The influences of potato starch-granules and cellulose on the digestive enzyme activities of adult and young rats were studied for various duration. When rats of 8 weeks old were fed on the diet containing 50% potato starch-granules (PSG diet) for a week, pancreatic α-amylase activity was lower than that of rats (control) fed a pregelatinized potato starch diet (PPS diet), and pancreatic protease acdvityr was higher than that of the conrol. But, protease activity and maltase activity of the small intestinal mucosa of rats fed the PSG diet for 4 weeks was not significantly different from those of control. When rats of 4 weeks old were rised on the PSG diet for longer time, the tendency for the recovery of several enzyme activities was clearly revealed. After twelveth week-feeding, α-amylase activity of rats fed the PSG diet was not less than that of control. From these results, the change of digestive enzyme activities seems to be classified into three types; pancreatic α-amylase type, pancreatic protease type and intestinal maltase type. In paired feeding of PPS, PSG and cellulose diets for 8 days, pancreatic α-amylase activity of rats fed the PSG diet was similar to that of rats fed the PPS diet, nevertheless that of the cellulose group was higher than that of PSG diet. The results from the paperchromatogram indicated that several kinds of maltoligosaccharide were produced small intestinal mucosa of rats fed the PSG diet for 8 days, but hardly in that of the PPS diet.

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Lipid metabolism was compared in growing male rats by feeding a diet containing iodine enriched egg powder (8.163mg I/kg diet) or a control diet containing ordinary egg powde (0.369mg I/kg diet). Rats were meal-fed twice a day (08-09 and 21-22 hrs) for 10 weeks. During the feeding period, rats were subjected to exhaustive swimming exercise once a week or to daily voluntary running exercise. Body weight gain, food intake, weights of organs and adipose tissues, and iodine content in thyroid gland were not affected by diets. The swimming time and voluntary running distance of the iodine enriched egg diet group were not significantly different from those of the control group throughout the experimental period. The concentrations of serum total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were not different in both diet groups. Serum fatty acid concentration, lipoprotein lipase activities in epididymal adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, and glycogen concentrations in liver and skeletal muscle showed characteristic responses to swimming exercise or meal. The lipoprotein lipase activities in the adipose tissue and muscle, and glycogen concentrations in liver and muscle were higher in the iodine enriched egg diet group as compared to the control group. It seems to suggest that the lipid metabolismwould be influenced by feeding the iodine enriched egg diet.

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This work was undertaken to develope the simple procedures for the preparation of proteins from green leaves.
Results obtained were as follows: The materials (the pretreated leaves) for the isolation of proteins were prepared from several green leaves by treating with cold acetone. And then more than 80% of proteins in the materials of spinach and cabbage was extracted with 0.2% NaOH containing 0.5% 2 mercaptoethanol and 0.5% SDS or 0.5% soap.
From the these results, it was suggested that this method was suitable for our purpose.

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This work deals with the detinning effect of L-glutamine (Gln) and _L-Glutamic acid (Glu) which are possible precursors of 2-pyrrolidone-5 carboxylic acid (PCA) and of citric acid as main organic acid of tomato juice. Water solution of sucrose and L-ascorbic acid (AsA) containing each of PCA, Gln, Glu and citric acid were packed in cans. Tomato juice samples containing added PCA, Gln, Glu and citric acid were canned similarly. Each canned sample was allowed to stand at 37°C for 60 days, and then analyzed for tin and PCA contents.
The conversion of Gln to PCA was observed in both the water solution system and the tomato juice sample. But the detinning by PCA was suppressed by the remaining Gln. In the water solution system of Gln the detinning was observed to be particularly slow to proceed.
The addition of citric acid accelerated the detinning as did the addition of PCA.

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In order to clarify the effects of defrosting conditions on the quality of frozen fish, the fillets of carp (Cyprinus carpio) ordinary muscle stored at -5°C for 28 days or -20°C for 3 days were defrosted at 5, 20, 50°C or in a high frequeucy oven. Their K-value (as a chemical index), breaking strength, apparent modulus of elasticity, hardness, cohesiveness and gumminess (as physical indices) were determined.
Preliminary experiments revealed that these indices except cohesiveness were useful for evaluation of the quality of the fillets stored at 5°C. Among them, K-value was found to be the most reliable index of the quality.
When the fillets stored at -5°C for 28 days were defrosted under various conditions, the K-value was the lowest in the fillets defrosted at 5°C, but values of the physical indices were below the limited ones. When the fillets stored at -20°Cfor 3 days were used, the lowest K-value was also obtained in the sample defrosted at 5°C. Higher values of the physical indices obtained on the fillets defrosted at 50°C or in the high frequency oven were attributable to the shrinkage of muscle due to hlgh telnperature. This was supported by the histological observation of defrosted fillets.

