[in Japanese]

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The effects of L-ascorbic acid, D-arabo-ascorbic acid and dehydro-L-ascorbic acid on the activity of pepsin were investigated.
1. L-ascorbic acid and D-arabo-ascorbic acid activated pepsin.
2. Dehydro-L-ascorbic acid inactivated the enzyme. The degree of denaturation of pepsin with dehydro-L-ascorbic acid was determined by ultraviolet absorption and digestibility of the DHA-treated enzyme by alkaline bacterial proteinase (of Bacillus subtilis). It was shown that the enzyme were denatured completely or partly in the presence of 10^-4-10^-2 M DHA, and the inactivation of pepsin could be explained by the denaturation of enzyme.

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The effects of some degradation products of L-ascorbic acid, i. e. 2, 3-diketo-L-gulonic acid, furfural and 3-deoxy-pentosone, on the pepsin activity were investigated.
1. 2, 3-Diketo-L-gulonic acid, one of oxidative degradation products of L-ascorbic acid, activated the enzyme.
2. 3-Deoxy-pentosone, a non-oxidative degradation product of L-ascorbic acid in a strongly acidic medium under the usual cooking temperature at pH2.2 (5% sulfuric acid), activated the enzyme.
3. Furfural, a heat- as well as acid-degradation product of L-ascorbic acid, slightly inactivated the enzyme.

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The changes of fatty acid composition of the neutral fat and phospholipid of the tumor itself, liver and skin of tumor bearing mice fed by fat-free diet were investigated.
The lipid contents of the tumors of these mice were higher than those of mice fed by fat-added diet. The percentage of linoleic acid both of the neutral fat and of the phospholipid decreased markedly, whereas that of oleic acid increased and eicosatrienoic acid appeared in NF-sarcoma of mice, fed by fat free-diet.
In the neutral fat of the livers of tumor-bearing mice fed by fat-free diet, the percentage of oleic acid had increased and of palmitic acid decreased, whereas in the phospholipid that of oleic acid had increased and of palmitic and stearic acids had decreased.
The fat content of skin of tumor-bearing mice fed by fat-free diet had markedly decreased. In the neutral fat, the percentage of palmitic and palmitoleic acids increased and of oleic acid increased.
Linoleic acid showed a decrease. In the phospholipid, the percentage of stearic and linoleic acids decreased and of oleic acid increased. Eicosatrienoic acid also appeared in this fraction.

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A few properties of the starch isolated from lotus seed, by immersion in 0.2% sodium hydroxide, were examined.
(1) Microscopic observations have shown that the starch grains are ellipses in their shapes, the diameters of which are between 5 and 20μ with an average 13.4μ.
(2) The X-ray diffraction pattern derived from the starches has shown that the diffraction intensity of lotus seed starch is comparable to that of corn starch. The pattern of lotus seed starch belongs to the A-spectrum according to the classification by Katz.
(3) The amylogram by Brabender's amylograph, at concentration 8.0%, comes to the pasting point at 73.5°C and to the maximum viscosity at 1285 B.U. in heating process. The viscosity of lotus seed starch is higher than those of common cereal starches of the corresponding concentrations.

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Sesame oil, used in medical treatment since old times, was recently reported to be effective against pulmonary tuberculosis and cancer of the digestive system. A biochemical study was therefore carried out on sesame oil. Sesame oil was administered in animals to see the effect on serum electrolyte in comparison with other vegetable oils.
As the experimental method, plant oil (sesame oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, rice bran oil, and safflower oil) was administered in adult rabbit in a dose of 0.4g/kg orally, and blood samples were taken to determine serum total calcium, ionized calcium, total magnesium and inorganic phosphorus. During the course of preparation, sesame oil was parched once. The degree of such procedure was compared according to preparations, some of which was tested for ingestion by man.
As for the results of experiment, continuous daily administration of sesame and rapeseed oil resulted in an elevation of serum dialyzable calcium and decreased total magnesium and inorganic phosphorus.
Other vegetable oils increased both serum dialyzable calcium and total magnesium like safflower oil.
In the study of the degree of parching of sesame oil, the stronger the heat treatment, the larger was the increase of serum dialyzable calcium. Similar results were obtained in man and rabbit.
Summarizing these results, the state of acidosis with a tendency of lower value of serum dialyzable calcium and higher values of total magnesium and inorganic phosphorus is removed by the administration of sesame oil.

