White sorghum is tasteless with no odor or gluten, allowing people with allergic disorders to eat it, and can be applied to various dishes and used as an ingredient in confectionery as a substitute for wheat. This study reveals the fundamental cooking characteristics of white sorghum powder. Several types of typical cooked foods are examined to identify those preferred by people over a wide age range, and a comparison is made between white sorghum and wheat flour with regard to those qualities. A microscopic comparison was made of the gelatinization characteristics of white sorghum powder and those of flour. The dough and batter for doughnuts, crepes, and fried food were prepared as applications to cooked food, and apparatus measurement and a sensory evaluation were carried out. Deep-fried dough of white sorghum was found to be promising as a low-calorie food material. The batter fried in oil possessed a brittle and light texture, making it suitable for deep-fried dishes and crepes.

View full abstract

The seasonal change in levels of the chemical constituents in the whole body of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, cultured by the single seed method in Akkeshi, Hokkaido was investigated. The whole body weight after shelling and the soft tissue index were at the lowest levels in August 2004 and September 2005 after the spawning season. The protein content increased before and after the spawning season. The level of glycogen decreased to less than 10% on a dry matter basis before and after the spawning season, although it increased to more than 20% from autumn to spring. The total content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and related compounds was the highest in November and the lowest in September. The levels of total free amino acids were highest in June and lowest in September, the major amino acids being taurine, alanine, proline, glycine, and glutamic acid. A sensory evaluation revealed that the extract prepared from specimens in November was milder in taste and weaker in bitterness than that prepared from specimens in September.

View full abstract

It is well known that guanylic acid enhances the taste of glutamic acid. We found that guanylic acid was produced by steam treating several vegetables (eggplant, tomato, carrot, Japanese radish, bunching onion and spinach). Evaluation panelists could organogenetically distinguish the addition of guanylic acid (at the concentration level in steamed vegetables of 10 mg/l) to carrot juice. It is suggested that guanylic acid in steamed vegetables contributes to the taste by enhancing the umami taste of glutamic acid. Oven roasting tomato concentrated the tasty compounds and also produced guanylic acid. The umami taste of roasted tomato would be much stronger than that of raw tomato, because of the synergistic effect between glutamic acid and guanylic acid with increasing concentration. The content of guanylic acid is suggested to be an important indicator for studying the taste of cooked vegetables.

View full abstract

The change in peroxyl radical scavenging activity during the cooking process for apple compote was examined. The activity was higher after cooking than that of the raw materials of apple combined with sucrose. This may have been due to the suppression by sucrose of the decrease in antioxidative activity of the various materials by heating, although newly generated caramel or melanoidin contributed to the scavenging activity in this process.
The suppressive effect by sucrose on the decrease in ascorbic acid during the heating process was studied by using a mixed model. Both external and internal heating resulted in sucrose showing a suppressive effect on the scavenging activity of ascorbic acid. This effect was dependent on the sucrose concentration in the case of internal heating.

View full abstract

This study explores the factors involved in developing the competency of female university students for preparing meals. We conducted six focus group interviews of 40 female students. Three of these groups were of students who were good at cooking; the other three groups comprised students who were bad at cooking. Compared to the groups that were bad at cooking, the groups that were good at cooking displayed the following characteristics:
1. They had gained more experience in meal preparation during the period from elementary school to high school. They became more proactive towards meal preparation with advancing developmental stages.
2. They had more opportunity for observational learning with their family, and positive reinforcement from their family as well.
3. They had more family members besides their mother who cooked at home. They generally had a more supportive family for developing their competency in meal preparation.

View full abstract

This study examines the relationship between chewing and food intake, and discusses future challenges based on the results. Female students were required to chew food in their usual manner, and then thirty times with each mouthful.
Although there was no significant difference in food intake by taking the longer time to chew each mouthful, those students who had made a habit of thoroughly chewing food were easily able to change their dietary habits. The results show the importance of encouraging students to eat slowly and chew food carefully at an early stage.

View full abstract