Four alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, sake and chuhi sour) were investigated to evaluate the sensory compatibility between these alcoholic beverages and foods. A total of 876 consumers, including brewery staff in the Kanto area, participated in this study. The participants were asked to grade these beverages on a 6-point scale according to the perceived compatibility with various foods.
The average scores indicate that each alcoholic beverage had varying affinity to different foods in the minds of consumers. As a whole, beer tended to score relatively highly regardless of the food variety, whereas wine was considered to have more specific affinity to certain types of food. When the foods were ranked according to the compatibility scores with a particular alcoholic beverage, beer and chuhi exhibited broadly similar profiles.
The results are also discussed of a principal component analysis for mapping foods.

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The spray-dried egg white proteins and freeze-dried ovalburnin were each dry-heated under a trace amount of water at 120° for 6h. The rheological and microstructurel characteristics of the heatinduced gels of the prepared four samples were compared before and after dry-heating. Every 10%sample solution (w/w) with and without NaCl (concentrations: 0,1 and 3% (w/w)) was heated at 80° for 15min. Gel strengths, creep curves and scanning electron microscopic microstructures of the resultant gels were compared. The dry-heating treatment induced improvements in rheological properties in the increasing gel strength and elasticity and in the microstructure on formation of a rather uniform three-dimensional network of interconnected protein strand particles which were closely packed. The dry-heated egg white proteins resulted in the formation of harder gels in the absence of NaCl which were different from the other gels.

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A comparison of the salt concentration in miso soup made by the families of female students in Nagasaki and Osaka showed that it was higher in Nagasaki (1.25%) than in Osaka (0.83%). This low salt concentration in Osaka is considered to be due to the quantity of miso used, being about half that used in Nagasaki, although the salt content of the powdered stock used in Osaka was higher than that used in Nagasaki. We next studied whether the use of more concentrated stock led to a lower salt concentration in miso soup or not. The salt concentration in miso soup decreased with increasing concentration of the stock, and it was reduced by 0.16% by preparing the stock with 2-3%, rather than 0.5%, of dried bonito shavings. We found that miso soup with a salt concentration of 0.8-1.0% could be prepared by extracting 1 cup of dried bonito shavings with 1 cup of water and dissolving 2 teaspoonfuls (10cc) of miso per person.

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The effects of citric acid and acetic acid on the rheological properties of corn starch pastes were studied by steady and dynamic viscoelasticity and intrinsic viscosity measurements, and by microscopic observation. The pH value of corn starch dispersion was arbitrarily adjusted to between 6.0and 3.0. The viscosity of the pastes was increased by decreasing pH value (between 5.5 and 3.8), while the viscosity of samples with a pH value below 3.5 was lower than that of the control (pH =6.3). Many glucose chains were leached out from the starch granules by adding acid, which led to hydrolysis of glucose chains. No decrease in the viscoelasticity of the corn starch pastes was apparent from adding acid at 25°C after gelatinization, indicating that the degree of this hydrolysis was low.

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A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2,633 university and college students in Japan to investigate the custom of eating Zoni. Ninety two percent of the students ate Zoni during the period from January 1 st to 6 th in 2002. Natural ingredients were used by 60.4% of the students to prepare the soup for Zoni.
Soy sauce was the most used seasoning for Zoni, with soybean paste being used in the Kinki district, and in Tokushima, Kagawa and Fukui prefectures.
The results of a CHAID analysis show that Zoni can be classified into two main groups, i. e., containing and without chicken. These two groups can be divided into two sub-groups, i. e., Zoni containing round-shaped rice cakes and that containing square-shaped rice cakes. These two subgroups can each being further divided into eight categories as follows: Zoni-containing tuna flakes, dried mushroom, gobo roots, or fish cake and that without each of these ingredients.

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The polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity in the leaves, stalk or flesh, and core or peel of seven vegetables was determined, and the temperature, time and pH value required for the thermal inactivation of the enzyme were investigated.
The PPO activity was highest at the bottom of the stalk in spinach, celery and komatsuna and in the core of cabbage, while the PPO activity in radish, carrot, and onion was highest in the peel. The enzyme activity was rapidly decreased by incubating for 10min at a temperature above 50°C for celery and 60°C for spinach, cabbage and komatsuna, whereas the carrot PPO activity was gradually decreased above 60°C and reduced to 19% by heating at 70°C for 10min. The enzyme obtained from carrot was the most heat resistant, requiring 59.3min at 65°C for 90% reduction of the activity. The z value of PPO prepared from five vegetables ranged from 6.1°C to 11.5°C. A change in pH from 5.5to 4.0 resulted in a substantial reduction in the D value of radish PPO.

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Recent interest on the immune system has been focused on the Th 1/Th 2 balance, because this greatly contributes to controlling the balance between cellular and hormonal immunity. Such cytokines as IL-10 and IL-12, which are produced by monocyte/macrophages, play an important role in the Th 1/Th 2 balance.
THP-1 cells, which were used as the model of monocyte/macrophages, were cultured in the presence of seven different vegetable extracts. The contents of IL-10 and IL-12 in the culture medium and the viability of the cells were respectively determined by ELISA and a WST-1 assay. A Japanese white radish extract induced cell proliferation which caused an increase in the contents of IL-10 and IL-12 in the culture medium. Cooking, especially heating and the addition of soy sauce reduced the functions of Japanese white radish.
These results indicate that the effects of cooking on the biological activities of food materials have to be examined in order to judge the real activities of food in various dishes.

