The damage characteristics of five layers of Japanese radishes stacked in a triple-wall fiberboard box under a vibration treatment (2～30Hz, 0.6G), which was considered a transport model of a newly developed bulk container, are investigated. The differences in the vibration treatment period (0.5, 3, 5, 10, 20, and 40min) and the position of the Japanese radishes in the stack significantly affected the type and the severity of the damage. Various types of damage, including abrasion, peeling, and bruising of Japanese radishes, are observed differently, depending on the stacking layers. Abrasion and peeling symptoms are found on the upper layers of the stack of the Japanese radishes owing to a non-synchronized movement, whereas bruise symptoms are found on the lower layers. Further, the acceleration transmissibility test of the Japanese radishes against a vibrating table revealed resonant frequencies close to 15Hz in all the layers. The higher the stacking layer, the higher is the acceleration transmissibility. Moreover, the contact stress index obtained from a multipoint pressure sensor revealed that both the maximum and the minimum values at the lower layers are significantly higher than those at the upper layers (maximum value: P＜0.05 (15Hz, 20Hz, and 25Hz are excluded) ; minimum value: P＜0.01). A reduction in the load from the upper layers, caused by the non-synchronized movement, most likely results in lower values of the contact stress index of the Japanese radishes in the middle/upper layers. Overall, it appears that the restriction of the free movement of Japanese radishes in the upper layer without any additional stress facilitates the prevention of damages such as abrasion and peeling. Moreover, we need to find an acceptable stacking height to avoid bruising in the lower layers. Further research on the design of packaging conditions for the actual transport condition will enable us to distribute Japanese radishes by using the newly developed bulk container without any unacceptable damages.

　ホタテガイの閉殻筋（貝柱）を，煮熱－乾燥させた白干しは北海道北部が主産地となっている。白干しの製造工程には様々な問題点があるが，主には貝の開殻，脱殻操作における生産低下や過度な褐変による製品の外観品質低下である。本研究では白干し製造の生産性を向上させる新しい操作と工程を開発した。第一に内在G6Pの産出が褐変に影響するという仮説をもとに，開殻脱殻工程後の生に近い貝柱を素早く加熱し失活させる新しい工程を導入した。この結果，失活工程で得られる熱水抽出液はグリシン，タウリンに富み高付加価値の副産物であった。第二に貝の外側から限定的に短時間飽和蒸気をあてる操作に開殻脱殻工程を改良した。この新しい操作によって従来の煮熟蒸煮中の固形分溶出に起因する貝柱歩留まりの低下やエキスの損失を改善した。2つの工程改良を含む新操作は白干しの生産性を改善すると共に新しい副産物を得るという結果を得た。

　Polished rice for sake brewing is subjected to a rice storage period called "karashi" until soaking. Generally, just polished rice for sake brewing has a low moisture content, and the moisture content tends to increase during rice storage; however, the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) in adsorption has not yet been indicated. In this study, a major sake brewery rice variety 'Yamada-nishiki' was used as the sample and polished to 70% of the apparent polishing ratio, and the EMCs of 'Yamada-nishiki' were determined at various conditions of temperature and relative humidity. It was observed that the obtained EMCs fitted the Chen-Clayton equation well (R²＝0.997), and the calculated parameters were used to demonstrate the contour line shown by the moisture contents of 'Yamada-nishiki' (70% of the apparent polishing ratio), as affected by temperature and relative humidity. In addition to this, it was shown that the cracking ratio of 'Yamada-nishiki' (70% of the apparent polishing ratio) during soaking (15℃, 120min) increased with decreasing moisture content of polished 'Yamada-nishiki'. Our study indicates the fundamental knowledge on moisture control of polished rice for sake brewing during the rice storage period "karashi," which is one of important processes during sake brewing.

　Here we investigated the effect of skim-milk proteins on both the decline in baking quality and on the reversal of the decline in baking quality of skim milk. β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) molecule interacted with a part of gliadin and lysed the gliadin molecules. In case of the heated mixture of β-Lg and κ-casein (κ-CN), the influence of β-Lg on gliadin resolvability was low. Further, these results revealed that the decline in the baking quality of non-heated skim milk or low-heated skim milk was because of the dissolved part of gliadin. In addition, the results suggest that the decline in the baking quality of high-heated skim milk was reversed because of the influence of β-Lg on gliadin resolvability; hydrophobic interactions of the heated polymer of β-Lg and κ-CN with gliadin reduced the resolvability of gliadin.