The cooking property of “vegetable gel”, made of vegetable puree and thermostable gelling agent was investigated. Carrot gels were made of carrot puree, gellan gum and calcium lactate. Carrot gels and gellan gum gels were added to RO water or 1% NaCl, and both were heated to 95°C or boiled. Hardness of samples and elution of metal ions from gels were measured. Hardness of carrot gels boiled in 1% NaCl remained at 80% of the initial gel, although half of the Ca²⁺ in carrot gels eluted. These results indicate the hardening of gels resulting from rich Na⁺ in heating solution and the softening of gels resulting from metal ion elution where both occurred simultaneously in 1% NaCl. The elution of metal ions from gellan gum gels in 1% NaCl at 95°C were less than those at boiling temperature, and the gellan gum gels heated at 95°C did not collapse, suggesting that the vegetable gels could be cooked in seasoning solution without collapsing at around 95°C.

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Japanese yam with strong stickiness harvested in Fukushima Prefecture was prepared using different amounts of air bubbles by changing the whipping time. Gelatin gel was added to the samples. Effects of different amounts of air bubbles on the properties and heat transfer of the yam-gelatin gel samples were examined. In addition, suitability of the yam-gelatin samples for a dysphagia diet was investigated. The results showed that, while the apparent density of samples continued to decrease with up to 10 min of whipping time, it became constant thereafter. The temperature lowering speed inside each sample cooled at 5°C became slower as the amount of air bubbles increased. The texture of the samples corresponded to Level II or III of the approved criteria for a dysphagia diet. A sensory evaluation of the sample with an 8 min whipping time was rated the best. We consider that desirability of Japanese yam products will be enhanced if secondary materials such as stock or salt will be added.

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The suppressive effect by various saccharides such as glucose, fructose and sucrose on the decrease in (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), the major component of tea catechins, during the heating process was studied by using a mixed model.
Wet heating, one of the external heating operations, resulted in various saccharides showing a suppressive effect on the radical scavenging activity and the remaining amounts of EGCg. Of the internal heating, microwave heating also showed various saccharides having a suppressive effect on the radical scavenging activity, whereas no significant effect on the remaining amounts was observed.
The relationship between the amounts of EGCg and the radical scavenging activity suggested that various saccharides possess suppressive effect on the decrease in EGCg by heat during cooking.

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This study focused on understanding the actual situation, in terms of recognition and experience, between parents and children, regarding meals consumed at festivals and on ceremonies in Hokkaido. In terms of the degree of recognition, meals associated with New Year were most commonly recognized, while those associated with the Autumn, Spring and Chrysanthemum festivals were less recognized. On a national level, the degree of experience of the Vernal and Autumnal equinox, the Winter solstice were high, whereas those for the Autumn, and Spring festivals were low. The recognition and experience of the traditional meals associated with O-Shichiya was significantly lower, indicating that the survival of this tradition is under some pressure. However, the level of experience regarding traditional meals associated with wedding, funeral and Buddhist memorial services including 3 generations of the family was extremely high. Hokkaido families, however, differed from the rest of the country in their high degree of recognition of the celebratory meals associated with weddings and landmark birthdays for the aged, but a low degree of recognition for those associated with the 7-5-3 birthday celebrations for children. There was a high level of agreement between parents and children in the degree of recognition of meals associated with events such as New year, Christmas and New Year's Eve, and for those associated with celebrations such as birthdays, funeral and 7-5-3 birthdays celebrations. However, there was a low level of agreement between parents and children in the degree of recognition of meals associated events such as the Autumn, Spring and Chrysanthemum festivals and celebrations such as engagements and O-Shichiya.

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We carried out survey as to what people in Tokushima prefecture eat at various annual events except on New Year's Day from 2009 to 2010.
The subjects of this survey were residents of Tokushima prefecture who have lived there for more than 10 years. The subjects were divided into three age groups; 1) those younger than 30 years old; 2) those between 30 and 50; and 3) those over 50.
Our findings showed that eating cakes on Christmas Day and buckwheat noodles at night of the New Year's Eve is fairly common. This tendency is rampant among the people over 30 and fewer among younger generations, though the contrast is not very sharp.
People over 50 who used to have a habit of cooking by themselves the above food for special events, tend to buy the ready cooked ones instead of preparing them in their houses.

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