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The use of ginger in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine was compared by studying 25 cookery books. Ginger was found in 717 of the 2,629 dishes examined. The use in each dish was examined in respect to the main ingredients, cooking method, cutting technique, and other herbs or spices used.
Ginger was used in 48% of Chinese dish, the proportion being highest when meat or fish was boiled or steamed. This suggests that ginger was mainly used as a deodorant or for enhancing the flavor and taste. In Korean cuisine, ginger was used with high frequency in pickled dishes in conjunction with many other herbs and spices. Ginger was employed as one of many kinds of herbs used to produce a complex taste and flavor. In Japanese cuisine, ginger was generally used as the sole herb in a dish, particularly to decorate the dish and enhance its desirability. An additional characteristic was the many uses of fresh ginger whose taste and aroma could be directly appreciated.

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A study was made of the ingredients and qualities of momen tofu made and eaten in three areas of the Chubu region in central Japan. Domestically produced soybean tends to be used instead of imported soybean, and nigari (MgCl₂) instead of sumashi-ko (CaSO₄) is used as a coagulant of the soymilk in all three areas. Judging from an analysis and the information on the labels, it is evident that the Mg content is higher than the Ca content of momen tofu. All makers in the mountainous region manufacture tofu by the nitori-method, and only one makers uses both the nitori-and namashibori-method. There are several tofu dishes enjoyed in the mountainous region, such as nabe-mono, sashimi-tofu, tempura and tofu-denngaku, and there the taste and flavor of momen tofu is the best. The gel hardness of momen tofu in the mountainous region and in the coastal area of the Sea of Japan is respectively 3.2 and 1.3 times higher than that in the coastal area of the Pacific ocean.

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A questionnaire regarding the usage of edible oil was conducted in 2001 in order to study the relationship between the change in edible oil consumption and the increase in health awareness.
The results were compared with those of our previous questionnaire conducted in 1998. The results show that those edible oils claimed to be good for health are well recognized to reflect the strong concern about life-style related diseases. As was the case in the previous investigation, each household regularly stores on average three kinds of edible oil such as rapeseed (canola),, safflower and corn oils. The proportion of rapeseed oil was higher in the second survey, while that of safflower and corn oils was lower. More households now purchase edible oils based on their value to health than before. The number of households that cook fried dish has increased. In the case of deep -fried dish, however, the households were divided into those with a higher frying frequency and those with a lower frying frequency.
These results indicate that health consciousness has become stronger in the purchase, use, cooking method and disposal of edible oils.

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We analyzed wet-heat cooking methods for pork (182 recipes) and beef (145 recipes) obtained from books and the Internet that are accessible to the general public to identify a general cooking method. The water volume varied from one half to the twice the volume of the meat being cooked, and a 1.0% concentration of sodium chloride was common for both pork and beef. There was a wide variation in the heating time, so a standard time was difficult to define.
For both pork and beef, the water volume, sodium chloride concentration and heating time were significantly different (P<0.05) among the cuts of meat. The water volume was significantly different (P<0.05) among the cuts and sizes of meat for pork, and significant differences (P<0.05) in the heating times among the cuts and sizes were also apparent for both pork and beef. These findings indicate that the cuts and sizes for pork and beef joints need to be considered for constructing a general model of wet-heat cooking.

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The outgenous ground of Jerusalem artichokes in Saga Prefecture was studied, and the idiosyncrasies of the areas suitable for their cultivation and their popularity as a food were examined.
Jerusalem artichokes were currently being eaten by 24 families in 9 areas of 4 districts in Saga Prefecture. These districts were rural areas where people chose to live with nature or where there was little development. Artichokes were eaten in only a few areas of the prefecture during and after the Pacific War and, at that time, were mainly misozuke. A popular method was later developed at Shobu in Fuji-cho where artichokes were cooked in tempura style. The reasons for the decrease in consumption of artichokes were changes in the social and natural environments and the change in taste preferences that accompanied these environmental changes, together with a decline in the consciousness of carrying on the traditional culture of dietary habits and its accompanying psychological influence.

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A collaborative study was designed to examine the applicability of a sensory evaluation to determine the life span of frving oil. Soybean oil was heated at 170°C in an electric fryer. Two types of food, chicken fillet and potato, were deep-fried with or without breaded batter every 15 min. Frying was continued until the flavor score of the oil had dropped to 3. A sensory evaluation of the frying oil and each fried food was then carried out. The life span of the frying oil to reach the flavor score of 3 was slightly longer with breaded batter than without using the batter coating. The color of the frying oil did not exhibit any degradation, especially when potato was fried. It was difficult to judge the degradation by the appearance of each fried food coated with breaded batter. However, the flavor score of the frying oil corresponded to the flavor score of the fried foods coated with breaded batter. The flavor and taste of the foods fried in the oil with a flavor score of 3 were not good. These results suggest that the flavor score of frying oil is useful to determine the life span of frying oil when a breaded batter coating is used.

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The major components, trace elements, ferrocyanide, and viable cell number in common brands of salt were measured. Many types of domestic salt had a significant content of bittern, a lower purity of sodium chloride and less insoluble matter than the imported types. Some imported solar salts contained significant insoluble matter which resulted in contamination by heavy metals. Three of the analyzed samples included 0.5mg/kg of arsenic (the maximum limit according to the Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt) or more, and two samples contained lead or cadmium. Samples with high concentrations of copper, chromium, nickel, and zinc were also found. None of the measured samples had detectable viable cells, and the ferrocyanide ion was contained in four of the imported samples.

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