The quality of specialty coffee (SP) is evaluated based on the grading system (number of defects of green beans and sensory evaluation of roasted beans) of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, while the quality of commercial coffee (CO), which is a product with a wide variety of uses, is evaluated based on the export standards (number of defects and altitude) of its country of origin. Nevertheless, a physicochemical quality-based evaluation method has not yet been established. In this study, the pH, titratable acidity, organic acid content, total lipid content, and acid values of Kenyan, Guatemalan, and Columbian SP and CO samples were analyzed and evaluated to correlation with sensory scores to find new indicators for quality evaluation of coffee. Significant differences were shown to the pH and acid values of all SP samples, and in the titratable acidity and total lipid contents of some SP samples. In addition, the sensory evaluation scores for all the SP samples were more than 80, and were significantly higher than those for the CO samples. The significance of values obtained from the physicochemical analysis is reflected in the sensory evaluation scores, and it was suggested that they affect the coffee quality.

　Antioxidant capacities of dried hot water extracts of herbs produced in Minamiaso and those produced in other countries were evaluated by assays based on different principles-DPPH, ABTS, WST-1, and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) assays. Extract of spearmint from Minamiaso had significantly higher antioxidant capacity than that from the U.S. The antioxidant capacity of peppermint extract from Minamiaso was the second highest following that from the U.S., and the antioxidant capacity of lemon balm from Minamiaso was second to that from Italy. Lavender extract from Minamiaso had lower antioxidant capacity than that from France. No other significant differences were noted in antioxidant capacity for other herbs produced in Minamiaso and overseas. The antioxidant capacity of herb extracts measured by DPPH assay correlated well with that measured by ABTS and WST-1 assays. However, the antioxidant capacity of extracts measured by FTC assay was lower than that measured by DPPH assay. The correlation between DPPH and FTC assay results was also low. These results indicated that herb extracts had strong radical-scavenging activity but weak inhibiting activity of lipid peroxidation. All herbs, depending on the type and origin, had characteristic composition ratios of rosmarinic acid, eriocitrin, and luteolin 7-O-glucoside. Eriocitrin content was significantly high in peppermint extract from Minamiaso and the U.S. Rosmarinic acid was the major compound of lemon balm. These results suggest that detected differences in the antioxidant capacity of herbs by FTC and DPPH assays were due to different activities of rosmarinic acid, eriocitrin, and other antioxidants contained in the herbs.

　Ethanol and methanol levels in fruits are fundamental to the production of fruit aroma. The levels of these chemicals in selected cut-fruits (bananas, pineapples, melons, tomatoes, kiwifruits, and strawberries) were measured immediately after cutting and 24 h after storage at 3℃, at unripe, ripe, and overripe stages. Overripe fruits had higher levels of ethanol and higher ethyl acetate emission than those at the ripe stage, and all of them developed off-flavor, except kiwifruits. The ethanol content in one of the two cultivars of strawberry examined, increased dramatically 24 h after cutting, although it was at a good ripening stage. The methanol and ethanol contents in tomatoes increased sharply and gradually, respectively, after cutting. The strawberries and tomatoes had an unusual aroma 24 h after cutting. Higher alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was detected in bananas, pineapples, melons, and kiwifruits. These fruits were shown to have a quick increase in ethanol contents while ripening. The sudden increase in ethanol after cutting or aging of 'Sagahonoka' strawberry could not be explained by ADH activity. The gradual increase in ethanol content in tomatoes may be due to de novo induction of ADH. Tomatoes had very high levels of pectin methyl esterase and were shown to have a quicker increase in methanol levels after cutting. An ability of acetate ester production was detected in all fruits examined, except in kiwifruits. To conclude, the accumulation of ethanol and ethyl esters, especially ethyl acetate, seems to accelerate off-flavor in the overripe stage or during aging. An analysis of ethanol and methanol content of cut fruits over short time duration (2 h) was conducted at room temperature (23℃) using bananas, tomatoes, and strawberries. The changes in alcohol levels were almost the same as those at 24 h after cutting (at 3℃) in bananas. The two cultivars of strawberries used in this experiment showed equal increases in ethanol content at room temperature. This analysis also revealed that ethanol content in strawberries and tomatoes were at negligible levels immediately after cutting, then increased sharply in strawberries, while did so gradually in tomatoes.

　In this study, we characterized the main properties of the fermented rice bran around mackerel in the Japanese product Heshiko. We found increases in the moisture, lipids, and ash contents after fermentation, which was attributed to the effects of the Shiejiru added for filtration during the manufacturing process. However, there is no change of the general composition of the fermented rice bran of Heshiko with respect to the shipping time. We further characterized the non-starch, starch, and water-soluble polysaccharide fractions to understand better the chemical changes occurring as a result of enzyme and microbial action during fermentation. For instance, SEM photographs of non-starch and starch polysaccharides indicate the breakage of cell wall and surface of the starches. Furthermore, regarding the branch chain-length distribution pattern of amylopectin, we observed a decrease in the short chains of DP 6-12 and an increase in other chains of DP 13-20 in the fermented rice bran. Finally, we isolated amylase-producing bacteria from the fermented rice bran, which were estimated as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (A1), Paenibacillus amylolyticus (A3), Bacillus subtilis (B1), Bacillus licheniformis (B2), and Oceanobacillus picturae (B3).