The brown apple juice was fractionated by means of gel filtration on a Sephadex G-200 column and two pigment peaks were obtained by estimating OD_blue, OD₂₈₀ and Folin reaction. The apple enzyme was incubated with a natural substrate (boiled apple extract), catechol, chlorogenic acid or pyrogallol as a model system of browning of apple and each reaction mixture was submitted to gel filtration for comparison. Similar to the brown apple juice, the model “Enzyme-Natural substrate” and “Enzyme-Catechol” systems gave two pigment peaks at about the same eluting position. On the other hand, in the case of the “Enzyme-Chlorogenic acid” system, only one peak was observed at the position between those of the two peaks of the model systems mentioned above, whereas three peaks were seen in the “Enzyme-Pyrogallol” system.
Then, absorption spectra of the pigments fractionated were determined. They were quite different from one another, even though the pigments had been isolated from the brown apple juice, the “Enzyme-Natural substrate” system and the “Enzyme-Catechol” system at the same positions of elution by gel filtration. In addition, characteristic spectrum was respectively estimated for the pigments of the systems of the “Enzyme-Chlorogenic acid” and “Enzyme-Pyrogallol. ”

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The experiment of ⁵⁹Fe utilization was carried out by oral administration of ⁵⁹Fe material given to two groups of rats, which were fed on low protein-adepuate iron diets for 52 days (Exp. 1) and low protein-low iron diets for 35 days (Exp. 2), and by detecting the rate of ⁵⁹Fe incorporation into red blood cells and liver-nonhemin-iron after 48 hours of giving the dose.
During feeding on them, averages of the weight gain of the rats fed on the diets of 5, 10, 15 and 20% casein in Exp. 1 (Fe content: 35. 2mg%) were 0.1, 1.0, 1.8 and 4.0 g/day, and those fed on the diets of 5 and 20% casein in Exp. 2 (Fe content: 0.08 and 0.31mg%) were 0.4 and 3.9g/day respectively.
At the end of the feeding, almost no decrease of hemoglobin concentration was observed in all experimental groups with a exception of 8.7g/dl hemoglobin in the rats fed on 20% casein in Exp. 2. And nonhemin iron content in liver was on a normal level in Exp. 1 (102.2-184.4μg/g), but that of rats fed on 5% and 20% casein diets in Exp. 2 was 71.9 and 34.8μg/g respectively.
⁵⁹Fe incorporation into red blood cells in rats of Exp. 1 was 9.8, 21.3, 23.0 and 45.5%, and that in Exp. 2 was 12.7 and 43.6% of total ⁵⁹Fe given to rats in the same order mentioned above. ⁵⁹Fe incorporation into liver-nonhemin-iron was 4.0, 7.5, 7.8 and 8.2% in rats of Exp. 1, and that in Exp. 2 was 4.5 and 1.5% respectively. Accordingly ⁵⁹Fe incorporation into red blood cells in the rats of 5% casein diet was significantly less than that in the rats of 20% casein in both series of experiments (p<0.001 in both cases).
Xanthine oxidase activity in liver was parallel to the amounts of protein (casein) ingested, and increase of the activity was observed extraordinarily in the rats fed on 20% casein diet in Exp. 2.

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Determination of ergosterol in Lentinus edodes was studied. After extraction of the fungus (ca. 1g) with petroleum ether and separation by TLC, ergosterol was colorimetrically determined as described below:
(1) A Kieselgel G (Merck) TLC using benzene/acetone/chloroform (10: 1: 1) as a developing system promoted fine separation of free and ester forms of ergosterol from other lipids. Their recoveries were 99.4±6.2% and 96.6±4.8%, respectively (Table 1).
(2) The colorimetry of ergosterol using a color reagent of sulfuric and acetic acid mixture (3: 1) was quite satisfactorily made in the range of 1 to 300μg. This reaction colored mixture was proved to be stable during 20 to 120minutes, and showed an absorption maximum at 472mμ (Fig. 1 and 2).
(3) In onder to clear the distribution of ergosterol in fungus, three main parts (pileus, stipe, and gills) were taken up and then the contents of ergosterol in them were individually determined. The results indicated that the free fonm was dominat than the ester form in all of these 3 parts. The contents of ergosterol in these 3 parts were 433, 524, and 633μg per 1g of fresh sample, respectively (Table 2 and 3).

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Some light colored edible herbs such as Chinese cabbage, cabbage and welsh onion, and some green colored edible herbs such as lettuce, garland chrysanthemum, carrot leaves and radish leaves were studied with respect to changes in vitamin C contents in different parts during the growth period. The following results were obtained.
(1) During the growth, vitamin C contents in both edible herbs generally showed the highest values in the early period when growth was most active. Along with the growth, especially in the solid head of the light colored edible herbs, a marked fall in vitamin C concentration was noted, while the green colored edible herbs maintained comparatively a high level of vitamin C content even in the latter half of growth period. These are probably due to the fact that the leaves of the former vegetables play the role of strage organ and, on the contrary, the entire leaves of the latter vegetables generally consist of vegetative organs where the physiological activity is vigorous.
(2) As to the location of vitamin C in both edible herbs, they contained more vitamin C in the inner part of the core than in its outer part. On the other hand, the vitamin C content in the outer leaves without the solid head of the light colored edible herbs in the solid stage was remarkably high.
In the case of garland chrysanthemum, as development progressed, its lateral leaves showed a less vitamin C content, though the lateral leaves branching from the main stem were in a juvenile stage. They had much less vitamin C than the outer leaves of the main stem.

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