Kinjiso (Gynura bicolor DC.) is a traditional vegetable in Ishikawa prefecture. Kinjiso hot water extract containing the natural colored compounds anthocyanins was fractionated into the adsorbedand the non-adsorbed fractions by SepPakC18 column chromatography. Kinjiso hot water extract and the SepPakC18 column adsorbed fraction showed the inhibitory effect of the HL60 human leukemia cell growth and the scavenging activity towards DPPH radical. Both effects of the SepPak C18 column adsorbed fraction were higher than those of the hot water extract. The anthocyans peralgonidin, delphinidin, malvidin and oenin (malvidin 3-glucoside) inhibited the HL60 cell growth. The Kinjiso SepPakC18 column adsorbed fraction and the anthocyanidins peralgonidin, delphinidin and malvidin induced the apoptotic cell bodies and oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation in HL60 cells. The results indicated that the Kinjiso SepPakC18 column adsorbed fraction and the anthocyanidins induced apoptosis in HL60 cells. Kinjiso SepPakC18 column adsorbed fraction was further fractionated by Sephadex LH20 column chromatography. Both of the fractions that containing large and small amount of anthocyanins inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in HL60 cells. The result suggests that Kinjiso SepPakC18 column adsorbed fraction contain not only anthocyanins but also other components induced the apoptosis in HL60 cells. The SepPakC18 column adsorbed fraction is possibly used as the coloring additive that shows the radical scavenging activity and apoptosis inducing effect in cancer cells.

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The ability of the SimPlate method in determining total plate counts and total coliforms was investigated by comparing the conventional method using test strains and food samples. There was no significant difference in the total plate counts between the SimPlate and the conventional methods. In the experiment using heat- and high-pressure injured bacteria, the total plate counts determined by the SimPlate method seemed to be slightly higher than those by the conventional method, but there was no significant difference. High correlation between the two methods (r=0.93) was observed in the total plate counts determined using 150 food samples. Furthermore, in the total coliform counts determined using test strains, there was no significant difference between the two methods. When using heat- and high-pressure injured bacteria, the total coliform counts determined by the SimPlate method were also slightly higher than those determined by the conventional method. Total coliform counts were determined using 150 food samples, and a high degree of correlation between the two methods (r=0.91) was observed. These findings suggest that the SimPlate method can be effective as a rapid and convenient means for determining total plate counts and total coliform counts.

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the fatty acid. Larger amounts of free lipids were extracted from the doughs containing one of these esters than from the control dough without an additive. These lipid liberation might be attributable to a certain specific interaction between gluten and the PGMFE. Furthermore, the shorter the fatty-acid chain in the PGMFE is, the greater was the amount of free lipids extracted, and the greater was the reactivity of the PGMFE to gluten. The starch-complexing indices of the PGMFEs were the highest with myristic acid, and the value changed inversely with the carbon number of the fatty acid residue. These results were consistent to some extent with those of scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The effects of PGMFEs on gluten and starch in dough depended on the length of fatty acid residue in the complex.

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Six rice cultivars (two red rice, two purpleblack rice and two white rice) were compared for their antioxidative activities and differential distribution of active substances. Ethanol extracts prepared from red and purple-black hulled rice exhibited remarkably high superoxide anionand radical-scavenging activities compared with those from white hulled rice, In addition, these activities were localized mostly in pericarp and testa, namely, rice bran. Colored rice contained polyphenols much more abundantly than white rice and their contents were mutually related to their antioxidative potencies. Spectrophotometric analyses showed that the major active substances in red rice and purple-black rice were tannin pigments and anthocyanin pigments, respectively.

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To assess the protective effect of contactdehydrating sheets on frozen fish, sardine was wrapped with contact-dehydration sheets or polyethylene sheets (control)and frozen up to four weeks in a freezer at -20°C.Sensory tests of all cooked frozen sardine, such as grilled, boiled, pan-fried and deep fat-fried showed a significant preference to the dehydrating sheet-wrapped fish over the control. The effects on the grilled and boiled fish were especially remarkable.

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Seven Inaniwa Udon samples (traditional hand-made noodle in Inakawa, Akita) and four dry noodles were used for examination. X-Ray computed tomogram revealed that many cavities in various size and length in Inaniwa Udon. Sodium chloride elution rates of dry udon were plotted against the ratio of surface area to volume (s/v ratio). Inaniwa Udon group has a small range of s/v ratio (2.5 to 3.4), but 30 to 60% of total NaCl was eluted into boiling water for 1min. The amount of reducing sugar which liberated by α-amylase from boiled Inaniwa Udon was greater than that of machine-made one.

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Efficient production technique of arabinose by high pressure steaming, from corn hull and beet pulp, which were food-processing by-products was examined. Arabinose was released from corn hull by high pressure steaming at 2-15kg/cm², and the yield was reached 7.9%. It was correspondent to 63% of arabinose in corn hull. The yield of arabinose increased up to 82% of that in corn hull, when phosphoric acid (final conc. 0.1M) was added in the high pressure steaming. On the other hand, 6.6% (corresponding to 30% of arabinose in beet pulp) of arabinose was released from beet pulp by high pressure steaming at 10kg/cm², The yield of arabinose increased. when phosphoric acid (final conc. 0.1M) was added in the high pressure steaming, and reached 72% of arabinose in beet pulp.

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The growth of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris was inhibited by grape polyphenols of resveratrol (50μg/ml), ferulic acid (150μg/ml), pcoumalic acid (200μg/ml), p-hydroxybenzoic acid, or "Kyoho" seed proanthocyanidine (900μg/ml). The combination of (-)-catechin-gallate and the proanthocyanidine displayed synergistic antibacterial effect. Resveratrol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid elevated the antibacterial activity of the mixed treatment with (-)-catechin-gallate and the proanthocyanidine.

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[in Japanese]

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