In this study, we investigated the physical properties and palatability of custard puddings prepared with soya or almond milk instead of cow's milk. Investigation of the heating temperature profile revealed a delay in temperature increase in the egg–almond milk mixture compared to that in the egg–cow's milk and egg–soya milk mixtures. Accordingly, gel formation in the egg–almond milk mixture took twice as long as that in the other two mixtures. The colour of the cow's milk-based pudding was white, whereas that of the soya milk-based pudding was yellowish. The cow's milk-based custard pudding was firm, whereas the soya and almond milk-based ones showed a softer texture successively. The rupture stress value for puddings made with an egg–cow's milk ratio of 1:3 was comparable with that for puddings made with an egg–soya milk ratio of 1:2.4 and egg–almond milk ratio of 1:1.5. Sensory evaluation tests revealed that the almond milk-based pudding was soft and sweet and as palatable as the cow's milk-based pudding. In contrast, the soya milk-based pudding was firm and retronasally unpalatable owing to its odour.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanical properties of four kinds of puffed cereals and to establish an efficient method to measure them. The characteristics of puffed cereals were compared with those of brown rice, adlay, barley, and amaranth, which were puffed by heat processing at pressures ranging between 0.1 and 1.1 MPa. The rupture properties, chromaticity, and moisture content of puffed cereals were determined, and the microstructure of the grains was also observed. To study the rupture properties, grains were subjected to four different compression speeds.

By analysing the microstructure of grain cross-sections and the mechanical properties of puffed cereals, the suitable processing pressure was found to be 0.9 MPa for brown rice, adlay, and amaranth, and 1.1 MPa for barley. In addition, this study suggested that the factors that prevent the swelling of cereals include its high lipid content and its thick exodermis.

Overall, force-deformation curves for the four kinds of puffed cereals showed that the rupture strain increased, while the apparent elastic modulus decreased with increasing compression speed.

Finally, we showed that a single compression with a plunger of 40 mm diameter, and a compression speed of 0.1 or 1.0 mm/s were suitable for effectively measuring the mechanical properties of puffed cereals.

Uchimono is a type of dry Japanese confectionery. The uchimono known as wasanbon is prepared and moulded from wasanbonto (sugar cane-derived refined sugar made in Japan) and nekimizu (starch syrup-containing water). Malt syrup exhibits a rich flavour and amber colour and has long been traditionally manufactured in Japan, by grain saccharification using malt. This study examined the starch syrups used as secondary ingredients in uchimono. Moreover, we investigated how different malt syrup types could potentially affect the physical properties and palatability of only-sugar-derived wasanbon.

The colour composition of the syrup varied depending on the type of syrup and also affected the colour composition of uchimono, when it was used as an ingredient in nekimizu. Differences in the malt syrup ingredients had little effect on uchimono hardness, while palatability was strongly influenced by the flavour and specific qualities of the starch syrup used in nekimizu. The palatability of the wasanbon prepared with malt syrup was higher than that of the wasanbon prepared with enzymatically saccharified starch syrup.

The initial oxidation temperature (IOT) of frying oils that are rich in unsaturated fatty acids were found to shift to low temperature side by the generation of hydroperoxides through the oxidative degradation of salad oil, which is a mixture of soybean and rapeseed oils. We heated very small (1–2 mg) amounts of salad oil samples with a differential scanning calorimeter at a constant rate in air. The results showed that IOT could be an indicator of the degradation of salad oils used for frying food. In contrast, saturated fatty acids, which are found in foods such as butter, do not accumulate large amounts of hydroperoxides during degradation. Therefore, the oxidative exothermal reaction occurring in such cases is not clear, rendering our method inapplicable for saturated fatty acids. However, this method analysed the degradation behaviour of oils and fats similar to the conventional methods, i.e., by studying properties such as the acid value, kinematic viscosity, and colour difference. Therefore, conducting a market survey of the degree of degradation in fried foods might now become possible.

In this study, we examined whether limited use of water for absorption of Kurosengoku soybean could inhibit anthocyanin exudation from the seeds and enable the cooking of Mame-gohan with the characteristics of Kurosengoku soybean (e.g., blackness and texture) intact. The minimum amount of water required for seed absorption was 1.9 mL/g of dried seed. Limited water supply reduced the exudation of anthocyanin from the seeds to one-third of that in the case of excess water absorption (seed immersion). Seed coat damage was limited. In the sensory evaluation of Mame-gohan, limited water supply gave higher scores for blackness and texture compared to those for seed immersion. These results indicated that limited water supply darkens the colour and enhances the texture of Kurosengoku soybean compared to the general practice of seed immersion.

The sweetness and palatability of steamed turnips were evaluated using physicochemical analysis and sensory evaluation by comparing them with those boiled and cooked in a microwave. The turnips were softened by cooking. The total amount of sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) in turnips cooked in the microwave was significantly higher than that in the boiled turnips, although no significant difference was observed in steamed turnips when compared with uncooked ones.

Our sensory evaluation test showed that the scores of steamed turnips for sweetness, juiciness, and palatability were significantly higher than those of uncooked turnips. We observed no change in the total sugar content of steamed turnips, which indicated that the sugar content did not correlate with increased sweetness. However, the results of our pressure test using the steamed turnip sample showed that steam cooking softened turnips while maintaining their sugar contents. This suggests that sugars contained in the juice exuded due to pressure might increase sweetness. However, the sweetness of microwave-cooked turnip was suggested to be caused by an increase in sugar concentration due to water evaporation. In addition, we observed a positive correlation between the sweetness and palatability of turnips cooked by any of the above-mentioned methods.

　世界的感染拡大の終息が未だにみえない新型コロナウイルス感染症（COVID-19）であるが，令和2年3月末日に首相官邸に「新型コロナウイルス感染症対策本部」が設置され，感性症対策等が講じられている。その基本的対処方針に則り，各教育機関において，4月の新学期から，講義・実験実習授業ともに開講形態に工夫を余儀なくされる状況となり，前例もないまま，教職員・学生ともに手探りの状態で授業を進めてきた。特に，対面授業において実際に技術を習得することが目的の一つである調理実習では，担当教員は，可能な実施内容の検討から始まり，教材の作成，課題・評価方法の考案など，山積した事項の対応に追われ，脱兎のごとく数か月が過ぎていった。(一社)日本調理科学会において，会員の皆様にご協力を頂いた「COVID-19下における調理学実習の実施に関するアンケート」の結果より，授業開始時期を遅らせ，授業形式も多面授業と遠隔授業を組み合わせるなど，対応に苦慮されながらも実施されたことが拝察された。

　この度，皆様方との情報共有の一助となれば幸いとの思いより，調理実習の実施例のご紹介を大学編および高校編として企画した次第である。本号では，はじめに大学編として東京家政大学の小林理恵先生と東洋大学の露久保美夏先生に，先生方が実施された調理実習の内容をご紹介頂く。（日本調理科学会編集委員会）