Cacao bean's husk, a waste material in the chocolate industry, is rich in dietary fiber. We studied the effects of an extract and fiber derived from ground cacao husk on human intestinal microflora. The husk extract and fiber were prepared from ground cacao bean's husk as a water soluble fraction and a water insoluble fraction, respectively. First we examined effects of the husk extract on intestinal bacteria in vitro. The husk extracts increased Bifidobacteria selectively. This effect of the cacao husk extract was also resistant to pepsin, lipase and amylase treatments. Secondly, the effects of these two test preparations on the fecal microflora, fecal pH and condition of defication in each of seven healthy women were studied. During intake of the cacao husk extract (2.4 g/day) for two weeks, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus populations of the fecal microflora increased significantly (p<0.05). On the other hand, the number of Bifidobacteria and total bacterial counts increased significantly (p<0.05) during the intake period of cacao husk fiber (20 g/day). The frequency of occurrence of Clostridium perfringens decreased during ingestion of the cacao husk fiber. No change in fecal pH was shown after the respective ingestion of the two preparations. There was an increase in voiding count of six women ingested the cacao husk fiber and of two women administered the cacao husk extract. These results indicated that the husk fiber and the husk extract might improve the intestinal microflora and environmental conditions in the intestine. The cacao husk is useful as a new dietary fiber resource.

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The antioxidative activity of the rooibos tea was examined by using linoleic acid autoxidation, rabbit erythrocyte membrane, rat liver microsome and rat liver homogenate systems. Both freshly brewed rooibos tea and freeze-dried rooibos tea extract had antioxidative activity in linoleic acid system, and rooibos tea extract showed synergistic antioxidative effect with citric acid. In the rabbit erythrocyte membrane and rat liver microsome systems, rooibos tea extract exhibited strong antioxidative activity in a dose dependent manner. ln the rat liver homogenate system, freshly brewed rooibos tea exhibited strong antioxidative activity. Several purified flavonoids contained in rooibos tea were examined in the rat liver microsome system and luteolin and quercetin showed strongest activity. These results suggest that the rooibos tea may play an important role in the prevention of lipid peroxidation of cell membranes induced by active oxygen radicals in living systems as dietary antioxidants after ingestion.

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Effects of roasting temperature on antioxidative activities in sliced almonds and sesame seeds were investigated. The antioxidative activities in the ethyl acetate-methanol (E-M, 7:3), methanol (M) soluble browning fractions extracted from roasted sliced almonds and sesame seeds were determined by using two radical scavenging methods, DPPH radical and superoxide radical (NBT), and two lipid peroxidation methods, peroxide (thiocyanate) and cytotoxic 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) formation by a specific ELISA procedure. The browning levels (O.D. at 420 nm) in each fraction were increased with increasing roasting temperature. The highest level of DPPH radical and superoxide radical scavenging effects, and the strongest inhibition of peroxide and HNE formation from linoleic acid, were obtained at the highest roasting temperatures in the E-M fractions rather than in M fractions from sliced almonds and sesame seeds, especially sesame. These results indicated that the browning ethyl acetate-methanol soluble components formed during roasting seeds possessed antioxidative effects.

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The search for components exhibiting antioxidant activity in Ume liqueur, Japanese traditional liqueur made by steeping Ume (Prunus mume) fruit and sugar in spirits, was investigated. The active components were extracted more effectively by relatively polar solvents, such as ethyl acetate, diethyl ether and chloroform than nonpolar solvents, such as n-hexane and petroleum ether. Ethyl acetate extract from Ume liqueur was purified with solvent fractionation followed by Amberlite XAD-2, Wakogel C-100, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies and high performance liquid chromatography. The purified compound exhibiting antioxidant activity was identified as aryltetralin lignan, Lyoniresinol, by UV, EIMS, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectra. Lyoniresinol suppressed linoleate autooxidation more effective than α-tocopherol at 72 hr incubation in the presence of 2, 2' -azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH). These results suggest that habitual drinking of Ume liqueur possibly suppress lipid peroxidation in living body.

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This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of chicken egg albumin, milk casein, soybean protein, and 6 kinds of soybean protein hydrolysates in inhibiting the oxidation of triacylglycerols (TGs) containing 16 mol% of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (DHA 16%) and 40 mol% of DHA (DHA 40%) in emulsion. Both TGs dispersed with these proteins were oxidatively more stable than those dispersed with Triton X-100, except for DHA 40% dispersed with casein and albumin. Soybean protein hydrolysates showed higher inhibitory effect on DHA-TG oxidation than other proteins and this effect of protein hydrolysates increased with increasing the degree of hydrolysis. Since the scavenging effect of soybean protein hydrolysates on 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical also increased with increasing the degree of hydrolysis, the inhibitory effect of protein hydrolysates on the DHA-TG oxidation would be mainly dependent on their scavenging activity on free radicals. However, the extent of inhibitory effect of each protein hydrolysates was different between DHA 16% and DHA 40%. Although the scavenging effects of soybean protein and chicken egg albumin on DPPH radical were almost the same, there was a big difference of the inhibitory effect of both proteins on the oxidations of DHA 16% and DHA 40%. These results suggest that other factors than the scavenging effect on free radicals would be responsible for the inhibitory effect of proteins on DHA-TG oxidations. Proteins are capable of forming membranes surrounding the oil droplets, therefore, the most conceivable factor may be the protective effect of this interfacial membrane toward the penetration and diffusion of lipid oxidation initiators into the interior of oil droplets.

