The high correlation was observed between the swelling power of rice flour at 80°C and the viscosity at 85°C in amylographic characteristics or the soluble solids at 70°C in cooking qualities. On the other hand, it was recognized that amylose and nitrogen contents of rice restrained the viscosity at 85°C in amylographic characteristics, the soluble solids from rice grain and the swelling of rice flour, and also recognized that amylase of rice let the gelatinization temperature fall and promoted the viscosity at 85°C in amylographic characteristics and the soluble solids from rice grain. In addition, it was suggested that the viscosity at 85°C in amylographic characteristics and the soluble solids at 70°C in cooking qualities which were related to the rice palatability were influenced by amylose, nitrogen and amylase activity of rice.

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The main factor contributing to the disinfecting potential of acidic electrolyzed water (AcEW) is deduced to be the oxidizing power of available chlorine. In this study, we compared the reliability of two different methods for measuring the available chlorine concentration (ACC). Several AcEW solutions with different levels of ACC to which various reducing agents (ascorbic acid, ammonium iron (II) sulfate, and iron (II) chloride) had been added were prepared. These ACC levels were quantified by iodometry and the DPD (N, N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine) method. In the case of AcEW with iron (II) ions, iodometry did not show the correct ACC. On the other hand, the DPD method correctly quantified ACC even in the case of AcEW with iron (II) ions. Thus, the DPD method is an appropriate method for measuring ACC in AcEW.
Moreover, we investigated the effect of the available chlorine concentration (ACC) in AcEW on its disinfecting potential. First, we examined the disinfectant effects of AcEW on shredded vegetables. We found that there was no difference in the disinfectant effects between AcEW with high ACC (40ppm) and low ACC (0.4ppm). The similar effect was detected in AcEW with 0ppm of ACC, a solution that seemed to be the same as hydrochloric acid. Moreover, tap water with pH adjusted to 2.4 showed the same disinfectant effect as that of AcEW. These results indicated that AcEW is a solution in which available chlorine is activated in a low pH condition. Next, we examined the disinfectant effects of AcEW on a suspension obtained from shredded vegetables in vitro. The disinfecting potential became weaker, but did not completely disappear, when ACC was reduced to 0ppm. Thus, AcEW with low ACC could be used to disinfect shredded vegetables, although the disinfecting potential of AcEW would become weak.
When the effective concentration of Acc was examined, it was found that the AcEW with ACC of less than 20ppm did not have sufficient disinfectant potential. Moreover, it was found that high ORP (above 1000mV) does not contribute to disinfecting potential. Thus, the lower limit of ACC in AcEW for AcEW to exert a sufficient disinfectant effect will be 20ppm.

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The dry fruiting bodies of Sarcodon aspratus was extracted with hot water, that was previously extracted with methanol to remove fat and organic compounds with low molecular weight. The hot water extracts was dialyzed in water to obtain high molecular weight fraction. The precipitates of this fraction with 0.01N HCl showed a heterologous PCA (passive cutaneous anaphylaxis) inhibitory activity against guinia pig. This precipitates was dissolved in water, and re-precipitated by salting out (0.2M NaCl). The supernatant showed a PCA inhibitory activity. The supernatant fraction was treated with 60% (NH₄)₂SO₄ saturation, and precipitates were collected, which showed a PCA inhibitory activity. The precipitates were purified with IRA-68 (OH^-) and successive Dowex 50 W-X4 (H⁺) column chromatography, to obtain PCA inhibitory fraction (175mg) from the dry fruiting bodies (100g). The purified active compound showed one peak by gel filtration chromatography and one band by electrophoresis. This active dark brown compound was insoluble in water, soluble in alkali, and insoluble in acid. This active compound was found to show similar characteristics with humic acid on the basis of IR-spectra, ultraviolet and visible light spectra, consumption value of KMnO₄, R_F value and color coefficient of this active compound and the hydrolyzates by acid and alkali, which was prepared as one component of organic compounds obtained from soil.

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Electrolysis of dilute sodium chloride solution produces alkaline electrolyzed water (AlEW) in the cathode side, simultaneously produces acidic electrolyzed water (AcEW) in the anode side. AlEW presents high pH (above 11) and extremely low ORP (below -800mV). There has been no study attempting to use AlEW for washing shredded vegetables. Thus we examined the availability of AlEW as wash water before disinfecting shredded vegetables (cabbages, lettuces, and cucumbers) with AcEW. Washing shredded vegetables by AlEW for one minute before disinfecting with AcEW was more effective than only disinfecting with AcEW for five minutes. Equally good results were ascertained among three different vegetables. Moreover, the activity of AcEW (high ORP and available chlorine concentration) was little declined when prewashing with any solutions (AlEW, 17mM NaOH, and tap water) was applied before disinfecting. Although this effect was induced by not only AlEW but also tap water and 17mM NaOH, in view of the disinfectant effect, it is suggested that washing with AlEW before disinfecting would be suitable for shredded vegetables as an effective utilization of AlEW.

