditions: a curd tension (X) of 20 g to 220 g, a particle size after stirring (Y) of 166.5 μm to 2.5 μm, and Y≤−0.82X+183.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to amino acid-containing granules containing an amino acid as a main component, the amino acid-containing granules having an average particle diameter of 150 μm to 500 μm and a homogeneity U of 0.70 or less, in which the average particle diameter and the homogeneity U are determined by the following measurement method.

A hydrous oily food having a moisture content of 3% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, and containing a water-based continuous phase and an oil-based continuous phase.

The object is to increase the relative abundances of Parabacteroides bacteria and Bifidobacterium bacteria in the intestinal flora. A composition for improvement of intestinal flora is provided, which comprises any selected from the group consisting of kojibiose and oligosaccharides having kojibiose as a constituent sugar.