We investigated the removal of astringency and changes in ethanol and acetaldehyde concentrations in 'Hiratanenashi' and 'Denkuro' persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) fruits by applying an ethanol patch treatment or enclosing them in a polyethylene bag with a cube containing ethanol on-tree and after harvest. Treatments for removing astringency from on-tree or harvested fruit included i) patch treatment, where a silica ethanol patch was attached to the peel of individual fruits, and ii) bag treatment, where individual fruits without calyx lobes was enclosed in a polyethylene bag with a cube containing ethanol. In 'Hiratanenashi' fruit in both on-tree and after harvest treatments with the ethanol patch, ethanol penetrated into the fruit and was accumulated in fruit flesh immediately after the start of the treatment. This was followed by acetaldehyde accumulation. Additionally, soluble tannin concentration was decreased. The trends in ethanol and acetaldehyde accumulation and the decrease in soluble tannin concentration in the on-tree and postharvest bag treatments were quite similar to those receiving the patch treatment. However, the penetration of ethanol from a silica ethanol patch into fruit was not evenly distributed, and the rate and the amount of ethanol decreased as the distance between the flesh and the patch increased. The amount of acetaldehyde was small and the decrease in soluble tannin concentrations was lower in parts of the flesh that were not near the patch, resulting in imperfect removal of astringency. 'Denkuro' fruit, which usually remains astringent even with ethanol treatment, did not lose its astringency in patch treatment although the ethanol accumulation in the flesh was greater than that of the 'Hiratanenashi' fruit. From these results, we determined that penetration of ethanol followed by acetaldehyde accumulation in the flesh leads to a loss of astringency in persimmons with either patch or bag treatment. Thus, we found that it is important to create a large enough accumulation of acetaldehyde in the flesh around the entire fruit to thoroughly remove the astringency from persimmon fruits.

　Brassica napus L. (Norabona) is a traditional cultivar in the Kanto region of Japan. It has a pleasant taste, and is used in the preparation of many dishes; it has the potential to become a popular leafy vegetable in the domestic market. However, the development of optimal packaging technique to preserve its quality from the production to the sales stages is required owing to its short shelf life and rapid deterioration of its appearance. In the present study, the effect of various film packages on the postharvest quality of Norabona was investigated by comparing with that on Asparagus officinalis L. (Asparagus). We chose asparagus as a standard as many studies have reported its postharvest condition after using film packages. Norabona packed using micro-perforated modified atmosphere (MA) package, perforated polyethylene film, and conventional polypropylene open package (control), and non-filmed Norabona were stored at 25℃ (controlled room temperature) for 7 days. We analyzed properties such as respiration rate, percentage weight loss, moisture content, soluble solid, score of appearance, and hue angle. The quality of Norabona rapidly deteriorated as its respiration rate under non-filmed was remarkably higher than that of asparagus. The usage of micro-perforated MA package to store Norabona was the best in preventing weight loss and maintaining moisture content, soluble solid content, score of appearance, and hue angle. Therefore, we strongly suggest the application of an appropriate MA to preserve Norabona quality throughout the production to the sales stages.

　Modified lecithin containing 75.5% of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was prepared with purified phospholipase D allowed to act on soybean lecithin. Dough containing modified lecithin showed a trend toward improvement in carbonate gas inclusion ability compared with those containing soybean lecithin and those with no addition. Bread containing PG-modified lecithin had a "chewy" texture.

　Polyphenol content and in vitro bile acid binding activity of dried persimmon 'Ichida Gaki', procured from 6 regions of the southern part of Nagano prefecture, were investigated. The freshly processed dried 'Ichida Gaki' (100g) contained 203 mg of extractable polyphenols, and a higher content of non-extractable polyphenols (NEPP), the yield of which was 1,002 mg by the non-destructive method and 3,854 mg by acid hydrolysis method. These values were found to be lower in the dried fruits subjected to prolonged cold storage, and having relatively lower visual quality in their color. Secondly, the bile acid binding activity of the dried 'Ichida Gaki' was strong; and the 70% acetone insoluble solids (AIS) bound 38 μmol of bile acid molecules per gram of its weight (28% of the activity of the common sequestrant, cholestyramine). When considering AIS content, the binding activity of the flesh of dried 'Ichida Gaki' will be 432 μmol/100g. These results suggest that the bile acid binding activity is an important functional attribute of dried 'Ichida Gaki' fruits that possess a high amount of NEPP, and it might be expected to contribute to lowering cholesterol.