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We examined the effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) on body weight, blood pressure and biochemical components of blood in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) for 37 days. Rats fed control diets containing powdered Maitake 10% level (M 10) and 20% level (M 20) showed suppressed body weight and blood pressure. No difference in organ weights was found among the three groups except for the liver, the weight of which in the Maitake groups was lower than that of the control. The Maitake groups showed lower total cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood and increased total cholesterol in the feces. The weight-reducing effect did not appear in rats administered heat-treated Maitake, a residue of Maitake extracted with water, and the ethanol-soluble fraction of Maitake. Only Maitake extract with cold water provided an evident weight-reducing effect. From these results, we concluded that Maitake contains a water-soluble, heat-labile substance that can suppress body weight and blood pressure.

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Spinach of 5 croppings was cultivated using organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer with or without cattle-manure compost in the same vinyl house, and the influence of applied fertilizer on chemical composition and storability were studied. The growth of spinach which was cultivated with organic fertilizer was inferior to that with chemical fertilizer on the third and fifth croppings, but there was no difference in growth between plots on other croppings. The effects of application of organic fertilizer and compost on the nutrient quality of spinach were not observed except for oxalic acid content at the third cropping. The oxalic acid content related negatively to the fresh weight. The fresh weight of spinach also showed a negative relationship to the weight loss during storage. The effects of application of organic fertilizer and cattle-manure compost on the storability of the spinach were insignificant.

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Agar is a polysaccharide which is called agarose and agaropectin. It seems that molecular weight of agar affects physical properties of the gel made from it. In order to investigate the relation between average molecular weight and physical properties, agar was measured by high temperature type gel permeation chromatography (HT-GPC). First, the conditions for measuring agar by HTGPC were investigated. Agar was prepared from Gelidium sp. which were collected in the sea of Azores (Portugal) and Tokushima Prefecture (Japan). The following result was obtained as the optimum conditions for the measurement: eluent, 0.2M NaNO3; temperature, 70°C; column, Ionpak KS-805 (Showa Denko K.K., Tokyo); sample concentration, below 0.2% (w/v). Under these conditions, agar was measured by HT-GPC, and the average molecular weight and the molecular distribution were calculated. The jelly strength and melting point of agar gel decreased with shifting of the molecular weight distribution to lower molecular weight side and with a decrease of, the average molecular weight. A linear relationship was obtained between the average molecular weight and the physical properties, and the weight-average molecular weight was considered as a more reliable indication for this relation.

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Porcine muscle (longissimus dorsi) was cured at 2°C for 21 days in brine with and without nitrite. Brine was withdrawn at few-day intervals to determine pH, NaCl concentration and bacterial counts. The cured meat was cooked at 63°C for 30 minutes. At 2.0% NaCI concentration, the total counts of psychrotrophic bacteria and lactic acid bacteria in the brine without nitrite were some orders higher than those in brine with nitrite. A correlation was found between the final pH of the brine and the product yield. These facts show that the quality of ham without nitrite is affected by bacteria, especially lactic acid bacteria in the brine. In addition, the pH value of the brine is an important indicator of quality of the ham. Leuconostoc culture when added to the brine lowered its pH value remarkably and reduced the quality of the ham. Conversely, Lactobacillus culture affected the ham's quality only slightly. At the end of curing various genera of bacteria were found in brine without culture. In contrast, approximately the same microflora were found in brine containing the culture. Thus, it appears that in the absence of nitrite, the addition of Lactobacillus culture into the brine may control the microflora in brine and prevent from reducing the quality of the ham by Leuconostoc.

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We prepared carotenoid rich pulp by centrifuging Satsuma mandarin juice twice. The freezing and thawing treatment was examined in order to increase carotenoid quantity included in the pulp. After the freezing and thawing treatment was applied to the pulp, a centrifugal separation was carried out. However, the effect which raised the carotenoid quantity of the pulp was low in this treatment because of a lot of soluble solid included in the pulp. Then the freezing and thawing treatment was carried out against the pulp with an addition of 0.1% pectinase. The carotenoid quantity in the sediment could be increased, when the treated pulp was centrifuged. lt is considered that this increase results from the cooperative effect of the enzyme reaction at low temperatures and aggregating the pulp by the freezing and thawing treatment. The freezing and thawing treatment combined with pectinase treatment is practical because it is easy to operate in a large scale manufacture. Also, we can easily manage this process in or out of the Satsuma mandarin juice extraction season.

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Physicochemical properties of watermelon having flesh browning and softening disorder were measured. Moisture content and pH of the injured watermelon were higher than those of normal watermelon. However, color tone (Lab), hardness, soluble solid, and total amino acid and sugar contents of the injured fruit were lower than those of normal fruit.

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The effects of chemical compounds in matcha on the foamability of matcha were investigated. The matchas were defatted with ether, hexane, and chloroform. The order of decrease rate to weights of lipid and caffeine in defatted matcha was chloroform>ether>hexane. One gram of each matcha in 80 ml of distilled and deionized water (50°C) was homogenized with a hand mixer for 4 minutes. The foamability was measured by the volume of foam produced. Compared with nondefatted matcha, the three kinds of defatted matchas produced about from three to five times higher foam compared with that of nondefatted matcha. Among the organic solvent, the foamabilities of defatted matcha were decreased in the order of ether>hexane>chloroform. lt has been observed that the foamability of the tea saponin in the presence of caffeine and lipid was decreased. This report suggested that matcha had unknown compound besides lipids and caffeine which effects on the foamability.

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