Several strains of bacteria producing polyglutamic acid were isolated from sewage, soil and grain.
The best strain of all was the No. 5 E, and its taxonomical characteristics were studied. The strain No. 5 E was identified with the variety of Bacillus subtilis from “Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology in 7th Edition”.
This strain produced polyglutamic acid in the cultures composed of either only amino acids mixture and inorganic salts, or glucose, L-glutamic acid and inorganic salts.
Moreover, the amount of polyglutamic acid yielded from the shaking culture was more than that of L-glutamic acid added in the medium.

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A strain of Penicillium species, isolated from the field of Department of Agriculture of Miyazaki University, was found to produce a strong inulin-hydrolyzing enzyme. Using this strain, the culture conditions for the production of inulin-hydrolyzing enzyme in the culture filtrate were studied.
Optimal initial pH for the production of inulase by shaking culture was 5.0 and the highest enzyme activity was obtained after a seven days culture period.
The strain of Pen. sp. produced inulase in large amount only when inulin was used as carbon source in culture medium. No inulase was formed when the present strain was cultured with glucose, xylose and lactose as carbon source.
The enzyme (inulase) production was found to increase significantly with the addition of corn steep liquor (1.5%) to the medium. The relationship between the inulase production and the culture age was studied. Carbon source was rapidly used for growth in the early phase of culture, and inulase production was initiated when the reducing sugar was mostly consumed.

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In order to study on the fungal production of reductones, which contains endiol group (-COH:COH-) and might be important factors for the flavor and the antibrowning of foods, the screening test was performed at first to get the microorganisms of excellent productivity of such materials for the stock and newly isolated culture of molds and actinomycetes using modified Czapek-Dox media, and consequently a number of superior fungal strains were obtained. When the reductones formed by these strains were com pared with known materials (ascorbic acid, kojic acid etc.) by paper chromatography, most of them were found to be unknown materials as shown by Geiger-Hüber in the products of Aspergillus niger. Among those, strain No. 82-A was selected to be employed in the subsequent work as the most excellent one. Taxonomical studies were done on this strain, which was identified as Aspergillus terreus. Culture conditions and the media suitable for producing the largest quantities of reductones were investigated and shaking culture in the following medium was ascertained most adequate, yielding 520mg/liter of presumably new reductone (Glucose 5%, (NH₄)₂SO₄ 0.5, KH₂PO₄ 0.4, MgSO₄•₇H₂O 0.1, MnSO₄•nH₂O 0.1, FeCl₃ 0.1, ZnSO₄•7H₂O trace, CaCO₃ 1.9). Physiological activities of the reductone were tested.

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As a prelude to studies of microbial formation of tartaric acid, investigation for the quantitative determination of tartaric acid in fermentation broth were pursued. As densitometric or photometric method was not suitable for the determination of the acid in cultural broth containing glycolic, 2-keto-gluconic, or 5-keto-gluconic acids, polarographic method was performed. The principle of the method consists in the formation of a tartaric acid-antimony complex, which gives a characteristic reduction wave. As the method described by Marthers, et al. was rather troublesome and impractical for the determination of the acid in the broth, interrelation between polarographic wave height and, condition of preliminary treatment and activation process was considered to be necessary for investigating. As a result, the modified method to fit our purpose was proved to have advantages over the other method in specificity, accuracy and reproducibility. The polaro-graphic wave height is proportional to the amount of tartaric acid in the range of 2.5 to 17.5mg. So long as the acidity of the sample is less than about 0.64 meq, % error of tartaric acid estimation in the broth by this method is in the range of 2 to 6%. The method will be of great use for the, determination of tartaric acid formed by fermentation.

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Agar (Gelidium Amansii) was separated into its two components, agarose (AG) and agaropectin (AP). Investigations were made on each of them to examine the effects of reaction time, acid concentration and the kind of acids on their hydrolysis rate.
Hydrochloric acid was added at various concentrations (N) to the test solutions of AG and AP and the velocity constant (κ) of the hydrolysis in AG was found to be almost constant 40 through 120 min at 60°C. The log κ-value held a linear relation with log N and the activation energy of the AG hydrolysis was found larger than that of the AP hydrolysis.
It was also found that κ is constant with weaker acids such as oxalic, phosphoric and citric acids 60 through 120min at a concentration of 0.156 N; the larger the pK-value of the acid, the greater was κ-value.
The κ-value of AP was always larger than that of AG in all these hydrolytic reactions.

