Casein micelle was separated with distilled water through a column of Sephadex G-150 and identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amount of mineral ions removed from the micelle was approximately 100%, 100%, 91% and 50% in potassium, citrate, sodium and magnesium respectively, which were bound to carboxyl groups. Ester phosphate ions were not removed at all. Calcium and inorganic ions were hardly removed, and were only 37% as colloidal calcium phosphate. It appears that the phosphate com-ponent consists of two parts: a layer of ionic bonds (about 63%), and an absorption-layer (about 37%), bound weakly by Van der Waals' forces. The reversibility was compared between G-150, and colloidal phosphate-free micelles dialyzed in the original milk. The reversibility of both micelles was about 74 to 153% in all ions, except calcium and inorganic phosphate ions. The reversibility of calcium ions was about 28 to 29% in both micelles; that of the inorganic phosphate ions was higher, about 74%, in G-150 micelle, and lower, about 16%, in CPF micelle. It is presumed that the carboxyl groups of CPF micelle are combined with other groups as ionic or hydrogen combination.

View full abstract

A glucosidic substance was isolated in crystals from saké and identified as ethyl α-D-glucoside. Twenty five samples of commercially distributed saké were analyzed for the glucoside by gas-liquid chromatography and its content was determined in a range from 0.24 to 0.71g/100ml.
Organoleptic examination on synthetic ethyl α-D-glucoside characterized the glucoside to be a sweet and bitter compound; the threshold values were 1.2 and 0.063g/100ml, respectively. The usual content of the glucoside remarkably exceeded the threshold for bitterness, thus the glucoside was considered to be a bitter component contributing to the construction of the unique flavor in saké.

View full abstract

A remarkable formation of ethyl α-D-glucoside (α-EG) was observed in the regular process of saké brewing, while its formation was slight in a modified process, in which Koji as the enzyme source was replaced with a mixture of mold enzyme preparations, Takadiastase (Aspergillus oryzae) and glucoamylase (Rhizopus delemar). An enzyme preparation was fractionated from Koji extract and partially purified. The enzyme fraction catalyzed the formation of α-EG from ethanol and α-1, 4-glucans having various degrees of polymerization as sugar substrate by a transglucosidation reaction in parallel with hydrolysis of the glucans to glucose. Thus, it was concluded that α-EG in saké was synthesized by the action of the Koji-enzyme from those glucans and ethanol in the system of usual saké brewing. Although Takadiastase also showed some activity of α-EG forming enzyme, the activity in the modified process was estimated to be very lower than in the regular one, because only a small quantity of the preparation was introduced.

View full abstract

The partially purified NADPH-cytochrome c reductase from rat liver microsomes catalyzed the peroxidation of methyl-γ-linolenate in the presence of ferric ions, EDTA and NADPH. Peroxidation of methyl-γ-linolenate and the generation of superoxide anions in the peroxidation system were suggested from the following observations:
(1) The concentration of TBA reactants and the optical density at 234 nm of chloroform extracts in the assay mixtures increased proportionally with the incubation time. These elevations were completely inhibited by the addition of BHT or α-tocopherol.
(2) The system catalyzed nitroblue tetrazolium reduction. This reaction did not occur in the absence of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, NADPH or Tween 20.
Among enzymatic peroxidation products from methyl-γ-linolenate, oxygenated products which contained oxygen atom at C-6 or C-13 position were identified from these hydrogenated trimethylsilyl derivatives using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

View full abstract

Many microorganisms including bacteria, yeast and fungi, were found to be capable of hydrolyzing dl-menthyl acetate assymmetrically by which l-menthyl acetate was preferentially hydrolyzed to form l-menthol. However l-menthol having various optical purities were obtained by the different microorganisms.
Fatty acid portions of dl-menthyl esters had serious influence on the optical purities of the hydrolysis products afforded by microbial esterases.
Bacteria and fungi can hydrolyze isomenthyl acetate, but yeasts cannot, and this is a great advantage in the isolation of l-menthol from mixture of steric isomers of menthol.
Citronellol isolated from microbial hydrolyzate of dl-citronellyl acetate was optically inactive.

View full abstract

Growth promoting substances for L. bifidus were fractionated from E. coli cultured medium.
In the filtrate of ultrafiltration of the cultured medium, ammonia and histamine were detected as the active substances.
The undialyzed part of the cultured medium was fractionated by centrifugation. Each fraction obtained by density gradient centrifugation exhibited biological activity, and contained same sugar component.
The main active fraction contained hexose (40%), protein (23%), hexosamine (4.6%) and acetic acid (5.0%).

View full abstract

1. The phosphorus of glycerol-phosphate derivatives (Pg) in wheat and other cereal starches was determined quantitatively by the following method. Starch (100_??_400mg) was suspended in 3.3ml of 0.726 N HCl and hydrolyzed at 100°C for 90min. Glycerol-phosphates thus formed were hydrolyzed further with alkaline phosphatase and the resulting glycerol, of which amount was equivalent to Pg, was assayed spectrophotometrically by using glycerokinase and glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. The amount of Pg, thus obtained, was corrected for the loss during the acid hydrolysis by a factor 1.013.
2. By the above procedure, the amounts (% of total phosphorus) of Pg of wheat I (commercial), wheat II (laboratory prepared), corn (commercial), rice I (commercial) and rice II (laboratory prepared) starches were determined as 90.8, 99.9, 69.8, 74.9 and 62.7. No Pg was detected in potato, sweet potato, kuzu (a kind of arrowroot), waxy corn, and waxy rice starches.
3. It was revealed that these cereal starches contained acid unstable unknown phosphate (s) which was hydrolyzed within 60min under the conditions described above ac a minor component.

View full abstract

Procedures for the determination and detection of hexonic acids in the presence of Ca and borate ions are described.
Hexonic acids are oxidized with HOCl at pH 4_??_5 to aldopentoses followed by cyclization to furfural which is subjected to colorimetric determination.
This method is very sensitive and has high specificity for hexonic acids without interference except hexuronic acids.

View full abstract

Stereospecificities of microorganisms towards the steric isomers of menthyl acetate and the effect of emulsification of substrates on the rates of hydrolysis were examined. The cells of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Hansenula anomala, which had the highest specificity, were ruptured by ultrasonic treatment, and the specificity of the cell-free extracts were compared with that of intact cells. No difference in stereospecificity was observed, and this result indicates that the differences in the specificities of microorganisms correspond directly with the differences in each ester hydrolase.

View full abstract

Engineering, Doshisha University, Non-volatile acidic and neutral parts of dent corn silage were examined. In non-volatile acidic part β-phenyllactic acid, caprylic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, o-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenyl-propionic acid were identified. In non-volatile neutral part cetyl palmitate and cetyl linolate were identified.

View full abstract