The preference for natural mineral water was studied with female college students and rats. Four commercially available types of natural mineral water from Japan and overseas were selected for a sensory evaluation. Tap water was used as a control. The amounts of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium in each water sample were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and the hardness was measured by the chelatometric method. The subjects were female college students with normal taste perception. Subsequently, 8-week-old female rats were subjected to two-bottle-choice preference tests. The measured concentrations of calcium and magnesium in each water sample were lower than the values indicated on the labels, while the sodium and potassium concentrations were higher. The measured hardness values were approximately 1.2 times those calculated from the concentrations of calcium and magnesium. The hardness values of the test samples were 11.5, 58.3, 81.3, 332.3 and 534.0 mg/l, while tap water had a hardness of 38.3 mg/l. Preference tests showed that a hardness of 58.3 mg/l produced the most favorable taste quality, while a value of more than 300 mg/l resulted in aversion with both humans and rats. These results suggest that the acceptability of natural mineral water is similar with both humans and rats, with a hardness of around 50 mg/l being best for drinking water. The hardness of mineral water can be used as an index for the sensory evaluation of drinking water.

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Samples of heated ground meat with differing water content (approximately 44-66%) and granular size (approximately 2-9 mm) were prepared for sensory distinction tests on hardness and size, and the sensory scores were examined in relation to the water content, granular size, and hardness measured with an instrument.
Different hardness could be distinguished between two samples with the same granular size when the water content differed by 5-9%. Based on the water content, the Weber ratio for hardness distinction ranged from 0.16 to 0.08 and was negatively correlated with the granular size. Based on the hardness measured with an instrument, the Weber ratio for hardness distinction ranged from 0.58 to 0.20 for samples with a high water content, and it ranged from 0.16 to 0.08 for samples with a low water content. Both values were negatively correlated with the granular size.
Different size could be distinguished between two samples with the same water content but differing in size by a factor of approximately 1.51 for all the sample pairs. When the two samples differed in size by a factor of approximately 1.23, the limit for size distinction depended on the water content of the samples, which ranged from approximately 56 to 65%. The samples with a large granular size needed a high water content for size distinction; for those samples at the limit of size distinction, the hardness measured with an instrument was within a constant range regardless of the granular size.

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A sensory evaluation was conducted on 19 types of food material with different physical properties to clarify the smallest size recognizable as a particle (the recognition threshold value) by the mouth and the minimum particle size difference that could be distinguished. These characteristics were examined in relation to the physical properties of each type of material.
The recognition threshold value ranged from 51 μm for cellulose to 270 μm for domyoji flour. On the other hand, two particles differing in size by about 1.19 times were distinguishable for all the materials above a certain particle size (the smallest distinguishable particle size) that depended on the material. The smallest distinguishable particle size ranged from 124 μm for cellulose to 487 μm for buckwheat noodle. With all the materials except shiitake mushroom, the recognition threshold value was less than the smallest distinguishable particle size.
The recognition threshold value and the smallest distinguishable particle size were examined in relation to the physical properties of the materials. As a result, both values were small when the materials had a relatively solid structure and their particles absorbed a small amount of water slowly before saturation. For materials with these features, a particle was thought to be perceived even when the particle size could not be distinguished.
The recognition threshold value could be expressed by a multiple-regression equation involving seven physical properties with a high multiple-correlation coefficient (R = 0.93).