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In the experimentally induced vitamin C (Vc) deficiency and Vc excess on guinea pigs, the interaction of the complement system and the cell mediated immune system was investigated after the hematological and biochemical confirmation of the nutritional states. In the Vc excess group, the changes of the complement activity and the components were estimated after a Staphylococcus aureus infection.
In the Vc deficient state, the tuberculin skin reactivity depressed remarkably but the complement activity was maintained. This would indicate the complement system will compensate the depressed cell mediated immunity in the immune system.
In the Vc excess guinea pigs, only C3 showed a significant increase, and C1, C4 and C2 did not show any significant changes both in Vc deficient and Vc excess groups. However in the state of over excess of vitamin C, the complement activity increased significantly.
The complement activity showed a temporal elevation with a peak at 3 or 5 days after the experimental infection in guinea pigs. The components C3 responded earlier than the other components after the infection. This phenomenon will indicate C3 has an important role for the regulation of the immune surveillance system against the invading bacteria in the host.

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The effect of a high carbohydrate or a high fat feeding on the lipolytic activity of epididymal fat pads was investigated with relation to the thyroidal function in rats. Male rats were ad libitum fed on either a high carbohydrate (carbohydrate 80 and fat 5% of total calorie) (HC) or a high fat (carbohydrate 45 and fat 40%) (HF) diet for 10 weeks, and each half of both groups were administered with 0.1% propylthiouracil (PTU) in drinking water for the final 12 days of the feeding period. Thyroid weight and oxygen consumption by gastrocnemius muscle homogenates of rats fed HF diet were greater thaa those of rats fed HC diet. The muscle oxygen consumption was markedly depressed by PTU administration in HF-fed rats but unaffected in HC-fed rats.
In vitro, norepinephrine stimulated lipolysis of epididymal fat pads was greater in HF-fed rats than in HC-fed rats. A depressive effect of PTU administration on the lipolysis without norepinephrine was observed only in HF-fed rats and the effect on lipolysis with norepinephrine was greater in HF-fed rats. The concentration of free fatty acid in serum was equal in HF-and HC-fed rats but significantly low in HF-fed rats treated with PTU.
These findings suggest that a high fat feeding results in a high lipolytic activity of adipose tissue due to a high thyroidal function in rats.

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Seeds of kidney beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, contain α-amylase inhibitor, phaseolamin, which inhibits specifically α-amylase activity from mammalian sources, A sensitive and specific staining method for identifying the α-amylase inhibitor activity in the disc electrophoresis gel was developed, using the iodine-starch complex. With this technique, 10ng of amylase inhibitor was demonstrated as a sharp band.
Among the leguminous seeds only kidney beans contained α-amylase inhibitors. They have different mobilities in compliance with classes of kidney beans. They were separated in 4 forms, Ai-I, Ai-II, Ai-III, and Ai-IV, numbered with the lower ones given to the forms with the higher mobility. Shirobanamame contained Ai-I and Ai-II, Daifuku and Kintoki Ai-III, and all other kinds of kidney beans Ai-IV.
Inhibitory activity of the inhibitor was weakened by removal of calcium ion from α-amylase.

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To compare the fat-stability tests commonly employed for the evaluation of rancidity, the decomposition rate of tocopherol homologues (Toc) contained in soybean, corn and rapeseed oils was measured by active oxygen method (AOM), oven test, organoleptic method and weighing method. The Toc content was determined by the high performance liquid chromatographic method.
The results obtained were as follows:
1) AOM test: It was found that there was a good correlation between the decrease of Toc contents and the increase of peroxide value (POV) after the induction period. The decomposition rate of these Toc was the following order; α<γ<δ. When POV of soybean oil reached 100, the decamposition of α-Toc was about 85% and this of γ-Toc was 20%, while this of δ-Toc was only 4%.
2) Oven test: Rancid point, which is designated to be 3 by flavour score by organoleptic evaluation, showed a well coincide with the break time which is also designated to be the point at where the POV begins to increase. It was also found that, at this rancid point, the decomposition of Toc began.
3) Weighing method: The induction period, the point at where the weight increase by 0.5%, of soybean and corn oils was 275 and 400 hours, respectively, and before this point, Toc were completely decomposed.

