Texture terms play an important role in food texture studies, especially in sensory evaluation. A well-organized texture lexicon assists researchers with sensory evaluation of texture. In this study, Japanese texture terms were collected, characterized, and classified in order to develop a texture lexicon. First, 445 texture terms in Japanese were collected from questionnaires to food scientists/technologists, literature searches, and interviews with experts. Next, foods associated with the 445 Japanese texture terms were collected and analyzed. The spatial configuration of the terms showed the structure of the Japanese texture vocabulary. The terms were then classified hierarchically by questionnaires and multivariate analyses. The classification in this study revealed some characteristics unique to the Japanese texture vocabulary, such as a wide variety of terms concerned with stickiness and elasticity. Additionally, the food texture vocabularies of Japanese consumers were investigated through questionnaires. The data showed that the recognition of some terms differed according to the gender, age and/or region of consumers. Some factors, such as eating experiences and dialect usage, could explain the reason behind these differences. The data obtained in this study can be applied to preliminary lexicon sources of descriptive sensory evaluation, and can provide useful clues to the understanding of Japanese texture terms.

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In this paper, we propose a novel emulsification method, termed the “vapor injection method,” wherein a vaporized dispersed phase is injected into a continuous phase using a nozzle. This method enables the preparation of fine emulsions using simple equipment. A hydrosol was prepared by mixing ion exchange water with gellan gum (0∼1.4wt%) and subsequently cooling the mixture. The hydrosol was used as the continuous phase, and D-limonene was used as the dispersed phase. D-limonene was exposed to steam, and the azeotropic mixture of D-limonene and water was injected into the hydrosol. We then examined the formation mechanism of the emulsion through observation with a high-speed microscope, and measurement of particle diameter distribution and yield stress of the continuous phase. When the yield stress was greater than the buoyancy of the dispersed particles, the emulsion was stable. When a high-viscosity liquid was used as the continuous phase, the emulsion had single peak particle size distribution and consisted of fine dispersed particles. The emulsion could be formed even in an ultra-high-viscosity sample of about 106700mPa·s. Control of the average size of the dispersed particles was achieved by adjusting the viscosity of the continuous phase.

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We examined the effects of orally administered carotenoid extracts isolated from pink or orange colored tomatoes in restrained mice. Whereas the major carotenoid pigments in pink colored tomatoes (cv, Momotaro) are lycopene and β-carotene, those in orange colored tomatoes (cv, Momotaro gold) are prolycopene (7,9,7’,9’ tetra-cis-lycopene), phytoene, β-carotene, and other cis-form carotenoids including 7,9,9’-cis-neurosporene. Therefore, it was clarified that the orange colored tomatoes, which are tangerine varieties, contain cis-form carotenoids. Mice received intragastric administration, once per day for three days, of either olive oil or olive oil containing carotenoid extracts from pink colored tomatoes or orange colored tomatoes (50mg/kg), after which they were immobilized for 24 h. Unrestrained mice were administered olive oil with or without free access to feed and water. Restraint stress induced increases in plasma and hepatic total cholesterol, plasma arteriosclerotic index, and the amount of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in plasma and liver tissue. In contrast, these variables were suppressed in the mice that were administered carotenoid pigments from pink colored or orange colored tomatoes. These results suggest that carotenoid pigments from tomatoes improved lipid metabolism and in vivo antioxidant activity in restrained mice.

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We investigated the antioxidant activities of two methylated theaflavins, theaflavin 3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (TF3MeG) and theaflavin 3-O-(3-O-methyl)gallate 3’-O-gallate (TF3MeG3’G), which were prepared from epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate(EGCG3”Me) in the presence of burdock root-polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Formation of the methylated theaflavins was maximum at 30∼60 min of enzymatic reaction time, and decreased thereafter. The results suggest that the formation rate of methylated theaflavins in tea leaves can be increased by adjusting the PPO reaction during the fermentation process. The radical scavenging activities of TF3MeG and TF3MeG3’G were lower than those of the corresponding non-methylated theaflavins for peroxyl or DPPH radicals. However, the activity of TF3MeG3’G was much higher than that of the starting material (EGCG3”Me). The lipid solubility, estimated by 1-octanol /water partition coefficient, was in the order of TF3MeG3’G>TF33’diG≥TF3’G≥TF3MeG>TF3G≥TF. The lipid solubility of TF3MeG3’G was much higher than those of the other theaflavins and catechins.