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Three kinds of squid were used in the examination : the oval, Japanese common and arrow varieties. Cold water extracts of the raw and the cooked squid samples after an ethanol treatment were subjected to a sensory evaluation and chemical analysis to identify the differences in taste and how cold storage affects the taste. The chemical analysis showed that oval squid contained a large amount of free amino acids, especially glycine, which imparts a sweet taste. On the basis of the sensory evaluation, oval squid was the sweetest and the most preferable. Japanese common squid contained a large amount of glycinebetaine, but it also contained unpalatable hypoxanthine and bitter-tasting histidine. This suggests why the Japanese common squid was judged to be unfavorable. Twenty-four hours of cold storage made raw oval squid sweeter and more palatable. It was found that 24 h of cold storage strengthened the umami taste of cooked Japanese common squid.
The taste of raw and cooked samples of oval squid, Japanese common squid and arrow squid were compared by a chemical analysis and sensory evaluation. It was found that oval squid contained large amounts of free amino acids, especially glycine which has a sweet taste. The sensory evaluation proved that the taste of oval squid was the sweetest and the most favorable, Japanese common squid had a lot of glycinebetaine, but it also contained bitter histidine and unpalatable Hx. The sensory evaluation judged Japanese common squid to have a strong bitter taste that was unfavorable.
To show graphically and make explicit the difference in chemical components of the three squid extracts, a principal component analysis was applied. It was found that each squid has its own characteristic taste that was not greatly changed with cooking.
After 24 h of cold storage, there was an increase in the sweetness and umami taste of raw oval squid, which made it more favorable. Both sensory and chemical evaluations indicated that there was also an increase in the umami taste of cooked Japanese common squid. The increases in glutamic acid and combined amino acids after cold storage enhanced the umami taste and therefore increased the popularity of cooked Japanese common squid.

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The back shape of elderly women (n : 57) were investigated to obtain basic information for improving apparel fit. Their torsos were measured by three dimensional method. The shape of the back was represented by two kinds of curves, a silhouette curve and a median curve. Each curve was approximated by a set of three arcs and three straight lines and represented 25 parameters for a quantitative analysis. The corresponding parameters between two kinds of curves positively correlated, though the two curves differed from each other at the scapular region. The comparison with the results found in young women (Matsuyama et al. : J. Home Econ. Jpn., 49, 69-76, 1998) clarified the characteristics of the shape of elderly women such as a tendency toward an inclined upper back, an inclined suprascapular region, a rounded upper back, and flattening lumbar-buttock regions. These changes in the back with age were considered to cause some fitting problems which many elderly women had indicated (Watanabe et al. : J. Home Econ. Jpn., 48, 893-902, 1997). Principal component analysis was conducted to reveal the factors that characterized individual shape. The PC1 was the degree of protrusion of the buttock region and concavity of the lumbar region. The PC2 was the inclination of the suprascapular region and the inclination of the upper torso with age in the elderly. The PC3 was the smoothness of curves at the lumbar and buttock regions. The PC4 was the roundness of the upper back. These principal components were recognized as the factors that characterize the back of individual elderly women. For improving apparel fit of elderly women, these characteristics of the shape of the back of elderly women need to be taken into consideration in designing dress dummies or basic patterns.

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The contents of plant sterols and fatty acids, together with the composition of fatty acids in samples of carrot (Daucus carota L.), spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), and komatsuna (Brassica campestris L.) of different varieties harvested at different times were investigated.
The total plant sterol content of the carrot samples (35.0-50.4 mg/100 g) varied according to the variety, while there was no varietal difference in the total fatty acid content (122.9-152.1 mg/100 g).
The total plant sterol content of spinach harvested in November (3.4-3.9 mg/100 g) was about twice as high as that harvested in February (1.1-1.8 mg/100 g). Among the samples harvested in February, however, there was significant varietal difference (p< 0.05). The total fatty acid content of spinach harvested in February (394.0-410.2 mg/100 g) was over twice that harvested in November (136.8-191.3 mg/100 g).
The total plant sterol content of komatsuna harvested in October (7.7-11.5 mg/100 g) was higher than that harvested in February (2.4-2.9 mg/100 g), being significant the difference (p<0.05). The total fatty acids content of komatsuna harvested in February (259.1-402.1 mg/100 g) was also higher than that harvested in October (81.1-161.2 mg/100 g), also being significant the difference (p< 0.05).
An analysis of the composition of fatty acids showed linoleic acid in carrot and α-linolenic acid in both spinach and komatsuna to be the predominant ones.

