Sulfur dioxides and sulfites are registered in "The Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives" mainly used as bleach and anti-oxidants, and Food Sanitation Law prohibits the use to sesame, legumes and vegetables. In China, sulfur fumigation is performed for the purpose of bleaching, drying, insecticide and antibacterial to some crude drugs. Recently, it has been reported that large quantities of sulfur dioxides are detected from sulfur fumigated crude drugs. In the course of our study of the survey of impurity in herbal materials, we analyzed the content of sulfur dioxides for 31 kinds of crude drugs (5 companies, 151 herbal materials) purchased from the Japanese market. By using modified Rankine method, more than 1,000 ppm of sulfur dioxides was detected from three crude drugs (Dioscorea Rhizome, Gastrodia Tuber, Fritillaria Bulb) and also more than 500 ppm of sulfur dioxides was detected from seven crude drugs (Pueraria Root, Lilium Bulb, Ginger, Asparagus Tuber, Platycodon Root, Mulberry Bark, Forsythia Fruit). Since herbal materials such as Dioscorea Rhizome, Pueraria Root, Lilium Bulb, Ginger are used as food and food additives, sulfur dioxide content of these materials should be noted at the viewpoint of food safety.

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The mouse popliteal lymph node assay (PLNA) has been applied as an immunotoxicological test to predict the allergenicity of chemicals. We applied this test for evaluating the antigenicity of water-soluble dyes. In our previous study, dyes which did not increase the PLN cellularity index showed an immediate disappearance from the footpads of mice. Food Red No.106 (R106) dissolved in water, did not increase the PLN cellularity index. Food Red No.105 (R105) dissolved in water, showed a strong PLN cellularity index. In this study, we investigated the effect of prolonged retention of dyes in the footpad on the antigenicity of dyes detected by PLNA. Each dye sample was applied to PLNA in an undissolved form using adjuvant, alum (aluminium hydroxide) adjuvant or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), so as to be retained in the footpads for a prolonged period. The undissolved forms of R106 were retained in the footpads and did not increase the PLN cellularity index, regardless of which adjuvant was used. Thus, the relationship between the prolonged retention of dyes in the footpad and the antigenicity of dyes was not observed. Our study suggests that the antigenicity by PLNA depends on chemical structures of dyes, not on retention period in the footpads.

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"Garden balsam extract", a natural food additive, is commercially available as an ethanol extract of the whole plant of Garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina L.) and is officially approved in the "Lists of Existing Food Additives in Japan". In our ongoing study to evaluate its quality and safety as a food additive, 14 components in "Garden balsam extract" were purified by the preparative HPLC. A new compound, (3R^*,4R^*)-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one, was purified and characterized on the basis of the spectral evidence.

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The leaves of two Euphorbiaceous plants (Sapium sebiferum and Phyllanthus urinaria), which contain a large amount of geraniin, were autoclaved. The contents of four polyphenol compounds (gallic acid, corilagin, ellagic acid and breviforin carboxylic acid) in the leaves remarkably increased, while that of geraniin decreased. These four polyphenols were presumed to be originated from the degradation of geraniin. DPPH radical scavenging activity of these four polyphenols seemed to be almost identical with that of geraniin. Taking into account the stability of these polyphenols in heating process, autoclaved leaves of these two plants seemed to be good materials for new food ingredients. Autoclaved leaves of S. sebiferum and P. urinaria. were treated with four Bacillus strains. In the process, the contents of four polyphenols were readily decreased and radical scavenging activities of the treated leaves also decreased. Autoclaved leaves of S. sebiferum were also treated with Penicillium sp., Fusarium solani or Rosellinia necafrix. In the treatment, the contents of polyphenols in the leaves were gradually decreased, while their radical scavenging activities were not so much decreased. This result suggested the existence of some other unknown metabolites having strong radical scavenging activity in the leaves.

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Effects of omega 3 and omega 6 unsaturated fatty acids on the autoimmune factors in MRL/lpr prone mice were investigated. Linseed oil was used as alpha-linolenic acid-rich oil (about 56%). Gamma-linolenic acid-rich oil containing the same amount as alpha-linolenic acid in linseed oil was prepared from borage oil. These oils and soybean oil were fed to the mice from 8 weeks old to 20 weeks old. Body weight of gamma-linolenic acid-rich oil group was significantly lower than that of alpha linolenic acid-rich oil group. Spleen swelling was suppressed by the administration of alpha and gamma-linolenic acids-rich oils, compared with soybean oil group. The suppression of the production of autoantibody and the decrease in urine albumin concentration were also observed. The administration of alpha-linolenic acid reduced the production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6. Gamma-linolenic acid group gave the intermediate score. The production of IL-18 showed the highest value in soybean oil group.

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The antioxidant activity of cookies containing powdered tea (green tea, oolong tea or black tea) and of the powdered teas alone were examined in a powder model system in the water activity (Aw) range of 0.2 to 1.0 and at 50℃. Cellulose showed no antioxidant activity over the range of Aw investigated. Although green tea showed strong antioxidant activity over the range of Aw investigated, peroxide value (PV) peaks appeared in the Aw range of 0.2 to 0.6 when green tea was subjected to boiling treatment. Oolong tea showed medium PV peaks at less than Aw0.6. The antioxidant activity of oolong tea was weakened by the boiling treatment. Black tea showed a tendency similar to oolong tea. Cookie dough was prepared from stuffs supporting oil (soft flour 47%, sodium hydrogen carbonate 3%, tea 25% and cellulose powder 25%), linoleic acid and water in the ratio of 4:1:1.5 by weight. In the control, tea in those stuffs was substituted with cellulose. The dough was baked at 160℃ for 20 minutes. Strong PV peaks were observed in the control in the Aw range of 0.2 to 1.0 at storage day 1. In green tea cookies, the same PV peaks were not observed, although they appeared in the low to moderate range of Aw when the tea was subjected to the boiling treatment. A similar tendency was observed in oolong tea and black tea cookies.

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Shoot, adventitious root and hairy root cultures of Solidago altissima L. were established. Chlorogenic acid and 3, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were isolated from the hairy root cultures. 3, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid was the major secondary metabolites in various tissue cultures of this plant. These polyphenol compounds were easily isolated as the polyphenol-soybean protein complex from the extract of this plant. Solidago altissima L., producing polyphenol compounds with the high concentrations, seemed to have a potential to be as a new resource for functional compounds.

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Effects of linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid and soybean oil administration on the autoimmune factors of MRL/lpr strain mice. Male mice of 5 weeks of age were divided into three groups; Group 1(Soybean oil group), Group 2(Linoleic acid group), Group 3 (α-linolenic acid group). Mice were individually housed in steel cages and the diets and water were fed ad libitum. Weight of alae lymph node of mice fed α-linolenic acid diet was significantly lower than that of mice fed linoleic acid diet. Protein urea concentration of the mice fed α-linolenic acid diet was lower than that of the linoleic acid diet group. Serum anti-dsDNA antibody titre , IL-18 and TNF-α of mice were decreased by administering α-linolenic acid. Mice fed α-linolenic acid showed highest survival rate. Soybean oil diet gave the intermediate value between α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid. These results well agreed with the previous reports of cooking oils such as perilla oil, fish oil etc.

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