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Water soluble non-starchy substances were extracted from buckwheat endosperm grown on different districts [Japan (Fukushima, Kumamoto), China, Africa and Canada]. The extract was fractionated with ammonium sulfate. Main fraction was S-70 not precipitated with ammonium sulfate. Its constituent sugars were glucose, galactose and a small amount of mannose, rhamnose, xylose and arabinose. Each fraction of the extract from buckwheat of Japan (Kumamoto) and China was adsorbed on DEAE-cellulose (borate form) column and fractionated by the stepwise elution with water, borax and NaOH. Polysaccharides of S-70 fraction were mainly eluted with water and NaOH, while in case of P-50 and P-70 fractions (precipitated with 50% and 70% ammonium sulfate), polysaccharides were eluted with borax, too.
The elution pattern and ultracentrifuge pattern of S-70 fraction of the extract from buckwheat of Kumamoto and China were similar to each other. So it is suggested that some common components of buckwheat endosperm exist in the S-70 fraction.

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The ability of aqueous NH₄SCN solution to disperse starch was examined. The results indicate that the ability increases as the salt concentration increases, but decreases through a maximum in the highly concentrated solution. Reduced viscosity measurements showed this maximum to be in the 30 to 40% of NH₄SCN, and in the lower concentration for amylose than amylopectin. Changes of partial specific volumes showed the similar tendencies. The dissolution of starch granules into the NH₄SCN solution was examined by the ultracentrifugation, and the difference was notable between kinds of starch. The starch granules of root crops give solution in 20% NH₄SCN, and those of grains dissolve only in the concentrated solution of 30 to 40%. Viscosity and sedimentation experiments showed the unstability of starch components in the solution at an elevated temperature, they begin to degrade above 80°C and remarkably at higher temperatures.
Starch granules are scarecely soluble under the mild conditions, however, amylose and amylopectin prepared from starch are readily dispersed into the NH₄SCN solution. The solution obtained was shown to be neither associated nor degraded by viscosity measurements between 25 to 50°C, and is stable for long time under room temperature and not damaged enzymatically. Therefore aqueous NH₄SCN solution is usable as a solvent for amylose and amylopectin in the physico-chemical measurements, especially suitable for the diffusion measurement unlike dimethylsulfoxide.

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Diffusion measurements on fractions of amylose and amylopectin were carried out in 10% NH₄SCN aqueous solution. Viscometric and ultracentrifugal studies were carried out on the same fractions and in the same solvent. Linear relations between the diffusion coefficient, D₀, sedimentation coefficient, s₀, intrinsic viscosity, [η] and molecular weight, M, were obtained for amylose as follows: D₀=1.65×10^-4M^-0.53, s₀=2.49×10^-15M^0.46 and [η]=3.57×10^-4M^0.60. These relations were not linear for amylopectin. D₀ and [η] vs. M deviate downward in the high molecular weight side, and s₀ vs. M deviates upward therein. The frictional ratios and the axial ratios were calculated as for prolate ellipsoids for both. The axial ratios of amylose are in approximate proportion to the square root of M, and the asymptotic value coincides with glucose when the ratio equals unity, i.e. sphere. The ratios of amylopectin are nearly proportional to two-tenth power of M, similarly to the globular proteins, even if the ratios themselves are higher than the latter, then the configuration of amylopectin was assumed to be intermediate between linear and globular ones. The slopes of the graphs according to the Stockmayer-Albrecht and -Fixman equations on D₀ or s₀ and [η], respectively, are positive for amylose and negative for amylopectin in 10% NH₄SCN and dimethylsulfoxide, and dependent on solvent power, increasing as the power increases. The intercepts agreed with each other, and it was observed that the unperturbed dimension calculated from them fairly well conincides, notwithstanding linear or branched polymers are concerned. The conformation of amylose and amylopectin was discussed in regard to σ-value, persistence length and others. Amylose in solution seems to take the configuration of random coil, on the other hand, amylopectin is distinct in its compactness, characteristic of the branched polymer.

