The development of transportation, especially cold distribution, enables long-distance transportation of fresh produce. However, this transportation exposes the produce to vibrations, which increases the physical damage of some perishable fresh produce. Such damage can cause the appearance of the produce to deteriorate and can increase the risk of infection by biological agents, such as bacteria. Consequently, the produce may decrease in value. Therefore, measures should be taken to reduce the physical damage caused by vibration during transportation. In recent years, technological advances in equipment have enabled detailed data collection on the transportation conditions. Consequently, a large body of data and scientific knowledge has been accumulated regarding the transportation conditions, the damage to fresh produce, and the cushioning characteristics of packaging. In this paper, we review the current research concerning vibration damage to fresh produce during transportation and discuss potential solutions that could reduce distribution losses and improve the quality of fresh produce.

Although the needs for objective evaluation of flavor and texture of high-quality fresh tomato in Japanese cultivars are increasing, methods have not yet been established. To develop evaluation methods for internal quality of fresh tomato, multiple evaluations of different varieties of tomatoes harvested at different periods were conducted. Three representative Japanese and two representative Dutch tomato cultivars were grown using long-term hydroponic culture, and tomato fruits harvested in three different periods were examined for their contents of major taste compounds, mechanical properties, and sensory evaluation. As a result, differences in the content of major taste compounds among cultivars and harvest periods were observed. Some mechanical parameters correlated with texture property in sensory evaluation were found to be obtained by penetration tests from the inner to outer pericarp. It is presumed that the average force of penetration into the mesocarp represents firmness of the flesh, and a value that subtracts the average force of penetration into the mesocarp from rupture force of the exocarp represents skin awareness during eating. The sensory profile containing 19 attributes (six for aroma, two for flavor, four for taste, six for texture, and one for after-mouthfeel) of each tomato sample was also obtained. Principal component analysis characterized the sensory attributes of the samples on axes of “sweetness and perceived ripeness” and “rich flavor”, which defined the potential values of fresh tomato qualities. These results show that the evaluation methods developed in this study can objectively demonstrate internal qualities of fresh tomato fruits in various cultivars harvested in different periods.

The effect on bread-making quality of the addition of sourdough fermented by Leuconostoc citreum YMC08 strain (YMC08) was evaluated. Two kinds of sourdough were prepared by mixing flour, sterilized water and YMC08 with or without sucrose. The addition of sourdough to bread dough increased not only the specific volume and softness of the bread, but also the amount of organic acids and total free amino acids compared to without sourdough addition. These increases were more pronounced in breads containing sourdough prepared by adding sucrose (LCS) than in those containing sourdough prepared without adding sucrose (LC). The difference between LC and LCS may depend on the increase of gassing power of dough and/or dextran production by YMC08. In addition, the contents of saccharides and acetic acid in LCS significantly decreased and increased, respectively, compared with those in LC. These were caused by sucrose addition at the time of sourdough preparation, which might affect the metabolism of saccharides and organic acids by lactic acid bacteria.

We investigated whether low alcohol (ethanol) concentrations affect the activity of antinutritional factors following heat treatment in soybean flour, according to the urease activity index. In the absence of ethanol, heat treatment alone at 120°C for 10 min reduced urease activity in soy powder to the target value. In contrast, a heating condition below 120°C for 5 and 10 min reduced urease activity in soy powder to the target value with ethanol addition. These results suggest that increasing the ethanol concentration in soy powder can reduce the activity of antinutritional factors even at a low heating temperature; moreover, the heating time could be shortened.

The purpose of this study is to establish a sensory evaluation method for bread with added natural cheese. Loaf-type breads were made with 13 kinds of natural cheese added. Both the L* value of the crust and the specific volume of the bread decreased with the addition of cheese. The flavor characteristics of several types of cheese bread were investigated by descriptive sensory evaluation. A panel of 10 judges, who were selected and trained, evaluated 14 bread samples. Fifty-two sensory descriptive terms (44 smell terms and 8 taste terms) for cheese bread were identified. Fourteen terms (9 smell terms and 5 taste terms) were developed from a roundtable discussion by the trained panel with previous experience in evaluating cheese bread. A sensory characteristics map of each cheese bread sample, composed of the factor loadings and sample scores, clearly showed the sensory characteristics of each sample.