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The selenium content in foods was determined by fluorescent analysis, involving the wet decomposition of organic compounds at low temperature avoiding the vaporization loss of selenium.
The correction for the reagent blank was necessary.
The selenium contents obtained were 1.807 ppm in dried garlic, 1.481 ppm in green onion, and 0.945 ppm in tangle.

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The activity of potato protease inhibitor was investigated with special reference to the variety, size and the part of the potato. The inhibitory action was found to differ significantly according to the variety of potato.
In general, smaller potatoes had stronger inhibitory activity than larger ones. Also, the inhibitory activity was found to be greater in the outer part than in the inner part of the potatoes.
The protease inhibitor was greatly decreased when the potatoes were roasted in an oven or in an electronic range, the decrease being especially remarkable on the outer part of the potatoes. Boiled potatoes showed much less inhibitory activity than those roasted in an electronic range.

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Amylase inhibitor in flour and in breads and cakes made of flour was investigated. The flour products obtained by a strong heat treatment showed less activity of the amylase inhibitor. There was no amylase inhibitor in most of the outer part of the loaf, whereas more than half of the active inhibitors in flour was found to remain in pancake.
The potency of amylase inhibitor in dough was shown to decrease in proportion with the time of baking in an oven.

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The concentration of radioiodine (I-131) in milk in Japan was determined daily after explosion in five nuclear bomb tests by the Red China.
As the result:
1) The contamination of milk by radioiodine was detected very clearly and rapidly.
2) The maximum concentration of radioiodine in milk in Chiba was elevated to 400 pCi/l in the first test, and the radioactive contamination continued during the period of about one month.
3) In the cases of the second to the fifth tests, the increase of radioiodine in milk was relatively low, and the activity disappeared within 7-10 days after each explosion.

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In order to investigate the effect of mucin on the growth of rats, a number of young rats were divided into four groups receiving four different diets.
Two kinds of mucin (mucin-1 and mucin-2) and the “synthetic mucin”, as a control for the amount of protein and non-protein nitrogen compounds in mucin, were added to the basal diet at a level of 5%, respectively.
In the body weight, the group of rats receiving the mucin-1 supplement gained approximately 23.5% more than the control rats (p<0.01) and 17.2% more than the group fed on the “synthetic mucin” supplemented diet.
It was also found that an increase in food efficiency, i. e., grams of growth per grams of food, was shown by the rats receiving the diet containing mucin-1. In the examination of exercise faculty by treadmill, the running distance of mucin-treated rats was about 1.5-1.7 times longer than that of control group. However, among each group, no remarkable differences were found in the average weight of the liver, kidney, adrenal and testicle, nor in serum protein and non-protein nitrogen contents.

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The effect of mucin on the amino acid absorption in the small intestine of rat was studied through the perfusion technique.
A 10cm section of the intestine was separated about 7cm apart from the pylorus at the upper end, and connected to the circulation system. The perfusion solution containing 2μM amino acid was circulated through the system, at the rate of 0.7ml per min. at 37°C.
Chemical analyses of the residual amino acids in the perfusing solution showed that, in the presenceof 0.005% of mucin, the increase in absorption by the small intestine was observed in the following 8 amino acids, alanine, valine, leucine, proline, serine, methionine, aspartic acid and arginine, in comparison with the control system devoid of mucin.

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The content of fluorine was determined in agricultural foodstuffs by the zirconium-Eriochrome cyanin R method and the thorium nitrate volumetry.
Rice samples had contained 1.51ppm of fluorine about 100 years ago in Japan. Rice samples in 1958 and 1960 contained 5.73 and 13.95ppm of fluorine, respectively. The contents of fluorine in other agricultural foodstuffs in 1965 were higher than those in 1958. A possible reason for this increase of fluorine content in foods in recent years may reside in the application of chemical fertilizers, especially phosphates.
Much fluorine was found in tea leaves, umbelliferae and pulses. Among many kinds of fruits in Japan, apples showed the highest content.
In vegetative foods, seeds contained more fluorine than edible parts. In Welsh onion, the content of fluorine in green portion was higher than that in white portion. The fluorine content of leaf stalk was generally lower compared with that of leaf blade.

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Daily intake ot nuorine from Japanese rural diet was estimated. The estimated amount of fluorine was 3.708mg in 1958 and in 1965, 8.819mg. Fluorine intake was low in summer and high in winter. The chief source of fluorine was rice, supplying 50.6% of the total intake in 1958 and 57.8% in 1965. Vegetative foods supplied 8.3% of fluorine intake in 1958 and 21.2% in 1965. Among the other sources of fluorine were bean paste and drinking water. The amount of fluorine obtained from drinking water was, however, insignificant.

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