Effects of Some Vitamins and Amino Acids on the Hardening of "Shiratama-ko", Paste

Studies on the Improvement of "Mochi-gashi", Recipe (Part III)

Abstract

Two grams of "Shiratama-ko", commercially available flour which was prepared from polished waxy rice grains, almost freed from water soluble substances and chiefly composed of waxy rice starch, was mixed with 1.6ml of an aqueous solution or water suspension of some vitamins, amino acids or their derivatives, and then heated. The resultant pastes were stored at 2°C. The hardness of the paste was followed by measuring the gel strength by means of a curd meter. It was found that the addition of less than 2g of the following compounds per 100g of Shiratama-ko decreased the gel strength of the paste; nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, paminobenzoic acid, tryptophan, phenylalanine and some derivatives of nicotinic acid, benzoic acid and tryptophan. The addition of 1.6g nicotinamide per 100g of Shiratama-ko decreased the gel strength of the paste stored at temperatures between 8 and 12°C, and increased beetween-10 and -13°C, on the contrary.