In this study, we examined the properties and palatability of bread prepared from einkorn. Bread prepared using common wheat and spelt flours served as controls. Compared to common wheat and spelt bread, the einkorn bread exhibited a reddish-brown color, less swelling, and a slower bread staling rate. In a discrimination test, einkorn bread was found to be harder and possessed a stronger wheat aroma than common wheat bread. In a palatability test, einkorn bread was found to be similar to common wheat bread in terms of color of the inner portion, wheat aroma, hardness, and moistness; however, it scored lower in terms of outer crust color, elasticity, and comprehensive evaluation. Further improvement of physical properties is necessary to improve the palatability of einkorn bread, but it is expected to be consumed as a bread with high nutritional value.

To prepare espuma rice porridge suitable for consumption by Japanese people, rice porridge was cooked with rice gel instead of cream, and the amount of meringue powder was changed. Its quality and suitability were subsequently examined. The following results were obtained: 1) Additional meringue powder was effective for preparing espuma with rice gel. 2) The sample density was 0.35 g/cm³. 3) The foam was stable for 60 min after sample preparation and syneresis. 4) Regarding textural properties, additional meringue powder increased hardness and adhesiveness. Immediately after preparation, the samples met the food permissions criteria for persons with difficulty swallowing (Criterion III). 5) Regarding material structure, an increased quantity of meringue powder decreased the size of the foam, which had high stability. 6) In the analytical-type sensory evaluation, neither the 3% nor the 6% meringue powder samples were superior for "rice aroma" or "rice taste." The preferential sensory evaluation showed no preference between the 3% and 6% meringue powder samples.

Thus, it was conjectured that these two samples are preferred as espuma.

The current study examines the inhibitory effect of incorporating reducing sugars to mitigate the quality deterioration caused by the green-grey discoloration in cooked egg products during large-scale food preparation.

Reducing sugars inhibited the production of hydrogen sulfide in cooked egg products. However, although an inhibitory effect against green-grey discoloration was observed, browning occurred simultaneously due to the Maillard reaction. The inhibitory effects on hydrogen sulfide production and the extent of browning were compared among reducing sugars. The results were as follows: pentoses>hexoses>disaccharides. When reducing sugars were incorporated at a concentration of 0.2 M, pentoses completely inhibited hydrogen sulfide production but led to significant quality-related issues due to severe browning. In the case of hexoses, a concentration of half the original amount effectively inhibited hydrogen sulfide production. Among hexoses, glucose resulted in less browning compared to fructose and was thus considered more beneficial. Regarding the glucose concentration in the whole egg solution, 0.2 M was deemed ideal for demonstrating inhibitory effects against green-grey discoloration, the amount of hydrogen sulfide produced, and browning based on comprehensive judgment under the investigated concentrations.

In this study, we created a picture book to convey the culture of whale consumption in Yamaguchi Prefecture and examined its usefulness through evaluations by nursery schoolteachers. Awareness of Nanban-ni, the subject of the picture book, was low (12.5%) among nursery schoolteachers. The most common age of the children to whom the picture book was read was 4-5 years old (46.4%), and then 3-4 years old (30.4%). 〈Nanban-ni recipe〉 achieved the highest score, 4.5, whereas 〈character arrangement〉, 〈flow of the story〉, and 〈consistency between the picture and the content〉 each received 3.8 points. This suggests that creating picture books featuring local cuisine may be an effective way to increase opportunities for children to learn about such cuisine from an early age. After the picture book reading, 91.9% of the children answered, "It was fun." Their comments during the reading included: "Can whales be eaten?" and "I want to try eating it!"

In this study, the time required for melting commercial mozzarella cheese slices within a temperature range of 110-180 °C was determined using a home electric oven via visual observation through its window. Assuming cheese melting to be a first order reaction, the recorded time periods were considered to be half-lives and converted to reaction rate constants (k). The Arrhenius plot of ln k versus 1/T revealed a good linear relationship, with an activation energy of 14.9 kJ/mol and a frequency factor of 0.314 /s. Although melting of mozzarella cheese is a complex process involving lipid melting and structural changes of proteins, this behavior can be easily understood by considering the temperature dependence of intermolecular interactions, primarily hydrogen bonding. The results of this study offer important insights into the time required for mozzarella cheese melting during daily home cooking scenarios.