Many liquid-type food products exist either partially or wholly as an emulsion and a foam. In such systems, mixed states at the beginning and prevention of subsequent time-dependent changes are usually significant for quality management. In this research, as an intermediate material between traditional emulsifier molecules and solid particles, fine soft particles, i.e. microgels obtained from milled rice, soybean protein isolate, and polysaccharides were examined. Studies on the emulsifying properties of gelatinized rice flour, the enhanced technological functionality of soybean protein isolate via microgelation on emulsification and foaming, and the impartation of emulsifying ability to surface-inactive polysaccharides were reviewed to present the usefulness of the microgels in food emulsions and foams. In addition, interfacial properties of soft and porous microgels were summarized to promote their future application in practical food products in emulsified and foamed states.

Drying is a simultaneous heat and mass migration phenomenon in which water phase transition occurs based on energy transfer by conduction，convection, and radiation.

It is essential to develop technologies that improve drying efficiency and shorten the processing time for creating branded products that elicit consumer confidence with thorough consideration for food safety. In this paper, basic knowledge has been provided on experimental drying technologies that are necessary for optimizing heat and mass transfer within the product and achieving the desired physical structure. We provide an introduction to vacuum freeze-drying technology in order to illustrate the effects of barometric pressure on the drying process.

We studied the effects of emulsified oil impregnation on the texture of dried potato with convective drying using masseter muscle electromyography. Personal differences were defined as blocking factors by a randomized block design method, and a two-way analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis of the acquired electromyography data. The dried samples impregnated with emulsified oil had significantly smaller values for the five parameters than those without emulsified oil. The significantly different parameters were total duration, number of chews, total muscle activity, muscle activity per chew and duration per chew. The results suggested that the emulsified oil impregnation increased the crispy texture, made it easier to break the structure in the early stages of mastication, and decreased the work for bolus formation with saliva before the first swallow. They also suggested that the randomized block design method enabled the analysis by subtracting personal differences from the effects of food processing.

In this study, taste and physicochemical tests were performed to determine the characteristics of rice produced by ripening at high temperatures. (1) A higher proportion of high-temperature damaged grains was associated with low taste scores. (2) Regarding the relationship between taste evaluation and dynamic viscoelasticity, the storage elastic modulus (G’) was positively correlated with hardness. (3) Regarding the α-amylase activity of the brown rice, the proportion of high-temperature damaged grains was positively correlated with α-amylase activity. (4) As a result of measuring the amylopectin side chain length distribution, there was no noticeable difference between the translucent and chalky parts of brown rice. (5) Regarding analysis by RVA (Rapid Visco Analyser), good-tasting rice had high maximum and breakdown viscosities. (6) Multi-wavelength scanning analysis of iodine coloration performed in 2021 showed that the value for the good-taste index (λmax / Aλmax) showed a decreasing tendency in proportion to the increase of high-temperature-damaged rice grains.

We developed a device that detects two-dimensional vibrations from a wedge-shaped probe inserted into foods for food evaluation. Two accelerometers were placed perpendicular to the probe to detect vertical and horizontal vibrations. Voltage signals from the accelerometers were filtered using a half-octave band-pass filter. The energy texture index (ETI, J/s) was calculated for vertical and horizontal vibration energies over 21 frequency bands. Both the vertical and horizontal ETIs for apples were found to be higher than those for kiwifruits or bananas. Vegetables (e.g., cucumbers, lettuce, and Chinese cabbages) exhibited a similar peak in the high-frequency bands (2 240-12 800 Hz) for horizontal vibrations, although the vibration intensity varied. The penetration direction (radial or tangential) of the probe was found to result in the different ETIs obtained for cucumbers and Chinese cabbages. Biscuits exhibited the highest vertical ETI at high frequency (6 400-51 200 Hz), whereas cookies had the highest vertical ETI at low frequency (0-280 Hz). Rice crackers presented higher horizontal and vertical ETI values than potato chips or tortilla chips. These results suggest that the horizontal vibrations are associated with air-conducted sounds, whereas vertical vibrations are related to bone-conducted sounds and stimuli perceived by humans when biting into food.

In order to reveal the effect of normal temperature storage on the decomposition of inulin, Jerusalem artichoke tubers were stored at 20 °C and 5 °C for 90 days, and changes in the content and molecular weight of inulin were investigated. The rate of decrease on day 90 was 37.4 % at 20 °C and 31.1 % at 5 °C. Low-molecular-weight inulin with a chain length of 3 to 4 units increased significantly during storage at 20 °C. Inulin was divided into low- and high-molecular weight fractions by gel filtration, and the growth effect on Bifidobacterium spp. was examined. The low-molecular weight fraction showed a strong effect. In addition, an extract of Jerusalem artichoke stored at 20 °C had greater growth effect on Bifidobacterium spp. than the one immediately after harvest.

An open-label, crossover study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combination intake of tomato and cheese on promoting absorption of lycopene, a major carotenoid in tomato. Subjects consumed either tomato puree alone (24 mg of lycopene) or a combination of tomato puree and cheese (24 mg of lycopene and 19.5 g of fat). The results revealed that combination intake of tomato puree and cheese significantly increased the concentration of lycopene in serum and the serum triglyceride-rich lipoprotein fraction compared to intake of tomato puree alone. Therefore, it was revealed that consuming tomato with cheese could enhance lycopene absorption.