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Raw fresh milk was heated at 63°C 30min, 100°C 30min, and 120°C 15min, or treated with BPL (β-Propiolactone) or H₂O₂ for the determination of the successful bactericidal condition of the milk to be used as the media for the cultivation of lactic acid bacteria or for the experimental manufacturing of cheese aseptically.
Effective sterilization was fulfilled by the treatment of heating at 120°C 15min, of BPL or of H₂O₂.
Milk coagulation time was tremendously elongated by treating with BPL or by heating at 120°C 15min but was slightly done so by the treating with H₂O₂. BPL treated milk and heated milk were rather easily hydrolyzed by rennet than raw fresh milk was done so but H₂O₂ treated milk was rather hardly hydrolyzed.
The growth of lactic acid bacteria (Str. cremoris) was impossible in BPL treated milk but was well in heated milk or H₂O₂ treated milk.
Judging from these results, H₂O₂ treatment was the most useful for the sterilization method of milk which could be used as pure media for the cultivation of dairy lactic acid bacteria or for the experimental manufacturing of cheese aseptically.

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Some experiments were carried out on restoring decreased amounts of ultrafiltrable calcium in heated milk. Results obtained are as follows.
1. Errors in measured amounts of ultrafiltrable calcium by each ultrafiltrable mem-brane was negligible. Differences between each milk was rather significant.
2. The amounts of ultrafiltrable calcium was decreased in heated milk at 55_??_98°C for 30min and decreasing percentages became larger according to the increase of heating temperature, and seemed to have no relation with heat coagulated amounts of whey proteins.
3. When decreased amounts of ultrafiltrable calcium were supplied with various calcium salts, 50_??_70% of their additives became to be ultrafiltrable and the residue could not permiate through ultrafiltrable membrane. Amounts of required salts to restore amounts of ultrafiltrable calcium to original state were calculated in cases of heated milk at 75°C and 98°C.
4. Rennet clotting time of heated milk at 75°C for 30min could be restored to the unheated state by addition of indispensable amounts of calcium chloride or acetate, but that of heated milk (98°C for 30min) could not be restored completely.

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Rennet-curds were formed from uuheated milk and Ca-added milk after heating at 75°C or 98°C for 30min. Their firmness and shrinking power were measured. Results obtained were as follows:
1. The firmness of the curd was measured by recording loads received by the curd knife on cutting through the spring balance or the strain gauge. The shrinking power of the curd was measured by the apparatus devised by the authors.
2. The firmness of the curd formed at 37°C from unheated milk or heated milk was higher than that at 50°C.
3. The firmness of the curd from unheated milk increased steeply within 60min at first, followed by gradual decrease. After 60min, it increased gradually again until the lapse of 180min. The firmness of the curd from heated milk with indispensable amounts of calcium salts was lower than that from unheated milk regardless of curd-forming temperature, although the restored ratio was deviated in the broad range.
4. The shrinking power of the curd formed from unheated milk increased steeply soon after forming the curd, followed by almost stationary state, and after 150min increased gradually.
5. The shrinking power of the curd formed from heated milk with or without indispensable amounts of calcium salts was not noticeable for 30_??_60min after forming the curd, and after these periods increased showing almost linear slope

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The aroma concentrate from sesame oil was fractionated into low, intermediate and high boiling fractions. Each fraction was separated into neutral, phenolic, acidic, and carbonyl fractions. Main components of characteristic aroma of sesame oil were found in carbonyl and phenolic fractions and identification of those compounds was carried out by means of IR, NMR, MS and UV.
Present paper reports the identification of guaiacol, phenol, furfuryl alcohol, 2-acetyl-3-methylfuran, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylpyrrole and α-formylpyrrole. Acetylpyrazine has a strong popped corn like aroma which seemed to play an important role to characterize the aroma of sesame oil.

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