We made several samples of custard pudding, using bittern as the coagulant for the egg gel. We examined the quality of the product for its color tone, textural properties, dynamic viscoelasticity, antioxidative capacity, and palatability by a sensory evaluation. The color tone of the product with added bittern was weaker in its yellow note, but brighter than that without bittern. Bittern endowed the custard pudding with low adhesiveness and a soft texture, while reinforcing its antioxidative capacity. The effect of 0.5 wt% added bittern on the dynamic viscoelasticity resulted in storage modulus G′ and loss modulus G″ greatly depending on the frequency in the high-frequency range, while the gel structure of the product gave greater softness than other samples. A sensory evaluation according to the scale of rating showed preference for the product containing 0.5 wt% of bittern, thus confirming the usefulness of adding bittern when making custard pudding.

View full abstract

A comparison was conducted between biscuits made with MCT (MCT-biscuits) and LCT (LCT-biscuits) regarding the physical properties of the dough and baked products, change in form during baking, and internal organization scanned through an electron microscope. Although MCT had lower viscosity than LCT, the dough of the MCT-biscuits showed higher maximum stress and maximum energy. The upward expansion of the MCT-biscuits was not as great as the LCT-biscuits in the early baking stage. The baked MCT-biscuits were smaller and proved higher in fracture parameters. The upward expansion is thought to have been due to gluten, and it is therefore suggested that there was a difference in quality between the glutens formed in MCT and LCT. The membrane produced by gluten inside the LCT-biscuits, was probably formed around bubbles. The MCT-biscuits showed tighter internal organization. It is concluded that MCT influenced the quality of gluten during preparation of the dough, and that the gluten was difficult to extend during baking, MCT therefore helping to produce smaller and harder biscuits.

View full abstract

The bread-making qualities and an analysis of the physical properties of bread and bagels made from wheat flour containing mochihime domestic waxy wheat flour, were investigated. Mochihime was blended at 0-50% with yumechikara domestic extra-strong wheat flour or camellia foreign strong wheat flour. The specific loaf volume of the bread samples decreased with increasing mochihime content in each blend, while the opposite occurred with bagels whose volume increased. Breadcrumbs made from the blended mochihime and yumechikara flour were softer than those made from blended mochihime and camellia flour. The rate of bread staling decreased with increasing yumechikara content, while the cohesiveness of both kinds of bread tended to decrease with increasing mochihime content. It is thought that this decrease in cohesiveness was due to the increased glutinous sensation by adding mochihime. It is considered that soft and glutinous domestic flour bagels, which would be liked by the Japanese, could be made by using blended wheat flour of yumechikara with 40% of mochihime.

View full abstract

Domestic flour was used to produce bread with sugar, salt, water and shirakamikodama yeast. The preparation method and puffing behavior were investigated. The specific volume increased and the maximum force value of the baked bread decreased with increasing kneading time. Leaving the dough untouched under a preparation of 5 minutes was effective for decreasing the labor and improving the preference in the sensory test. The specific volume of the baked bread was high and it was liked in the sensory test. The specific volume was higher when using imported flour by increasing the quantity of water when preparing bread with shirakamikodama yeast. This yeast enabled bread with a high preference to be produced when using domestic flour with only a small protein content.

View full abstract

Contemporary matcha is ground to produce a fine and a smooth taste in a sensory evaluation. Fine matcha was not produced until after the early modern period, because the tea cultivation technique and device to grind the tea had not progressed before the middle ages. We divided Chanoyu into four periods based on the method used to grind matcha. We then reproduced all matcha that would have been produced before the middle ages, measured their particle sizes and evaluated the taste. The two matcha ground in a druggist's mortar were coarse and rough, resulting in a bitter and astringent taste. Other matcha ground in two types of a tea-grinding mortar were fine in texture and gave a smooth and rich taste.

View full abstract

The food culture of Shokumotsu Honzo, which was compiled by Kou Ri in the Gen period, was compared with that of Honcho Shokkan, complied by Hitsudai Hitomi in 1697.
Two hundred and forty-three kinds of food were found in common. The numbers of foods appearing in both books were different in every classification group in relation to the food culture of both countries. Fruit, vegetable, poultry and cereal groups appeared extensively in both books, while fishe and snake-/insect groups were less common. This result is believed to be based on differences in the eating habits of both countries. Hitsudai referred to both Bencao Gangmu (Honzo Koumoku) and Syokumotsu Honzo, and described foods according to Japanese eating habits.
Both books described how the cooking method and processing method for each type of food influenced the body, illustrating the characteristics of health care in those days. Shokumotsu Honzo and Honcho Shokkan both applied the traditional idea of “medicine and food having the same roots”.

View full abstract