We investigated the effects of a chicken collagen hydrolysate (CCH) on the circulation system in humans. A total of 58 subjects with either mild hypertension (systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 140-159 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 90-99 mmHg) or high-normal blood pressure (SBP 130-139 mmHg or DBP 85-89 mmHg) were assigned to two groups, one involving a placebo and the other, the test food (including CCH of 2.9 g/d). The parameters related to each subject's circulation system were monitored over the study period of 18 weeks. The Δbrachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness and marker of vascular damage, was significantly lower in the test food group than in the placebo group during the treatment period. The blood pressure in the test food group was also significantly lower than that in the placebo group, while the serum nitrogen oxide was higher in the test food group after the treatment. These results suggest that CCH exerted modulatory effects on the human circulation system.

The aim of this study was to characterize the sensory properties and taste compounds of the fermented milk (FM) produced by two species of lactic acid bacteria, Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus for 16 hours, and to compare them with those of yogurt (YG) made from the same reconstituted milk by Lactobacillus bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. Sensory evaluation showed that the sourness of FM was signifi cantly weaker than that of YG, and that the lactic acid content of FM was signifi cantly smaller than that of YG. The sourness intensity of an organic acid solution reconstituted on the basis of analyses of organic acids in FM was signifi cantly weaker than that of YG. From these results, differences in lactic acid content appeared to be related to differences in sourness intensity between FM and YG.

To determine the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum strain HSK201 on Japanese cedar pollinosis, a single-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in 2008. The HSK201 group was administered fermented milk prepared with HSK201 for 8 weeks, and the placebo group was administered non-fermented milk adjusted to the same acidity and taste. We found HSK201 strain intake to suppress both helper T cell type 1/2 ratio reduction and serum Japanese cedar pollen-specific IgE elevation at the peak of pollen dispersion. In addition, the nasal and ocular symptom scores in the HSK201 group were also lower than those in the placebo group during the early phase of the pollen season. Although this was a preliminary study with 19 employees of our own company serving as subjects, the results suggest that ingestion of the HSK201 strain alleviates pollinosis symptoms during the period when pollen exposure is low and the symptoms are mild.