Blueberry 'Tifblue' fruits were hot-air treated at 40, 50, and 60℃, with the aim of extending their storage periods. The effects of different hot-air treatments on the appearance, sugar content, acid concentration, and peel anthocyanin content of the fruits were investigated. The disappearance of the bloom and shriveling of the fruit skin during storage were suppressed by hot-air treatments at 40 and 50℃ for 30 minutes. Changes in the sugar and acid content of the blueberry fruit treated with hot air at 40 and 50℃ were similar to those in control fruits during storage. The anthocyanin content was maintained at the initial value during the storage period by hot-air treatments, while in the control the anthocyanin content decreased during storage. These results suggested that hot-air treatment after harvest was effectively able to extend the storage periods of blueberry 'Tifblue' fruits.

　Dried apple fruits contain various phytochemicals such as flavanol and procyanidin. These phytochemicals obtained from apples have been reported to possess various biological functions, including anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects. However, the number of studies conducted to examine the influence of apple variety and storage stability on the level of flavanol and procyanidin are limited. The present study aimed to elucidate the differences of flavanol and procyanidin in dried fruits of the following apple cultivars: "Shinano Sweet", "Shinano Gold", "Akibae" and "Kohgyoku" using normal phase HPLC. Additionally, changes in flavanol and procyanidin content in "Akibae", "Shinano Sweet" and "Shinano Gold" was 80% of the "Kohgyoku" cultivar. Moreover, flavanol and procyanidin were reduced to 40% of the initial level after 6 months of the storage at the 20℃ and 65% of initial level after 3 months of the storage at the 35℃.

　We examined a simple method to measure the water absorption rate of wheat flour for bread, instead of using a farinograph, which measures specific properties of flour. The American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) method 56-11 was used. The water absorption rate measured by AACC method 56-11 was similar to the rate measured with the farinograph, with a correlation coefficient of 0.997 between the two methods. The values obtained by the AACC method were 1.1 times higher than the values obtained using the farinograph. A baking test using the water content value as the AACC value divided by 1.1, showed that English bread had good mixing efficiency and was of high quality, in terms of specific volume and height. Results of the baking test confirmed that water content can be calculated from the value obtained using AACC method 56-11, without the need for specialized equipment, such as a farinograph.