Bacterial hydrolystate

1. A hydrolysed product suitable for use as a palatability enhancing agent obtainable by a process comprising subjecting a microbial culture which comprises a methanotrophic bacterium and a heterotrophic bacterium, to enzymatic hydrolysis, wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by adding to said culture a nuclease which hydrolyses the DNA and/or RNA content of the culture to produce the corresponding 5′-nucleotides, and separating a soluble fraction comprising the hydrolysed product from the microbial culture, wherein said product comprises from 4 to 15% dry weight of 5′-nucleotides, wherein said culture is subjected to cell lysis before said enzymatic hydrolysis.

2. A food product comprising a hydrolysed material or processed derivative thereof as claimed in claim 1 .

3. The food product as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said food product is a dog food or an additive.

4. The food product as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said food product is a fish food.

5. The food product as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said food product is an extruded fish food in pellet form.

6. The hydrolysed product as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said culture has been produced using methane as the carbon source.

7. The hydrolysed product as claimed in claim 1 , wherein cell lysis is effected by pressure reduction.

8. The hydrolysed product as claimed in claim 1 , wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by additionally contacting said culture with an enzyme having 5′-adenylic deaminase activity.

9. The hydrolysed product as claimed in claim 1 , wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by additionally contacting said culture with a protease.

10. The hydrolysed product as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said culture comprises Methylococcus capsulatus.

11. The hydrolysed product as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said microbial culture is in the form of an aqueous slurry, and wherein the aqueous slurry is optionally heated.

12. A hydrolysed product suitable for use as a palatability enhancing agent obtainable by a process consisting essentially of subjecting a microbial culture which comprises a methanotrophic bacterium and a heterotrophic bacterium, to enzymatic hydrolysis, wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by adding to said culture a nuclease which hydrolyses the DNA and/or RNA content of the culture to produce the corresponding 5′-nucleotides, and separating a soluble fraction comprising the hydrolysed product from the microbial culture, wherein said product comprises from 4 to 15% dry weight of 5′-nucleotides, wherein said culture is subjected to cell lysis before said enzymatic hydrolysis.

13. A process for producing a feedstuff or feedstuff component, comprising subjecting a microbial culture which comprises a methanotrophic bacterium and a heterotrophic bacterium, to enzymatic hydrolysis, wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by adding to said culture a nuclease which hydrolyzes the DNA and/or RNA content of the culture to produce the corresponding 5′-nucleotides, and separating the hydrolysed product from the microbial culture, wherein said product comprises from 4 to 15% dry weight of 5′-nucleotides.

14. A process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said culture has been produced using methane as the carbon source.

15. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein cell lysis is effected by pressure.

16. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by additionally contacting said culture with an enzyme having 5′-adenylic deaminase activity.

17. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein enzymatic hydrolysis is effected by additionally contacting said culture with a protease.

18. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said culture comprises Methylococcus capsulatus.

19. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said microbial culture is in the form of an aqueous slurry, and wherein the aqueous slurry is optionally heated.