Urease activity was scarcely detected in the enzyme solution by routine assay methods. However, its presence was established by estimating ¹⁴CO₂ released from ¹⁴C-urea. Using ¹⁴C-urea as substrate for urea dehydrogenase, formation of ¹⁴C-compound which is not decomposed by urease exogenously added after reaction was also confermed. With NAD or NADP, urease activity was decreased, whereas formation of non-urea compound was increased.
Urease activity was higher in the enzyme solution prepared from fresh algae than in that from algal powder, while formation of non-urea compound was not different. It was presumed that urea dehydrogenase may substitute for urease action in utilizing urea.

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In relation to the effects of dietary fats with different structures on the structure and function of liver mitochondria, swelling and fatty acid composition of phospholipids from rats fed on the diets containing linoleic acid or trilinoleate, either with or without addition of cholesterol, were studied. The animals were maintained on these diets from 8 to 13 weeks ad libitum.
The rate of mitochondrial swelling was somewhat faster in the rats fed linoleic acid than those fed trilinoleate. Addition of cholesterol (1%) to the diets resulted in a decrease in the rate of swelling as compared with the corresponding cholesterol free groups. However, the difference in the swelling observed between the linoleic acid and trilinoleate groups was disappeared with the supplement of cholesterol. The contours of the swelling were practically similar between 8 and 13 week feeding.
The fatty acid composition of phospholipids was similar between the linoleic acid and trilinoleate groups. Addition of cholesterol resulted in the decrease in the percentage of stearic and arachidonic acids, and the increase in linoleic acid. Feeding of oleic acid resulted in the decrease in linoleic andarachidonic acids, and the increase in oleic and eicosatrienoic acids, accompanied by the rapidmitochondrial swelling.
The causes leading to these results were discussed.

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After the production of germfree Japanese quail using formaldehyde as a sterilizing agent was deviced, the growth, feed consumption, excreta weight and feed efficiency of the germfree birds were compared to those of the conventional birds and of the germfree birds contaminated with Bacillus species at eighteen days old.
(1) In spite of higher growth curve for two weeks after hatching, lower growth curve for the germfree birds than the conventional birds was obtained afterwards. After contamination suppressed growth was observed, and it was recovered after two weeks of contamination.
(2) Maximum weekly body weight gain was shown at the third week for the conventional birds and at the third and fourth weeks for the germfree birds.
(3) Higher feed consumption on the dry matter basis in the germfree birds than in the conventional birds for the whole experimental period and remarkable increase of feed consumption for one week after contamination were found.
(4) Similar weight of excreta on the dry matter basis between the conventional and germfree groups for six weeks and increased weight of excreta for one and two weeks after contamination were obtained.
(5) Decreased feed efficiencies of the conventional and germfree birds were accompanied with their weeks of age, except for three weeks of age in the conventional birds, and lower feed efficiencies in the germfree birds than in the conventional birds were always shown. Markedly decreased feed efficiency was observed for one week after contamination.

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For six weeks after hatching of Japanese quail, protein efficiency ratio, ratio of apparent digestibility of N and ratios of retention on N, Ca, Mg and P of the germfree birds were compared to those to the conventional birds and of the germfree birds contaminated with bacteria at eighteen days old.
(1) Lower protein efficiency ratios for the germfree birds than for the conventional birds for six weeks and with increased weeks of age for the both groups, except for the second week of the conventional group, were obtained. After contamination of the germfree birds suppressed protein efficiency ratio was observed, and it was recovered afterwards.
(2) Higher ratios of apparent digestibility of N for the germfree birds than for the conventional birds were found, and no appreciable effect on the ratios was shown after contamination.
(3) Highest ratios of retention on N, Ca, Mg and P for the conventional and germfree groups at the first week after hatching and lower ratio of N retention in the germfree birds than in the conventional birds at six weeks of age were obtained. At the third week after contamination, same ratio of N retention for the contaminated birds as for the germfree birds of similar weeks of age was shown.
(4) Higher ratios of retention on Ca, Mg and P in the germfree birds than in the conventional birds were observed for the whole experimental period, except for the first week. After contamination each ratio of retention was decreased.

