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.