The effects of treating apples 'Orin' and Japanese pears 'Kosui' with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) constituted from a ribbon-like formulation were investigated. The 1-MCP was applied to the fruit in a corrugated cardboard box like those used for MA packaging (hereafter 'MA-box'). Since the ribbon-like formulation generates 1-MCP by absorbing water from the air, it is more practical than the commonly used powder formulations for small containers such as MA-boxes (the latter formulation must be dissolved in water before use). However, 1-MCP is generated at a much slower rate from the ribbon-like formulation, taking 6 hours for all 1-MCP to be liberated. At 3.2hours, the 1-MCP concentration in the MA-boxes peaked at 66% of the maximum concentration achieved in the air-tight container. The period of time during which the concentration was more than 50% of that achieved in the air-tight container was estimated to be less than 4hours. The effectiveness of the ribbon-like formulation of 1-MCP at maintaining the quality of 'Kosui' pears in an MA-box was almost equivalent to that of the standard 1-MCP treatment in a gas-tight container; the changes in flesh firmness, ground color, and pH of the fruit juice were extremely reduced during storage. For 'Orin' apples, treatment with the ribbon-like formulation in an MA-box was also effective for maintaining fruit quality during 5 months of cold storage, although it was relatively less effective than treating the apples in a gas-tight container. Overall, treating apples and Japanese pears in an MA-box with a ribbon-like formulation of 1-MCP is thought to be a very useful and convenient method for preserving fruit quality.

　The thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat) of salmon, skipjack, and scallop were determined at seven different temperatures between 5°C and 50°C. The transient heat flow probe method was used for the simultaneous estimation of the thermophysical properties of samples of these fish. The effects of temperature on the thermophysical properties of the samples were investigated. The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the samples increased with the temperature. The specific heat of the samples was almost equal in the range of measurement temperatures. The observed values of the thermal conductivity of the samples were compared with the values calculated from three typical structural models for thermal conductivity, i.e., the series, parallel, and random models. The most suitable prediction model for the samples was the parallel model. The observed values of the thermal diffusivity for the samples agreed well with the values calculated from Martens’s equation. An additive relationship exists between the specific heat of the sample, the composition, and the specific heat of each component.

　The efficiency of a technique for the production of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) by using Lactobacillus brevis IFO12005 and the by-product of non-wash rice (NWRB) was evaluated. The rate of conversion of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to GABA by the IFO12005 strain using NWRB (NWRB : water＝1 : 3) was low (26%). Enzyme processing of NWRB (enzyme-processed NWRB) when NWRB was the sole source of nutrition was very effective for GABA production. When the MSG of 24% for NWRB was added to enzyme-processed NWRB medium (NWRB : water＝1 : 8), all the MSG was converted to GABA (13.8mg/g) by the IFO12005 strain. GABA at a concentration of 16.1mg/g was obtained with a conversion rate of 97% by using a 30-ℓ jar fermentor containing 20kg of enzyme-processed NWRB medium.

　世界各地の伝統食品の機能性，特に健康増進・疾病予防効果は，生活習慣病の増加に伴い近年重視されている。種々の生活習慣病に活性酸素種による脂質など生体分子の過酸化反応が深くかかわっているとされる。モンゴル産薬用植物は長い伝統と独特の背景を有し注目に値する。モンゴル遊牧民の伝統的主食は畜肉と乳製品である。動物性食品の過剰摂取は生活習慣病のリスク因子であるが，モンゴルにおける冠状動脈性心臓病・糖尿病罹患率は食習慣から推定されるより低い。私たちはこの現象を「French Paradox」に準え「Mongolian Paradox」と位置づけ，検討を進めている。

　遊牧民の指導のもと，薬用植物試料20数種をモンゴル国ヘンティ県で採集し試料とした。全草より水およびメタノール抽出物を得，ポリフェノール定量，抗酸化活性評価を行った。

　本研究で用いた試料のうち，数種に極めて強い抗酸化活性を見いだした。このうち最も強い抗酸化活性とポリフェノール含量を示したバラ科キジムシロ属の多年草Pentaphylloides fruticosa（モンゴル名：Borolzgono，和名：キンロバイ）は，全草を煎じて肝臓の薬として用いられている。肝炎や肝がんなど肝臓病の多くはその前駆病変として慢性の炎症を伴うことが知られ，強い抗酸化性をもつ薬草が肝臓病の治療に用いられてきたことは作用機作の面から興味深い。

　キュウリ果実の低温耐性を向上させる熱およびコンディショニング処理の効果を果肉組織切片の電解質漏出量を測定することで調べた。熱水処理（40～50℃，15～60分）は，キュウリ果実を1℃貯蔵したときにみられる低温誘導の電解質漏出量の増大（CIEL）を顕著に抑えた。10～40℃の範囲でコンディショニング処理をキュウリ果実に施しても，CIELを抑える効果がみられたが，10～15℃の低い処理温度ではより長い日数を必要とした。