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The model weaning foods were preparated by enriching with various iron preparations to the powdered bread, and the possible effect by the form of these preparations on rancidity of enriched foods have been observed. The iron salts used in this examination were listed in Table 1. These iron salts were enriched in 10mg per cent concentration into the weaning foods, and these enriched samples were stored in an incubator at 30°C together with the unenriched samples. Degree of rancidity were determined by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method at weekly intervals. Tests were also carried out in the pasteurized section and unpasteurized section.
The TBA pigments developed from samples have the absorption maxima at 532mμ and 454mμ The former of a red color was the same as obtained from malondialdehyde prepared from ethoxypropane, and the latter of a yellow color was the same as the absorption obtained from pure saturated aliphatic aldehydes (Fig. 1-2).
In the condition described above, iron salts in the samples were found to promote the rancidity (Fig. 3 to 7). Samples containing insoluble inorganic complex showed slight rancidity, but the samples containing soluble organic complexes, which were consisted predominantly from ferrous salt, showed remarkable rancidity comparing with the samples used the other iron preparations. These complexes were unstable for air and light. Samples containing ferric chloride and ferrous sulfate having ionisation forms also showed remarkable rancidity. Using sodium ferric pyrophosphate or ferric pyrophosphate, rancidity was very slight. Therefore it was proved that these pyrophosphates were most effective enrichments for weaning foods and soluble iron salts such as ferrous gluconate or lactate were not suitable as enrichments because of these unstabilities.

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Young albino rats (approximately 60g, male and female) and adult albino rats (approximately 250g, male and female) maintained on choline deficient diet or choline deficient diet with addition of cholesterol for 3 weeks to induce fatty liver were divided into 69 groups (1 group consisting of 2 males and 2 females). In each group, choline chloride was orally or parenterally administered daily in doses of 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120mg per rat, and measured their body weight and total fatty acid content of the liver after 2 weeks.
Lipotropic action was seen in adult albino rats above the dose of 20mg given either orally or parenterally, while the decrease of body weight was mild. Death rarely occurred even when more than 100mg was used.
In young albino rats, lipotropic action was seen above the dose of 10mg in both oral and parenteral administration. Body weight always decreased. Such decrease in body weight was more pronounced in the group with injection and many animals died when more than 20mg was used.
The cause of such death along with decrease of body weight appeared to be related with adrenocortical hormones.

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The present investigation was undertaken to clarify the suppressing effect of spice for fishy odor by the absorption of trimethylamine in spice solution.
To determine the absorbed trimethylamine directly and indirectly, the aeration method which was used to determine the volatile reducing substance was modified.
It has been found that ginger and sage absorbed a fairly amount of trimethylamine in such a low concentration as 1: 500, 000 diluted solution, and still they suppressed the trimethylamine odor.
It was suggested that a chemical reaction would be occured between an element of fishy odor and a component of spice, since vanillin which had a similar structure to a spice component such as gingeron showed a remarkable absorption of trimethylamine and they turned the trimethylamine odorless at a quite low concentration.

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The binding of some azo colors with bovine plasma albumin was studied by equilibrium dialysis method. These azo colors studied include amaranth, newcoccine, orange I, orange II and orange G. The moles of bound color per protein mole and the free energies for the binding of these colors by bovine plasma albumin were determined at pH 5.2-8.9. The free energies for the binding of these colors are in the neighborhood of -5, 800 to -7, 200 cal/mole. Although the value of the binding capacity is very difficult to determine with a high degree of accuracy, these values of the binding capacity obtained in our experiments were from 2 to 50. These values depend on the kinds and the positions of substituents in azo colors.

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The binding of isoxanthene food colors with bovine plasma albumin, bovine γ-globulin and casein studied by equilibrium dialysis method. The isoxanthene food colors tested were rose bengale, erythrosine, phloxine and eosine. The moles of bound color per protein mole and free energies for the binding of colors was determined at pH 5.2-12.0. The free energies for the binding of colors by bovine plasma albumin were from -7, 400 to -9, 200cal/mole. Although the value of the binding capacity is very difficult to determine with a high degree of accuracy, these values of the binding capacity obtained in our experiments were from 3 to 50. These values depend on the kinds and the positions of halo groups in isoxanthene colors and on the kinds of the protein.

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The binding of triphenylmethane food colors with bovine plasma albumin was studied by equilibrium dialysis method. The triphenylmethane food colors tested were guinea green B, light green SF yelowish, brilliant blue FCF, fast gree FCF and acid violet 6B. The moles of bound color per pfotein mole and free energies for the binding of colors was determined at pH 5.2-12.0. The free energies for the binding of these colors by bovine plasma albumin were from -6, 300 to -7, 500cal/mole. Although the value of the binding capacity is very difficult to determine with a high degree of accuracy, these values of the binding capacity obtained in our experiments were from 1 to 20. These values depend on the kinds and the positions of substituents on the phenyl bound with the central carbon atom in triphenylmethane colors.

