The invention provides a method for producing a fermentedmilk that conveniently gives excellent taste and flavor or functionalities, such as antihypertensive effect, to fermented food and beverages. The method enables effective production of particular peptides having useful functions, such as antihypertensive effect, in the resulting fermented milk. The invention also provides fermented milk food and beverages utilizing the fermented milk, which have excellent taste and flavor and even functionality. The present method includes the steps of (A) enzymatically digesting animal milk casein with protease (1) containing particular proteases such as papain, and (B) fermenting animal milk casein or the like with lactic acid bacteria, to thereby produce VPP, IPP, and YP in the resulting fermented milk. The fermented milk food and beverages of the present invention contain the fermented milk obtained by the present method or a concentrate thereof, and VPP, IPP, and YP at or over particular contents.本發明提供一種產製醱酵乳之方法，其可方便地賦予醱酵食品和飲料優異味道和風味或機能，如抗高血壓功效。該方法可促使在所得醱酵乳中有效產製具有有用機能(如抗高血壓功效)之特別肽類。本發明亦利用前述醱酵乳提供醱酵乳食品和飲料，其具有優良的味道和風味以及甚至機能性。本發明方法包含下列步驟：(A)使用含有特別的蛋白酶(諸如木瓜酶)之蛋白酶(1)酶催化性消化動物奶酪蛋白，和(B)使用乳酸菌醱酵動物奶酪蛋白或類似者，藉此在所得醱酵乳中產製VPP、IPP及YP。本發明之醱酵乳食品和飲料含有特別含量或超過特別含量的以本發明方法所得醱酵乳或其濃縮物，及VPP、IPP及YP。
