We investigated the texture of cooked "Kiraho" rice, a rice variety with a high-protein, low-amylose content cultivated under nitrogen fertilization (hereafter Kiraho-High), and compared it with a standard protein variety (Kiraho-Standard) and the "Hitomebore" variety under different storage temperatures and storage times. As a result, the hardness of the cooked Kiraho-High rice determined by the mass-grain method after 72 hours of storage at 5 °C and 10 °C was similar to that of Hitomebore rice after 24 hours of storage at 5 °C and 10 °C. Adhesion and stickiness decreased rapidly after 48 hours of storage at 5°C and 10 °C, but the decrease was smaller than that for Kiraho-Standard. However, the surface hardness of cooked rice determined by the one-grain method at 5 °C was similar for Kiraho-High after 72 hours and Hitomebore after 24 hours. The adherence of the surface layer of Kiraho-High decreased less than that of Hitomebore, although this decrease occurred after 72 hours at 10 °C and after 48 hours at 5 °C. In addition, Kiraho-High maintained its initial overall hardness after 24 hours at 5 °C and 10 °C. The results suggest that the physical properties of Kiraho-High were less affected by storage temperature and storage time.

Although abalone is a commercially valuable marine product, its catch is declining year by year. Abalone cultivation is being carried out in many parts of the world for fishery resource management and commercial purposes, and there is a need for the development of feeds that can promote efficient growth in cultivation. In this study, we developed eco-feed for disk abalone (Haliotis discus discus Reeve) cultivation using soy pulp (okara), Japanese sake lees, and rice bran, which are by-products of food processing, as the main raw materials. The results of a 9-month feeding trial showed that the shell length, body weight, and nutritional components (free amino acids and fatty acids) of the developed diet-fed disk abalone were similar to those of the commercial solid diet-fed disk abalone.

We developed "Yezo Venison Sausage" using the characteristics of Yezo sika deer meat to overcome disadvantages associated with the unique smell and tough texture of deer meat to turn Yezo sika deer, a Hokkaido-specific biological resource, into a beneficial resource. "Yezo Venison Sausage" is produced by the addition of 20% minced pork fat, 20 % crushed ice, 2.4 % salt, 2 % sugar, 0.15 % color developer, 0.1 % ascorbic acid, 0.2 % polyphosphate, 0.4 % baking soda, 0.6 % coarse ground black pepper, 0.2 % all spice, and 0.1 % sage to minced Yezo sika deer thigh. The ingredients are mixed by hand and then filled into casings made of sheep intestine. After drying at 60 °C for 30 min, the sausage is smoked at 60 °C for 30 min and then cooked at a central temperature of 70° C for 1 min. The newly developed "Yezo Venison Sausage" shows greatly improved texture and bloody taste quality. Further, the high protein, low fat, and high iron contents, all of which are distinctive characteristics of deer meat, along with the distinctive redness of the meat confer an excellent balance between the sensory and nutritional characteristics of the sausage.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid that is common in the brain and nerve tissue, and is believed to improve cranial nerve function. Function claims related to memory maintenance have thus been accepted as "Food with Function Claims" in Japan, and they are mostly used for health supplements. We have recently reported the applicability of phosphorus-31 (³¹P) NMR for the quantification of phospholipids despite the lack of validation data. In the present study, we focused on the method of modification and the validation of quantifying PS in health supplements using ³¹P-NMR. The obtained results on the validation parameters satisfied the global standards set by Codex and AOAC International.

Soybeans are cultivated worldwide and are one of the most important oilseed resources. After palm oil, soybean oil is the most produced vegetable oil globally. It is not only used in foods, such as salad dressings, mayonnaise, and margarine, but it also has non-food uses, such as soy ink, plastics, and biodiesel. Soybean oil accounts for approximately 20% of the total weight of soybeans and is characterized by having a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, as well as saturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. Among these fatty acids, α-linolenic acid is readily oxidized, and is thus a causal substance for generation of off-flavors. To overcome this problem, studies have focused on using various cultivation techniques to develop new soybean varieties with improved oil compositions. In the Soy Research Section of the 68^th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology in 2021, Professor Toyoaki Anai (Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University), who is currently involved in research and development of soybean cultivars with improved oil composition using mutant collections, presented his latest results and future expectations.

Soybean [Glycine max L. (Merr.)] is an important legume crop, with an annual global production of 367.8 million tons. The seeds contain about 20% oil of dry weight, which is mainly used for oil extraction, and the improvement of soybean oil quality is a critical subject world-wide. We isolated several fatty acid accumulation mutants and identified the corresponding genes. Next, we attempted to improve the soybean oil quality using these mutant genes. We successfully developed a novel high-oleic acid soybean cultivar, "SADAIEICHIOICHIGOU", from which oil with an oleic acid content as high as 80 % of total fatty acids was obtained. Moreover, the linoleic acid content of "SADAIEICHIOICHIGOU" was obviously low. The oil extracted from this cultivar showed higher oxidation stability than conventional varieties and had decreased levels of the unpleasant green off-odor of soybeans. In addition, we isolated a novel mutant that does not accumulate furan fatty acids, associated with a hay-like odor, and identified the corresponding gene. This series of soybean fatty acid mutants have great potential to improve the nutritional value, functionality, palatability, and oxidative stability of soybean-based food.