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In order to improve the dislike flavor and taste of skim-milk, the effect of proteolytic enzymes on skim-milk was investigated. By the sensory taste, it was showed that the characteristic flavor of skim-milk vanished, accompanying with an increase of the sweetness and the taste, but, on the contrary, the pecurlar flavor of fresh-milk itself disappeared and the taste often became heavy. The most suitable amount of enlyme as for the good taste was 25-50 units/100g (1 unit=an equivalent to tyrosine 10/μg measured as TCA soluble, colored substance by Folin's reagent). As the result of determination of TCA soluble N, amino N and peptide N, the taste was assumed occur on account of the increase of both amino N and peptide N, especially the later. The specific viscosity decreased, but the decrease had not effect on the decision of the quality of skim-milk whether it was heavy or light.

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The effect of diets containing 10% margarine, corn oil or butter fat on plasma and liver cholesterol levels was studied with rats.
Highly significant elevation of plasma cholesterol was observed by the feeding of hydrogenated fish oil or butter fat, whereas hydrogenated vegetable oils inhibited farther changes of this.

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Growth and nutritional status at adolescence of the children in a remote country were studied and compared with those of the children in the urban-, the rural-and the seaside-district, previously studied by the authors. Growth was discussed from the anthropometric (body height and weight) and the biochemical (creatinine and 17-ketosteroids in the 24 hour urine, and alkaline phosphatase in the blood serum) viewpoint. Besides, a survey of the intake of protein and calory was carried out in consecutive 3 days.
As results, the selection and intake for diets of the people in the so-called remote country are going to get nearer to those in the urban district, by reflecting an improvement in the traffic and the food situation. Therefore, pubertal spurt in growth of the children in a remote country was ascerelated in an early stage, and an aspect of growth of them is coming to be alike to that of the urban children.

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The relationship between fecal bacterial numbers and cholesterol contents in plasma and liver was examined in four dietary regimens of rats: commercially available stock diet, lactose (40%) diet, sucrose (62.8%) diet and galactose (20%) diet. When fecal bacteria were cultivated aerobically, there were found more Lactobacilli, less general aerobes and less E. coli in the stock diet group than in the sugar diet groups. There were no differences in these aerobes among three sugar-groups. Numbers of anaerobes cultured with a blood agar or a general Lactobacilli medium showed no difference by diets. The lactose diet containing cholesterol didn't show any changes of fecal bacterial counts comparing to the sucrose diet as a control, in spite of inducing the higher cholesterol level in plasma and liver.

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Dried spinach, wakame (a kind of seaweeds) and kombu (sea tangle) commercially available in Japan, were powdered and added individually to 5% in a sucrose diet containing 0.1% of cholesterol and 0.5% of sodium cholate. Male Wister rats were separated to four dietary regimens: spinach, wakame, kombu and no sample as control. Plasma and liver cholesterol level were checked 7, 14, 21, 28 and 56 days after feeding and found to be suppressed by feeding spinach, wakame or kombu, especially clearly at the 56th day.
On the other hand, when these samples were fed to rats of hypercholesteremia, spinach and wakame were found to promote the decrease of plasma and liver cholesterol.

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Practically no starch has been found in mature soybean seeds and their main oligosaccharides are sucrose, stachyose and raffinose. However the presence of enzymes which catalyze the hydrolysis of these oligosaccharides except sucrose in digestive juices of higher animals has not been reported. To examine the utilization of soybean oligosaccharides by the higher animals, the following experiments were carried out: the balance study of soybean carbohydrates with intact rats, the time study of the disappearance of soybean oligosaccharides from the gastro-intestinal tracts and the effect of antibiotics on the utilization of the carbohydrates.
From these experiments it was indicated that about 90% of soybean oligosaccharides were absorbed and that in the presence of antibiotics, however, absorption of the carbohydrates reduced to 52%. These results imply the soybean oligosaccharides are digested mainly by the intestinal microflora and utilyzed pretty well by the higher animals. However, the utilization of soybean carbohydrates were much slower than sucrose and remained longer time in cecum and other intestines.

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