Low-moisture dough samples were prepared with palatinose, palatinit and sugar. The DSC characteristics of each dough sample, the farinograph and extensograph trace of wheat flour dough, and the solubility of gluten were measured. A fracture test, measurements of the swelling capacity and amylose solubility, and microscopic observations of the baked samples were also conducted. The texture was different among the baked samples. Palatinose endowed a remarkably hard texture, while the baked sample containing palatinit was as easy to break as the baked sample containing sugar. Palatinose and palatinit also increased the gelatinization temperature of starch, like sugar did. Palatinose and palatinit inhibited the formation of gluten in the baked samples, like sugar did, although the quality of the gluten formed was quite different among them. It is concluded that this difference in the effect of the saccharide sweeteners on gluten was reflected in the texture of the baked samples.

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We studied the core characteristics of spaghetti samples boiled for 5-20 minutes and related them to the perception of "al-dente". A sensory evaluation, breaking test and magnified photographic observation of the spaghetti core were conducted, and the ratio of weight increase, moisture content and, gelatinization ratio were examined.
The sensory evaluation showed that the Japanese perception of al-dente spaghetti was that boiled for 10-11 minutes, which corresponded to a weight increase ratio of 2.3-2.4, water content of 63-64%, gelatinization ratio of over 90%, and no rigid white core in the spaghetti strands.
It has been reported that the Italian perception of al-dente involved a weight increase ratio of 2.1-2.2. The samples boiled for 8-9 minutes were equivalent to that, and resulted in a fine rigid white core in the strands.
The curves for the breaking characteristics could be divided into three sections: double, shoulder and single peaks. Italian al-dente formed the shoulder peak, and that for the Japanese formed a single peak. Keeping for 20 minutes after boiling changed the shoulder peak to a single peak and decreased the breaking properties, although there was no change in the gelatinization ratio.

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Gloss expressed by various kinds of modified starch was investigated in both model systems of baking and wetting and in actual foods. Mildly cross-linked starches seemed to be suitable for foods with a high content of water, and oxidized starches or dextrins for baking those foods with a relatively low water content. Amylose released in the process of gelatinization seemed to play an important role in the gloss expression.

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The brown color of food was compared after cooking in pans made from carbon steel (Fe) and fluoroplastic coated aluminum (Al-F). A difference in the browning rate was found between the two pan materials, the water content of the food, and the cooking method employed. The browning rate increased linearly in the first to middle stage of heating. The browning time for food heated in the Al-F pans was about twice as long for baking, and nearly,1.5 times as long for stir-frying than when using the Fe pans. There was uneven heating and few yellow regions in the food heated in the Fe pans. The browning rate gradually fell with increasing water content of the food samples, and the browning time for high-moisture food being twice as long as that for low-moisture food. The browning time for stir-frying was 1.5 to twice as long as that for baking method.

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Barley β-glucan was added to nine kinds of cooked food, and its effect on the taste was studied by a sensory analysis. It was possible to add barley β-glucan to various ccoked foods. The results of the sensory analysis showed, however that an increasing addition of the amount of barley β-glucan resulted in a decreasing taste rating. The effect of adding barley β-glucan on the physical properties of six of the nine cooked foods was also studied. With those foods that expand when heated, the expansion was restrained and the loaf volume decreased with increasing addition of barley β-glucan. It was found for all the cooked foods tested that L value was decreased, the a value increased and the color offood darkened by adding barley β-glucan. With solid foods, the hardness was increased and the cohesiveness tended to be decreased with increasing addition of barley β-glucan.

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We examined the image of modern Kyo-ryori and the attraction of Kyoto. A questionnaire survey was carried out for the residents of Kyoto prefecture, residents outside Kyoto prefecture and chefs of Kyo-ryori. Most of the respondents to the questionnaire answered that the image of Kyo-ryori was "Kaiseki-lyori", "Cyakaiseki" and "Japanese cuisine". As the image of the color of Kyo-lyori, many of those outside Kyoto prefecture described reddish color, and also purplish color that seldom exists in the food themselves. This suggested the feeling of "gorgeousness" and "nobility" towards Kyo-ryori. As a result of the factor analysis of the image of Kyo-ryori, the first factor that can be described as "emotional grace" was extracted. The result suggests that those eating Kyo-ryori imagine the cuisine as representing the traditional culture of Kyoto.

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We investigated the effect of mirin intake on the excretion of 8-OHdG. Mirin was concentrated at 90°C to half the original amount. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity of the concentrated mirin was 7 times as high that of the original mirin. Nine healthy adults were given 60 ml/day of concentrated mirin for seven days. A marked reduction in the mean urinary level of 8-OHdG was apparent by mirin intake: the mean urinary level of 8-OHdG before mirin intake was 9.5ng/mg of CRE and 7.4 ng/mg of CRE after mirin intake. This result suggests that concentrated mirin intake can reduce the level of oxidative DNA damage.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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Domestically produced soybean cultivated without an agricultural chemicals and GM-free tends to be used by tofu makers in preference to imported soybean, nigari being more popular than sumasi-ko. The density of tofu was greatest in the Okinawa region and mountainous area of the Shikoku region, while the price of tofu was highest in the central area of Japan, and lowest in the western and northern areas of Japan. Of the five makers interviewed in the Okinawa and the mountainous area of the Shikoku region, all manufacture tofu by the Namashibori method, and are unique in comparison with the other areas in using an iron kettle directly heated by gas. The Mg content is higher than that of Ca, and nigari is most commonly used in the current production of tofu, with Na-containing additives being supplemented. The hardness and gel strength are higher in the Shikoku and Okinawa regions, and lower in the Kanto and Tohoku regions.

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[in Japanese]

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