Pure cocoa powder was used to substituted at rates of 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and 70% (w/w) for wheat flour to make sponge cakes, designated C10, C20, C30, C50, and C70, respectively.
The specific gravity of the cake batter and hardness of the sponge cake increased with higher cocoa powder levels, whereas the specific volume and cohesiveness of the cakes showed an inverse trend. The specific volumes of C50 and C70 were significantly lower than those of the other samples. The hardness of the cake tended to increase from around C30, and the cohesiveness showed a significant decrease from C30. No significant differences were observed in overall palatability between C20 and C30, which had a high rating, whereas C10, C50, and C70 were rated lower in sensory evaluation. When the cause of cake volume suppression was examined using D50, in which C50 wheat flour was replaced with wheat starch, the principal cause was found to be the relative decrease in the amount of starch surrounding the egg foam.

View full abstract

The study aimed to reveal the effect of mixed cooking of barley and rice on the chemical and physical properties of cooked rice and barley.
Steamed pressed barley (60% milled pearl) and barley (85% and 60% milled pearl) were cooked with rice, and then compared with separately cooked barley and rice.
The reducing sugar and glucose content of barley increased with the decrease in heating rate, whereas that in steamed pressed barley was hardly noticeable.
The measured amount of reducing sugar and glucose was higher when cooking rice and barley together, compared with the calculated amount of those sugars by prediction from the value when they are cooked separately.
When steamed pressed barley whose enzymes such as α-amylase were inactivated by heating in process was cooked with rice, the amount of sugars increased by mixed cooking. It was assumed to be affected by rice enzymes.
Regarding physical properties, stickiness decreased markedly after mixed cooking of barley and rice compared with cooking only rice.

View full abstract

In order to utilize fine powders in various dispersion food systems, foaming and emulsification properties of fine powders were investigated. Agricultural foods like dried shiitake, komatsuna, ginger, burdock, tomato, soy bean, sweet potato, and rice were grinded by Kanzaki into dry powder (DP) of size 27-197 μm and by Suginomashin into fine powder (FP) of size 18-34 μm. Particle dispersions of strength 4% (w/v) or 8% (w/v) in 50 mL distilled water were whipped and the corresponding foam volumes were recorded. Foaming property was found to depend on the apparent tap density of the (FP) particles (R=−0.966, p<0.001). Emulsification capacity was measured for particle powders dispersed in the concentration range of 2.0% (w/w) to 17.3% (w/w) in O/W emulsion. Higher-concentration agricultural food systems such as 17.3% (w/w) of brown rice, milled rice, and soy bean particles, and 9.4% (w/w) of dried mushroom shiitake showed good emulsifying capacity for 120 min. Fine agricultural powders can be used efficiently to form stable O/W emulsions. Fine powders prepared from various agricultural products can be applied in various food recipes.

View full abstract

“Tsuto-tofu” is a tofu dish local to Ibaraki Town in Ibaraki Prefecture, which had be often served on ceremonial occasions. However, the opportunity to eat this dish has significantly decreased in recent years due to the changes in the style of rituals. In September 2016, a questionnaire survey was carried out in a shopping mall in the town of Ibaraki to find out who the potential purchasers of Tsuto-tofu were. Respondents were made to fill in the questionnaire after tasting a portion of Tsuto-tofu. It was found that purchase intention of Tsuto-tofu was highest among respondents who preferred a healthy diet, and, wished to hand down the local delicacy to posterity and among people who felt that it was easy to eat and would be well-liked by children. Most of the participants regarded it as a dish to be included in their regular diet, and wished to buy it at the supermarket. Using a price-sensitive measurement, the optimal and differential price points of Tsuto-tofu made from one cake (about 300 g) of tofu were 177 and 195 yen, respectively. The results suggested that Tsuto-tofu has the potential to be accepted by the general consumers as part of their daily diet.

View full abstract

In order to understand the daily dietary intake of students in their 20 s, we conducted a nutritional survey of homemade box lunches (Bentou) prepared by the students, and commercial box lunches, as box lunches are a frequent lifestyle choice in Japan. The amounts of vitamin A, C, folic acid, and iron were 1.5 to 5.7 times higher in homemade box lunches than commercial ones; however, the homemade box lunches contained under 80% of the energies of commercial ones. Furthermore, less than 5% of homemade box lunches satisfied students' estimated energy requirements, and energy deficiency was more pronounced in men than in women. In women, the ratio of fat in nutritional intake exceeded the recommended value. We used a regression tree analysis, setting the calorific value as the objective variable. The results showed that the greatest contributory factor was the amount of carbohydrates. Changing the white rice into seasoned rice such as Takikomi-meshi, the amount of rice contained in the lunch increased, resulting in an increase in the carbohydrate content of the box lunches. Because it was easy to understand the relationship between the objective variable and the divided explanatory variable, a regression tree analysis could be an effective tool for nutritional evaluation.

View full abstract