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It has been shown that acidic electrolyzed water was effective in the surface disinfection of shredded vegetables. In the treatment shredded vegetables were simply soaked in acidic electrolyzed water so far. In this research, in the disinfection of shredded vegetables by acidic electrolyzed water, the effectiveness of physical supplementary means used together was examined. Combined use of the physical supplementary means and acidic electrolyzed water did not contribute to disinfection. However, the physical supplementary means was shown to be considerably effective when vegetables were washed with alkaline electrolyzed water by physical supplementary means and then disinfected in acidic electrolyzed water by the physical supplementary means. This effect was remarkable on cucumbers, but little on lettuces and cabbages. Stirring was most effective among the supplementary means used. It was found out that five minutes each of washing and disinfecting was necessary for high disinfectant effect on cucumbers. Moreover, it was suggested that the effect of stirring was more effective than that of pretreatment of alkaline electrolyzed water on cucumber disinfection.

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The influence of the hardness of steam-cooked soybeans and of the temperature during the aging process was investigated on the formation of aroma compounds of red salty rice miso. Soybeans with two levels of hardness were prepared by the conditions used for steam-cooking, and the temperature during aging process was set at 25°C or 30°C. The resulting four types of miso sample were analyzed after being aged for 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days. The principal constituents of each miso sample were evaluated by the standard method for miso analysis. An aroma concentrate of each miso sample was prepared by adsorption to a porous polymer, and then analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 3-Methyl-1-butanol and 2-phenylethanol, which are quantitatively the main aroma compounds in red salty rice miso, and methionol, which is one of the characteristic compounds in miso, each showed a high concentration during the aging process at 25°C. In contrast, 4-hydroxy-2(or 5)-ethyl-5(or 2)-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (HEMF), a character-impact compound in miso, was present in greater quantity during the aging process at 30°C. The concentrations of these aroma components were little influenced by the hardness of the steam-cooked soybeans. The value for Y (%) in the chromaticity diagram decreased markedly during the aging process at 30°C. The formation of HEMF was considered to relate to the decrease of the value for Y (%).

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It is possible to establish a rapid method of Brabender viscography by reducing the reaction time for gelatinization. A rapid method was examined by increasing the heating and cooling speed of the suspension and evaluated by the application to a large number of samples for its practical use. (1) Increase of heating and cooling speed to 3°C/min in the rapid method reduced the measuring time of the existing method by half to 47 minutes and made possible to analyze 8 samples a day. (2) Reproducibility in standard deviation of the rapid method was 7.6 BU which was more accurate than the existing method. High significant correlation between the two methods was observed for each parameter. (3) Each method needs to be performed independently due to the large difference in the analytical data in several parameters between the two methods. (4) The correlations between the viscosity parameters are often different among the rice species. Therefore, every viscosity parameter in the cooled condition is required to be directly analyzed for its evaluation. From these data, it was indicated that the rapid method can be used for the evaluation of the viscosity characteristics of a large number of samples with adequate accuracy using existing Brabender viscographs.

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Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) and "Ayu" (sweet fish, Plecoglossus altivelis) are most commonly cultured fishes in Japan. Body lipid contents of these cultured fishes are much higher than those of natural fishes because of over supplements of lipids in diets to promote growth. On the other hand, production of canned tea drinks has been increasing for the last few years. Greater parts of tea grounds which is by-products of tea drinks are discarded. In the present study, the effects of green tea extracts and grounds on growth and lipid content in two types of cultured fishes were examined. In yellowtail, the accumulation of body lipids was suppressed by the supplementation of 3.6% green tea grounds and 0.7% green tea extracts in the diets. In Ayu, it was suppressed by the supplementation of 1% green tea extracts in the diets, while the effect of tea grounds were not significant. The fishes cultured by the green tea extracts or tea grounds-supplemented diets were commonly decreased in average body weights, but their condition factors were kept at the same levels as the control.

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Prolamin, a major storage protein in rice endosperm, is accumulated in rigid protein bodies with layered inner structure, called Protein Body I (PB-I). In this study, ultrastructure of PB-I in the endosperm of mutant rice for storage proteins was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in order to investigate how the change in polypeptide composition of rice storage proteins affects on the structure of PB-I. Protein bodies in the endosperm of 13kd-b prolamin-decreased rice (esp-1) were apparently similar to those in usual rice. Mutant rice containing less 13kd-a and 10kd prolamins had PB-I with lower density of layer structure and obscure outline compared to esp-1. PB-I of 10kd-, and 16kd- polypeptide increased mutant had rigid inner layers with high density. The density of layer structures in PB-I seemed to relate to cysteine content in the storage proteins. In the endosperm of high-gluterin mutant, we found numerous small particles having no layer structure. Those particles seemed to be insufficiently developed PB-I. These results suggested that firmness of PB-I in rice endosperm was affected by the cysyteine content in prolamin polypeptides, and that promotion of glutelin synthesis might inhibit the development of PB-I.

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