An increase in the number of employees taking leave due to depression is a problem. Even after treatment with conventional methods such as rest and medication, there are many cases where people cannot return to work. Therefore, attention has been focussed on counteracting the decline of cognitive functions (work-execution abilities) that are essential for returning to work.

In this paper, we report on the effectiveness and characteristics of Cooking Program as a support for returning to work. We found that the benefits of Cooking Program are not limited to improved cooking skills and that it can also improve the ability to perform work. It was confirmed that as participation in cooking at home increased, knowledge and interest in nutrition and food increased as well. Furthermore, it was shown that Cooking Program could be provided to a wide range of subjects regardless of age or gender.

In this study, we investigated the distribution of buckwheat starch in choux paste and evaluated the effect of its degree of dispersion on choux pastry puffing.

The starch in buckwheat flour is primarily present in broken endosperm cell units with few small starch granules. Such a dispersion state persists in the choux paste. Ultrasonic homogenization effectively promoted the efflux of starch granules from endosperm cells but also caused the degradation of buckwheat proteins into low-molecular-weight peptides. The buckwheat choux paste was difficult to emulsify owing to this change in protein composition. No increase in puffing of the buckwheat choux was observed.

Supplementation of the buckwheat choux paste with several kinds of starches not only yielded a hard and brittle texture but also increased the specific volume. Particularly, the addition of tapioca or arrowroot starches (with low elastic moduli) to choux paste notably improved the puffability.

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) cultured in the Okayama Prefecture were evaluated using a taste sensing system to assess potential monthly changes and year-on-year comparisons in their taste. The system revealed significant seasonal differences in the taste values of bitterness, umami, saltiness, and umami richness. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis applied to the data revealed that oysters harvested from September to March were relatively rich in umami. Furthermore, the system revealed that the taste values of saltiness and umami richness were relatively high in the three experimental years and corresponded to the sensory evaluation. These results indicate clear monthly changes in the umami and saltiness taste attributes of Okayama-grown Pacific oysters. Moreover, Okayama-grown oysters are believed to possess higher saltiness and umami richness than oysters grown in other prefectures.

‘Gokouen-Shoji-Todomecho' contains records on various subjects. From the ‘Gokouen-Shoji-Todomecho' records about the Okayama Korakuen during the Edo period, information about sushi was extracted. A total of 386 entries concerning sushi were analysed.

Twenty types of sushi were identified, including chirashi-zushi, bara-zushi, rolled sushi, and nori-maki. In some cases, such as chirashi-zushi and su-meshi, the sushi was named based on the identity of the provider. Rolled sushi and nori-maki were different types of sushi, with only one type of food being used in rolled sushi.

Additionally, different types of sushi were provided, based on the social status of the recipients.

It had been previously reported that these types of sushi originated in Okayama in the middle of the 16th century. However, according to the ‘Gokouen-Shoji-Todomecho' records, these types of sushi appeared in the middle of the 19th century. In Okayama, chirashi-zushi and bara-zushi appeared at different times. Chirashi-zushi was first seen in 1843 while bara-zushi was first seen in 1855.