Grain koji was added to sika deer meat and the physical properties and the palatability of the cooked deer meat were examined for effective use of the venison. Japanese sika deer captured in Hyogo Prefecture were used. Grain koji is an enzyme-rich food that is produced by solid-state fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae and a mixture of six kinds of grain. The meat, before and after ripening, was minced, and grain koji was added at 0%, 1%, 2.5%, and 5%. For comparison, grain without koji was added to sika meat at 5% and mixed. The meat was formed into a column (1 cm h×4 cm d) and then preserved for two days at 10°C. It was vacuum packed, and steamed at 100°C for 20 minutes. The sample volume increased with increasing grain koji, syneresis, rupture stress and rupture energy were markedly reduced, while the total free amino acid levels increased. The sensory panel judged that the sika deer product with grain koji was savory, soft, and easy to swallow.

View full abstract

A bromo-derivatization gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for quantification of acrylamide in cooked rice was established for the estimation of acrylamide intake from a staple food in Japan. Limit of quantification (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) of acrylamide were, respectively, 0.20 and 0.09 μg/kg for cooked brown rice, 0.17 and 0.07 μg/kg for cooked germinated brown rice, and 0.14 and 0.06 μg/kg for cooked polished rice. The rank order of acrylamide concentration in rice, cooked with two types of home-use rice cooker, was germinated brown rice > brown rice > polished rice. Of the home-use rice cookers, less acrylamide was formed with the newer multifunctional type. Less acrylamide was formed using a professional use cooker than with the two cookers for home use. These differences might be derived from differences in temperature history and/or contact of rice grains to the high temperature bottom surface of the cookers. Considered in the context of the amount of cooked rice consumed in Japan (337.7 g/day on average), the acrylamide in cooked polished rice can be regarded as a minor factor in the total intake of acrylamide of the Japanese. Acrylamide formation in brown rice and germinated brown rice also occurs at very low levels, unless they are over-heated to the point of burnt rice.

View full abstract

Functional food properties of protein concentrates from aleurone brans of rice (NTWP and SJR), obtained from two types of wash-free treatment (dry and wet treatments), were investigated and compared to those of rice bran and polished rice for effective by-product utilization. The amino acid compositions of NTWP and SJR were almost identical. The amount of γ-aminobutyric acid in SJR was significantly higher (p > 0.05) than that in rice bran and polished rice. Protein contents in the protein concentrates were higher in the order of polished rice > NTWP > rice bran › SJR. The result of SDS-PAGE indicated that NTWP and SJR protein concentrates showed an intermediate electrophoretic pattern to those from rice bran and polished rice. Forming power and stabilities of the protein concentrates from NTWP and rice bran were significantly greater (p > 0.05) than those from SJR and polished rice. Emulsifying power of the protein concentrates did not significantly differ among the samples. Emulsifying stabilities of the protein concentrates from aleurone bran were significantly lower (p > 0.05) than that from rice bran and was not significantly different compared to that from polished rice.

View full abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the polyphenol content and other properties of a number of cultivars/strains of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius), and select nutritionally superior cultivars/strains that would contribute to improve human health. The tuberous roots and tubers of 3 cultivars and 13 strains of yacon were examined. Among the 3 cultivars, ‘Saradaotome’ and ‘Saradaokame’ showed superior polyphenol content in the tuberous roots. Among the 16 cultivars/strains, ‘Peru-1’, ‘Peru-3’ and ‘Peru-4’ showed superior polyphenol content, especially in the tuber, and ‘CIP205029’ showed the highest saccharide level. A positive correlation was observed between polyphenol contents in the tuberous root and tuber of the same yacon cultivar/strain.

View full abstract

The safety of powder prepared from salmon nasal cartilage by drying and defatting processes was studied. The powder, named ‘PGNP’, contains ca. 40% proteoglycan (PG). Mutagenicity of PGNP was assessed by a reverse mutation test using Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, and an in vitro chromosomal aberration test using Chinese hamster lung cell line (CHL/IU). No mutagenicity of PGNP was detected under these experimental conditions. Single dosing (2000 mg/kg) and 90 days repetitive dosing (1000 mg/kg/day) of PGNP to rats showed no abnormalities, suggesting the safety of PGNP by oral administration. In addition, 1500 mg/day of PGNP was administered orally to 10 adults for 5 days in order to assess its safety by conducting blood tests. There were no clinical problems observed with regard to blood test results, demonstrating that PGNP is a safe food material.

View full abstract

Powder technology is widely utilized for food applications. In particular, fine milling has become an important unit operation in recent years. The air classification mill, pin mill and fluidized-bed opposed jet mill were tested in the preparation of ground soybeans. The air classification mill could not continuously operate due to overload, resulting from the blockage of ground material. Thermal analysis of soybeans revealed the difficulty in preventing this phenomenon. The pin mill was able to grind soybeans down to 10-30 μm at a throughput of 12 kg/h. A finely ground product with a particle size of 10 μm was obtained only by repeated milling, meaning that the product ground by pin milling was processed again using the same machine. A fluidized-bed opposed jet mill could grind the soybeans by processing the pin mill product down to 5 μm at 20 kg/h. The combination of mill and air classifier was able to increase the protein ratio in the starch-rich seeds. The mill not only produced fine particles but also separated the protein from starch granules in the system. The air classifier acts to separate the released protein from the starch granules by exploiting their size differences.

View full abstract

Soybean soluble polysaccharide (SSPS) is a water-soluble polysaccharide extracted from soybean “okara”, which is the insoluble residue of soy protein production. SSPS consists of the dietary fiber from soybean cotyledon, and its aqueous solution has relatively low viscosity and high stability, even when heated under acidic conditions. As SSPS has various functions such as dispersion, stabilization, emulsification, adhesion, and film making, it has been used not only as a dietary raw material for fiber-fortified food, but also for many other food applications. In this report, basic characterizations and applications of SSPS as a functional food ingredient are su mmarized.

View full abstract