Japanese company wants to use bacteria in airag

In summer 2007, Gentaro Yasuda of Calpis Co. traveled to Mongolia in search of new types of lactic acid bacteria. He visited gers to sample and compare airag, the homemade fermented horse milk liquor whose recipes date back thousands of years. Calpis, with a research institute affiliated with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, concluded an agreement with the Mongolian government that stipulates that bacterium will be isolated at a Mongolian laboratory, the isolated strains will be stored in both countries, and a fixed sum will be paid to the Mongolian side at the time of any patent application.