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To clarify the effects of water activity (a_W) and sodium lactate on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in raw ham, an unheated processed meat product, L. monocytogenes ATCC 49594 (serotype 4b, Scott A) was inoculated into raw ham and its growth was investigated in five laboratories. L. monocytogenes did not grow in raw ham with an a_W of 0.93 (0.930≤a_W<0.940) in any of the laboratories during storage for 56 days at 10°C. It is presumed that an a_W of 0.93 in raw ham acts additively and/or synergistically with the pH of meat, salt content, nitrite and low-temperature storage (10°C) to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes. On the other hand, in raw ham with an a_W of 0.94 (0.940≤a_W<0.950), L. monocytogenes growth was completely inhibited by the addition of 2% sodium lactate. As a result, utilization of sodium lactate in raw ham produced in accordance with the Japanese Food Sanitation Law is valuable for the inhibition of L. monocytogenes growth.

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Fucoidan is an active component of seaweed that has been shown to exhibit a number of biological regulation effects, such as inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis, in various tumor cells. In this study, we demonstrated that fucoidan isolated from Cladosiphon okamuranus significantly inhibited cell motility in several cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Fucoidan induced the disruption of stress fibers at concentrations greater than 10μg/mL. However, fucoidan was not shown to decrease the phosphorylation of the myosin II regulatory light chain (MRLC) at Thr18/Ser19 in B16 cells. These data suggested that the inhibition of cell motility by treatment with fucoidan was induced via a pathway other than MRLC.

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Three fractions from freeze-dried fruits and jams of strawberries and blueberries were prepared : (1) ethanol-insoluble extracts, (2) diethyl ether-insoluble extracts, and (3) diethyl ether-soluble extracts. The inhibitory effects of fruit fractions (1)-(3) on the activity of calf DNA polymerase α (pol α), which is involved in DNA replication, were stronger than those of the corresponding jam fractions. Among the 12 fractions prepared, strawberry jam fraction (3) was the strongest inhibitor of human pol λ, which is involved in DNA repair/recombination. Furthermore, strawberry jam fraction (3) exhibited the greatest anti-inflammatory activity in a TPA-induced (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) mouse ear model. These results suggest that the hydrophobic fraction (3) from strawberry jam can be used as an anti-inflammatory additive for foods and cosmetics.

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Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) causes lethal infection in gallinaceous poultry such as chickens. HPAIV is generated when a nonpathogenic virus brought in by migratory birds from nesting lakes in the north is transmitted to chickens via domestic ducks, geese, quails, etc. and acquires pathogenicity for chickens with repeated multiple infections in the chicken population. Now H5N1 HPAIV has spread to 62 countries in Eurasia and Africa. H5N1 HPAIVs were isolated from dead water birds in Mongolia and Hokkaido, Japan on the way back to their nesting lakes in Siberia in April to May 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. It is concerned that these HPAI viruses may perpetuate in the lakes where migratory water birds nest in summer. On 14^th October in 2010, 2 H5N1 HPAIVs were isolated from fecal samples of ducks who flew from Siberia to Ohnuma Lake in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan. Since then, 24 outbreaks of avian influenza due to infection with the H5N1 viruses closely related to the viruses isolated from fecal samples of ducks in Hokkaido in October 2010 have occurred in 9 different prefectures in Japan until the end of March 2011. The other serious concern is that 620 people have been infected with the H5N1 virus, 60% of whom died in 15 countries since 2004 (as of 15 February 2013). It is noted that most of the human cases (86%) are in China, Viet Nam, Indonesia, and Egypt where bird flu vaccines are used. It is strongly proposed to eradicate the H5N1 HPAIVs from Asia by stamping-out without misuse of vaccine through international collaboration under the umbrella of ”One World, One Health” concept.

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The Japanese-specific eating habit of consuming raw eggs presents a risk of food poisoning. The most important health hazard associated with raw eggs is Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). This article summarizes the incidence and features of SE food poisoning, contamination factors in eggs, and countermeasures to reduce SE food poisoning from eating raw eggs in Japan.

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