Abstract
Cooked rice palatability and the evaluation of sake by taste sensors were analyzed for 11 rice samples, including rice suitable for sake brewing and edible rice harvested in 2007. The evaluation of sake by taste sensors showed that sake using rice suitable for sake brewing for Kakemai had a rich taste, whereas sake using edible rice for Kakemai had a fresh/ exhilarating taste. To investigate the cause for this, the contents of free amino acids and free sugars in sake were determined. The contents of Asp, Thr, Ser, Leu, Tyr, Phe, Met and Lys in sake using edible rice for Kakemai were higher than those of rice suitable for sake brewing for Kakemai. The fructose contents in sake using rice suitable for sake brewing for Kakemaiwere higher than those of edible rice for Kakemai. However, the glucose contents in sake using rice suitable for sake brewing for Kakemai were lower than those of edible rice for Kakemai. These results suggested that the contents of free amino acids and free sugars had considerable effect on difference in sake taste using rice cultivars for Kakemai. The evaluation of sake by test sensors showed the possibility for a clear classification of sake by rice cultivars used for Kakemai.
