The authors have been reported on the metabolic roles of inosinic acid (5′-IMP) to the rat liver pyruvate dehydrogenase (E. C. 1. 2. 4. 1.). The effects on xanthine oxidase (E. C. 1. 2. 3. 2.) of rat liver by the oral administration of inosine (Hx-R) have been also investigated.
In this paper the possible effects of 5′-IMP in relation to purine-nucleic acid and amino acid metabolism were studied. The male rats of Wistar strain, weighing about 170g, were dosed 10 or 100mg/ rat of 5′-IMP for 1 day and fed for 10 days. Activities of urate oxidase (E. C. 1. 7. 3. 3.), amidophosphoribosyltransferase (PRPPATase) (E. C. 2. 4. 2. 14.) and arginase (E. C. 3. 5. 3. 1.) were measured by using the rat liver homogenate.
The weight gains of rats were almost similar to that of the control in which the effects of 5′-IMP were not recognized. Urate oxidase activity of 5′-IMP administered group was slightly increased over that of the control. The rat liver PRPPATase of 5′-IMP administered group was decreased and arginase activity did not show significant difference compared with control.

View full abstract

The authors surveyed the nutritional status of the Ainu students in the District of Hidaka, Hokkaido from 1969 to 1970 in order to ascertain if their food habits or volume of food intake had any effect on cold tolerance.
Results were tabulated for both the Ainu and the ordinary Japanese (Wajin).
Fuel value of consumed foods was almost identical for both races, but the quantity and the quality of the protein intake were less in the Ainu than in the Wajin. On the other hand, the menu content and consumed food-stuffs were similar fortboth ethnic groups in these areas.
The average of the body weight and height of all students in these areas were lower than the Japanese national average. The skin-fold thickness was thinner in the Ainu than in the Wajin.
The blood gravity and serum protein concentration were almost identical and normal for both ethnic groups.
The cold-resistance index determined by the cold induced vasodilatation test was slightly higher in the Ainu than in the Wajin. The index was rather lower in the Wajin than in the students residented in Osaka.

View full abstract

Structural dependency of surface activity was investigated with various sucrose esters of fatty acid which were different in substitution degree and fatty acid constituent.
Sucrose esters were prepared from the respective methyl ester of caprylic, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, behenic, oleic and linoleic acid, and hydrogenated tallow. Surface activities of these esters were compared with each others in terms of turbidity, surface tension, wetting power and foaming power at 0.1 or 0.3% level in water, and of HLB value.
Hydrophilic capacity of the sucrose esters was dependent on mono-ester content; sucrose esters containing 74, 62, 50, 41 and 32% mono-esters on weight basis, which were prepared from hydrogenated tallow, showed HLB values of 15, 13, 11, 8 and 6, respectively. Hydrophilic capacity was also variable with molecular species of fatty acid used; the longer-chain or the more saturated fatty acids showed the lower hydrophilic capacity. Solution containing sucrose esters of the shorter-chain fatty acids or of the lower degree of substitution exhibited the lower surface tension, but the higher foaming power. The longer-chain or the more saturated fatty acids showed the poorer wetting power. Dissolving power for n-hexane became higher with the increase in the substitution degree of the esters.

View full abstract

Comparison was made for the stability of aqueous emulsion prepared from a variety of sucrose esters which were different in substitution degree of sucrose moiety and in molecular species of fatty acid constituents.
Sucrose esters were prepared from the respective methyl ester of caprylic, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid, and hydrogenated tallow. An aqueous emulsion containing soy bean oil for the dispersion was prepared using these esters, and its stability was determined by measuring the amount of water which was separated from the system upon standing at room temperature.
Sucrose esters of high substitution degrees were incapable to support an aqueous emulsion of higher o/w ratio due to phase inversion phenomenon, but capable to support an emulsion of lower o/w ratio, which was satisfactorily stable at 5% level of added sucrose ester. On the other hand, sucrose esters of lower substitution degrees were capable to produce a stable aqueous emulsion of higher o/w ratio. No clear relationship, if any, was detected between stability of the emulsion and the chainlength of fatty acid moiety in the esters. However, unsaturation in the carbon chain leads to a decreased stability of the emulsion. Supplementation of a high molecular weight and high viscosity substance to sucrose esters as a stabilizer was found to increase the stability.

View full abstract

Fatty acids, minerals and vitamines of the nutritive components were determined in the four buckwheat flour fractions (SF fraction: the first milled product, yield 16%; 1F fraction: the second product, yield 40%; 2F fraction: the third product, yield 40%; 3F fraction: the last product, yield 3%) obtained by milling the buckwheat kernel.
The fatty acid composition was determined in each fraction by gas chromatography and at least eight fatty acids were identified. Palmitic (18.3 to 22.9%), oleic (29.1 to 31.6%) and linoleic (19.1 to 34.8%) acids were predominant in each fraction, and linolenic (4.7 to 6.8%), stearic (2.1 to 3.3%) and palmitoleic (0.6 to 2.3%) acids were also contained in all of the fractions. Eighty to ninety percent of the total acids consisted of the acids of 16 and 18 carbons. The fatty acid composition of the 2F fraction was the most characteristic in the four fractions on the most contents of fatty acids of 16, 20 or more and 15 or less carbons.
The four buckwheat flour fractions were also analyzed for the following seven metals: Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, and Na. Of these metals K and Mg were the major components in each fraction, being localized in the 2F and 3F fractions as well as Fe.
Analyses of thiamine and riboflavin in each fraction of the buckwheat flour indicated that the content of both vitamines were highest in the 2F fraction.

View full abstract

In the methanol extract from sliced tubers of konjak (Amorphophallus konjac, K. Koch), four polyphenolic substances were detected by two dimentional paper chromatography.
These polyphenolic substances were fractienated into three fractions (basic, neutral and acidic fr.) by ion exchange chromatography on Amberlite CG 120 and CG 4B columns. From each fraction, catecholamine, flavanol type tannins and other polyphenol were found respectively by means of color reaction and UV light irradiation.
The polyphenolic substance in basic fraction was purified by using Amberlite CG 50 column, and it was identified as dopamine (3, 4-dihydro xyphenylethylamine), since it gave 6, 7-hydroxy-1, 1-dimethyl-2, 3, 4-tetrahydroisoquinoline by the condensation reaction with acetone under neutral condition.
Polyphenoloxidase (E. C. 1. 10. 3. 1.) prepared from the tubers of konjak showed high activity for catecholamines such as dopamine and DL-dopa. Therefore, it is likely that dopamine is a browning compound of konjak tubers. Other polyphenols detected also may take parts in the browning of tubers.

View full abstract