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Animal Food Function Lab
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A lab studying animal-derived foods and the immunomodulatory functions of lactic acid bacteria.
AboutAbout the lab
Opening the future of food at the frontier of immunology and microbiology
The lab conducts research to improve the health and physiological functions of livestock such as cattle and pigs, and to make use of safe, highly functional animal-derived foods.
Drawing on food immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, genetic engineering, and carbohydrate chemistry, the lab pursues health and functionality from the perspective of animal production science.
It focuses on probiotics, such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, that function in fermented milk, cheese, and feed additives, and investigates how they modulate mucosal immunity.
Students and staff isolate functional bacteria from milk and intestinal samples and explore their potential.
Key terms
- Probiotics
- Beneficial bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, that are used in fermented milk and feed additives and support health
- Immunobiotics
- Bacteria that modulate mucosal immunity. A type of probiotic that this lab focuses on
- Gut microbiota
- The community of bacteria living in the intestine. Also called gut flora
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received the Excellent Presentation Award at the 134th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Animal Science
A master's student received the Young Researcher Excellent Presentation Award at the symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Japanese Society of Dairy Science
A paper first-authored by a doctoral student was accepted by Microbiology Spectrum
A doctoral student received the Young Researcher Excellent Presentation Award at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria
A paper first-authored by a Project Assistant Professor was published online ahead of print in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to improve both the health of livestock and the value of animal-derived foods from the perspectives of immunology and microbiology. It studies the actions of lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, and others using methods from food immunology, microbiology, and related fields.
*Illustrative imageHow Lactic Acid Bacteria Regulate Immunity
The lab analyzes and evaluates the immunomodulatory functions of probiotics, both as bacteria that regulate mucosal immunity (immunobiotics) and as the factors involved (immunogenics), and explores new health functions and possible applications.
*Illustrative imageGut Microbiota and Functional Bacteria
Using gut environment models of humans and animals, the lab isolates and cultures functional bacteria other than lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, and also works on isolating or inducing their active components. In addition to the healthy rearing of livestock, it has applications in medicine and pharmacy in view.
MembersFaculty
The lab consists of faculty members, faculty members with concurrent appointments, visiting faculty, researchers, administrative staff and technical assistants, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, visiting researchers, and special visiting trainees. Faculty from the International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology also join the lab on a concurrent basis.As of 2026
- ProfessorHaruki Kitazawa
- Associate ProfessorKeita Nishiyama
- Assistant ProfessorWakako Ohtsubo
- Project Assistant ProfessorKaede Namai
- Project Assistant ProfessorWeichen Gong
- International Distinguished ProfessorJulio Villena
- Assistant ProfessorLeonardo Miguel Albarracín
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Labneh ( )” Leslie Seaton from Seattle, WA, USA / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- How Lactic Acid Bacteria Regulate Immunity: “Lactobacillus rhamnosus” Bsimon2014 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Gut Microbiota and Functional Bacteria: “Microbiology techniques 2” Luis Fernando Flores LAB / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Animal Functional Morphology Lab): “Cows and calves in the project dairy barn - DPLA - c909d9085531ee0ff2c67” Rothstein, Arthur / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Animal Nutritional Biochemistry Lab): “Senyum Peternak Ayam Petelur” Achmad Fazeri / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Marine Life Genetic Information Lab): “FMIB 41451 Interior of fish hatchery” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Animal Environmental Management Lab): “Mosquitoes in cup” Bluerasberry / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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