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An aqueous extract of rice germ markedly stimulated the acid production of Lactobacillus casei YIT 9018 and Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei S-1 on a skim milk medium.
Most of the stimulating activity still remained after ashing the extract. Manganese (Mn) is one of the components responsible for the stimulating effect on acid production, because the amount of Mn in the ashed substance exhibited nearly the same effect when it was directly added. Moreover, the presence of organic stimulating substances was suggested. Almost all the stimulating fraction containing Mn was adsorbed by Dowex 50 and eluted with 1 _N HCl.
The aqueous extract of rice germ appreciably stimulated the acid production by L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus B-5b, L. acidophilus L-54, L. casei subsp. casei L-14, L. paracasei subsp. paracasei IFO 3533, 3953, L. paracasei subsp. paracasei S-2, and L. helveticus B-1, but significantly inhibited production by L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus IFO 13953. However, the extract had little effect on the acid production by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 527, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris H-61, or Streptococcus thermophilus 510.

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The hydration and swelling of starch in cooked rice was observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the following four sample preparation methods : rapid freezing after soaking in 50% ethanol (cryo-SEM); chemical fixation with tannin-osmium (chemical fixation); directly freeze-drying (freeze-drying); observation at a vacuum pressure of 30 Pa without freezing or fixation (variable-pressure SEM).
No information on the hydration and swelling of the starch in cooked rice could be obtained for the samples prepared by chemical fixation and variable-pressure SEM. Only a dense structure, which is considered as having been the original structure, was apparent. The samples prepared by freeze-drying showed a network structure in the whole part of the endosperm cell which is thought to have been a secondary structure caused by ice crystal formation because the size of the network depended on the freezing rate. On the other hand, the fine structure of cooked rice could be clearly observed by rapid freezing of the sample after soaking in 50% ethanol. This method was most appropriate for examining the hydration and swelling of the starch in cooked rice, even though it had a freezing process in the preparation procedure.

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Home economists can be found everywhere in the world. They act in the interest of welfare and everyday culture of individuals in their family environments, in home economics of the development of human resources.
As actors and responsibility-bearers, they have come here from many Asian countries and from other parts of the world in order to participate in the 10th Biennial Congress of the Asian Regional Association for Home Economics (ARAHE).
It is a special honour and a great pleasure for me to be able to take part in your congress and I'd like to thank especially Prof. Atsuko Shimada, President of the Japan Society of Home Economics, Prof. Toyoko Sakai, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the ARAHE congress, and Prof. Sawai, Official Representative for IFHE/ARAHE, for inviting me to this congress.
By taking part in the Home Economics World Congresses in Manila, Philippines, in 1980, and Bangkok, Thailand, in 1996 and in the pre-congress workshop in China in 1996, I was able to gain an insight into the Asian region. I am delighted about this opportunity of also getting to know Japan. I am going to take part in your congress with great interest and I will both profit from your knowledge and experience in the field of home economics and learn from your everyday culture and concepts of life.
The multitude of topics that will be presented in the plenary sessions, concurrent sessions and poster sessions will allow a comprehensive insight into the theme of this congress. “What is Quality of Life ?Innovations, Traditions, ....”
I should like to express my respect for and appreciation of your Asian Regional Association for Home Economics which you founded 16 years ago on the occasion of the Asian Regional Home Economics Seminar held in Tokyo and Osaka from September 5-10, 1983.
In Europe, we have not managed to establish a European Regional Association for Home Economics yet. Reasons for this are probably the great diversity of languages (26 languages, 32 IFHE member countries), but also a lack of financial resources required for an active organizational structure. Nevertheless, I have noticed in my capacity as IFHE Vice President for the European region that there have been fresh impulses and an increasing interest in a co-operation throughout Europe. Since 1996, three European events have been organized in co-operation with IFHE in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. We are also going to discuss strategies and measures for a better implementation of IFHE goals and interests in the European region at an IFHE working meeting in Bonn, Germany, in September 1999. I am very grateful that I will also have an opportunity learn from you ARAHE organization for this.
In my capacity as president elect of the IFHE, it is also a matter of important for me to thank the Japan Society of Home Economics for organizing the 20th World Congress on Home Economics in Japan in the year 2004. I can assure you that IFHE members will be very interested in taking part in this congress.

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[in Japanese]

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