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Zinc plays an important role not only as a constituent of various enzymes, but also as a necessary factor which invigorates and prolongs insulin action. The characteristic symptoms of zinc deficiency were confirmed in young persons of the United Arab Republic and Iran. The growth and development of many persons with hypogonadism was checked. On the other hand it has been known that acrodermatitis enteropathica, an inherited disease of nursing infants due to zinc deficiency, is characterized by acral eczema-like dermatitis, alopecia, and diarrhea. The acrodermatitis enteropathica like symptoms were also acknowledged to occur during prolonged parenteral alimentation, if zinc was not added to the parenteral fluid as a trace element. Our report is concerned with whether the zinc intake of Japanese is adequate or not. The following conclusions were made.
1) There are many people in Japan who require fish as a protein source. Generally the zinc content of fish is not high when compared with meat. Therefore the daily zinc intake of Japanese adults dose not reach a high level. Ten typical instances of the menu from the residents in Kobe city showed us that the average adult intake of zinc per day reached only 8.9±2.5mg. This value is significantly lower than 15mg, the recommended allowance in the U.S.A. But the intake sufficiently reaches 8.0 mg that of Czechoslovakia.
2) All of the milk powders specially prepared in Japan, which are used for artificial feeding, contain 0.7-0.9mg zinc per 100g and are used at a concentration of 13-14 percent. So if 180ml at one time is given to an infant of 4-6 months after birth, the intake of zinc is no more than 0.2mg. Consequently the daily intake does not reach 2mg. It has been decided that the recommended allowance of zinc for an infant up to 6 months after birth should be 3mg, and for an infant from 7 months to 12 months should be 5mg as in the U.S.A., Italy and Denmark. But in Czechoslovakia it has been decided that for an infant up to 6 months the allowance should be 5mg. As the daily zinc intake of bottle fed infants in Japan is low compared with these recommended allowances, it is necessary to increase a little the quantity of milk protein in specially prepared artificial nutriment in order to meet the recommended allowances.
3) The average zinc content and its standard deviation in infant hair during delactation is 10.2±2.5mg per 100g as compared with that of adult hair, which is 30.2±15.8mg. It is significant, within a risk of 1 perrnillage, that the zinc content of infant hair is lower than that of adult hair. Therefore that the zinc content in the human body gradually increnses after birth is obvious.

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The mutagenic action of reductones with or without cupric ion and their effect to the action of mitomycin C were studied using red egg mutants of Bombyx mori. Triose reductone (TR), scorbamic acid (ScA), and ascorbic acid (AsA) when injected 50-100μg per pupa, mutation frequency was 4 to 6 X 10-4. The addition of cupric ion to reductones at a molar ratio 1: 1, 000 has no detectable change to their action. TR, ScA, and AsA suppress the mutagenic action of mitomycin C (MC) to sonic extent when injected just after MC injection.

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A crude extract from seedlings of black matpe, Phaseolus mungo L. var. radiatus Bak, was assayed for four types of protease activities: acid proteinase (APase), N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPA) hydrolase, aminopeptidase (LNAase), and carboxypeptidase (CPase) activities. Changes in these activities during germination of black matpe were followed for one week, with the result that the APase, the LNAase and the CPase activities reached a maximum in two days from the beginning of germination, although, only the CPase was maximized again at the sixth day of this germination. For the BAPA hydrolase activity, no appreciable change was observed during the germination up to seven days.
Optimal conditions for the assay were defined as: 50°C and pH 4.0 for APase activity; 40°C and pH 8-9 for BAPA hydrolase activity; 40°C and pH 7 for LNAase activity; and 40°C and pH 6 for CPase activity. Stable pH regions were found as follows: pH 2-7 for APase activity; pH 6-10 for BAPA hydrolase activity; pH 5-9 for LNAase activity; and pH 4-7 for CPase activity. The APase activity was inhibited by pepstatin, the BAPA hydrolase activity bydiisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) and phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, and the CPase activity by DFP and p-chloromercuribenzoate. No information was given for effective inhibitors against the LNAase activity. The protease inhibitor we hadisolated from the same seedlings in our previous study had an inhibitory effect only on the BAPA hydrolase activity.

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A method of fractional determination of provitamin A in chlorella using high pressure liquidchromatography (HPLC) was investigated. Results obtained were as follows:
1) Carotenoids extracted from dry chlorella were fractionized using column chromatography and thin layer chromatography, and three fractions of them were identified to α-, β-carotenes and lutein as major component, by comparing their absorption spectra in visible region and tg of HPLC with those of authentic carotenoids.
2) Referring to various analytical conditions used for the investigation of components, a fractional determination method of provitamin A using HPLC was established. The method consists of saponification, extraction and HPLC procedures.
As a result of analysis of a dry chlorella sample by this method, a microamount of cryptoxantin was additionally detected. The recovery of β-carotene by this method was 96.9%, and the reproduceability of determination in five repeating tests were almost satisfactory. Also, the determination limit of this method was 0.01mg/100g.
3) It was indicated that provitamin A in dry chlorella were remarkably reduced by storing at 37°C under fluorescent light for six months.

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