Red mold rice, fermented by the genus Monascus (Beni-koji), is used as a traditional foodstuff in Asian countries. Beni-koji is effective in decreasing blood pressure, reducing plasma cholesterol levels, and preserving food. The solid fermentation of colored rice or coix lacryma-jobi with Monascus pilosus was examined. Culture methods for increasing the production of functional constituents and the addition of new functions, anti-oxidant activity and learning behavior, were examined. Beni-koji produced with M. pilosus is considered to be a contribution to the development of foods with high functionality.

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Apple pomace has been utilized as livestock feed and as a soil conditioner ; however, efficient utilization of apple pomace has been sought for a long time. In this study, we investigated the production of brewed vinegar from apple pomace and its physiological function. We prepared a saccharified solution from apple pomace by cellulase and pectinase treatment. The solution contained 4.4 times more oligosaccharides and 2.5 times more polyphenols than the untreated sample. Moreover, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of the vinegars produced from the saccharified sample were higher than the vinegars produced without enzymatic saccharification. The results of a blind sensory evaluation of these vinegars indicated that the vinegar produced from apple pomace and commercial apple vinegar were equally liked. As expected, an increase in the functional composition of the vinegar produced from apple pomace was observed. In addition, the vinegar had good flavor and taste.

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‘Beninomai’ is an interspecific hybrid plant (sumomoume) created from the plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) cultivar ‘Tsukuba 2’ and the Japanese apricot (mume) (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) cultivar ‘Ousyuku’. We evaluated physiological functions of ‘Beninomai’ fruit. The antioxidant activities were measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. Total polyphenol content and polyphenol components were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and HPLC, respectively. Inhibitory activity of ‘Beninomai’ fruit on angiotensin I-converting enzyme and antigen-induced degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells were also evaluated. Physiological functions of ‘Beninomai’ fruit were compared with ‘Ribai’ (hybrid), and other cultivars which are commonly produced in Gunma prefecture ; ‘Soldam’ (plum), ‘Sirokaga’ and ‘Nankou’ (mume). DPPH radical scavenging activity and the hydrophilic ORAC values of ‘Beninomai’ fruit were 15.8-20.5μmol of Trolox equivalents (TE) per gram fresh weight (g FW) and 57.0-61.7μmol TE/g FW, respectively. The antioxidant activities of ‘Beninomai’ fruit was almost the same as ‘Ribai’ fruit,and higher than those of other cultivars. Anthocyanin content of ‘Beninomai’ fruit increased in connection with maturation. The high concentration of anthocyanins was thought to maintain the high antioxidant activity. Both DPPH radical scavenging activities and H-ORAC values of tested fruit samples positively correlated with the total polyphenol content (r=0.988each). ACE inhibitory activity of ‘Beninomai’ showed no differences from other cultivars, and inhibition of antigen-induced mast cell degranulation was lower than mume.

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A method for oil impregnation into potato materials by the freeze-thaw infusion technique was examined. The optimal oil concentration in emulsions used for impregnation was 30%, and the maximum oil content in potato was 3g/100g. W/O type emulsions were not efficient in getting oil into the potato core. The amount of oil in the potato increased when emulsions with smaller particle sizes were used. Softened and oil-infused potato could be prepared by impregnating with both oil and pectinase. This method could be applied as an impregnation technique for lipid-soluble compounds such as β-carotene. These results suggest that the freeze-thaw infusion method is useful for impregnating with oil and hydrophobic substances.

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Rice bread was made using a mixture of rice flour and vital gluten (85 : 15). The volume of water farinograph and specific volume were examined to elucidate differences in bread properties. About 300BU farinograph was estimated to result in the largest specific volume of rice flour bread. Rice flour was prepared from 4 different types of rice, produced in Miyazaki, for analyzing the rice flour characteristics and rice bread quality. The specific volume of Mizuhochikara and Nankai141 was larger than that of Koshihikari for the rice flour produced with a large-scale mill. The specific volume of Mizuhochikara and Nankai141 was larger than that of Koshihikari for the rice flour produced with a small mill. However, the specific volume of rice flour produced with a small mill was about 0.3mL/g lower than rice flour produced with a large-scale mill. Mizuhochikara had the highest evaluation for crumb grain and Takanari had the highest evaluation for taste on the sensory test. However, no significant differences were detected.

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The quality and yield of frozen pork loin meat thawed under different conditions are examined in this study. One kind of ham is processed from meat thawed by the conventional method at 4°C, while another ham is processed from meat that was thawed in a brine solution, thereby being simultaneously subjected to a curing process.
1. The thawing time of the salted thawing method was longer than the air defrost method as the amount of meat increased, though no difference in thawing time was observed between these two methods with a small amount of frozen meat.
2. The water content of ham subjected to the salted thawing method was about 5% more than with the air defrost method. Salinity following the salted thawing method decreased 0.2% more than with the air defrost method.
3. In the production of edible pork loin ham products (Japanese standard) that are conventionally produced after being soaked in salt, the yield rate with the salted thawing method was 7.4% greater than with the air method. Furthermore, in the production of edible pork loin ham products that are produced from three pieces of frozen pork sirloin meat (12kg) soaked in salt for 10 days and matured, the yield rate with the salted thawing method was 7.2% greater than with the air method.
4. A sensory analysis of the pork loin ham found practically no differences among the four properties of smell, color, texture, and taste (saltiness).
From these findings, it is anticipated that production after thawing the meat using the salted thawing method will result in significant cost and facility benefits. In addition, it is suggested that the environmental load of the conventional ham production methods can be reduced through use of the methods described in this study.

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In this paper, we report an antihypertensive effect of wheat bran peptides (WBP) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Following a single administration of WBP, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly reduced at 2 hours post-administration and the effect lasted for 6 hours at 10mg WBP/kg and 8 hours at 50 and 200mg WBP/kg. When SHR received water containing 0.02% and 0.1% WBP (w/v) ad libitum, SBP was significantly reduced at 10 days post-administration at 0.02% WBP and at 5 days at 0.1% WBP. The effect of both treatments was maintained for 25 days. These results indicate that WBP can exert a potent and long-lasting antihypertensive effect in SHR.

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[in Japanese]

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