To investigate the heating sterilization indicator bacteria used in the production of “Hyuganatsu” straight juice stored in paper containers using the aseptic method, we examined the degree of contamination by various bacterial spores in the untreated raw material, “Hyuganatsu” juice. In a total of 11 samples, 51 bacterial strains were isolated by aerobic culture, 12 strains were isolated by anaerobic culture, and thermophilic acidophilic bacteria (TAB) were not detected. Among the isolated strains, Paenibacillus spp. were detected most frequently, followed by Bacillus spp., Paraclostridium spp., and Clostridium spp., but these bacteria could not grow in “Hyuganatsu” straight juice (pH 3.1), so there was no need to evaluate them as sterilization indicator bacteria. TAB was not detected in this experiment, but considering past failures and the characteristics of this species, it is necessary to consider TAB as sterilization indicator bacteria. Therefore, in the future, we will conduct a growth test in “Hyuganatsu” straight juice using TAB, and if growth occurs, we will consider it necessary to evaluate TAB as sterilization indicator bacteria by setting the appropriate heating sterilization conditions.

Soybeans are rich in proteins and lipids and are often called “meat of the field.” Green soybeans, which are immature soybeans, are also highly nutritious and contain high levels of carotene and vitamin C. In Japan, green soybeans used to be harvested and consumed from May to November; however, with the development of freezing and storage technologies, they are now available throughout the year. Globally, there has been an increase in the consumption of the green soybean food, edamame, which originated in Japan, along with tofu and soy sauce. Currently, there are more than 400 unique green soybean varieties in Japan; nonetheless, studies investigating the components that determine green soybean palatability at the genetic level are scarce. During the Soybean Research Session of the 69th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology in 2022, the results and future prospects of the present study were presented by Dr. Tomoki Hoshino from Laboratory of Crop Breeding, Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Yamagata University, who is currently developing new varieties of green soybean cultivars by analyzing the genes that determine consumer palatability.

Dadachamame is the common name for edamame soybean [Glycine max L.(Merr.)] cultivars, ‘Shirayama’, ‘Kanro’ and ‘Oura’, which have been established in Tsuruoka city, Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan since the late Edo era. Dadachamame has a good taste and special aroma. Although it is known that the good taste of Dadachamame is caused by the higher levels of sucrose and free amino acids based on the comparative analysis of chemical components in the seeds of Dadachamame and other soybean cultivars, details on the genetic level are unclear. To understand the good taste of Dadachamame on the genetic level, in this study, we developed an F₂ population derived from a cross between the Dadachamame cultivar ‘Shirayama’ and the soybean cultivar ‘Enrei’. In the early development stage, Shirayama seeds had about 2-fold higher accumulation levels of sucrose compared with Enrei seeds. Sucrose content and genotype of the F₂ population suggested that the quantitative trait locus (QTL) for high sucrose accumulation is located on the long arm of chromosome 12. The genes responsible for determining the sweetness of Shirayama may be present on chromosome 12. Using the lines developed from crosses between Dadachamame and soybean cultivars in future studies, we will attempt to identify the genes responsible for QTL that control for the good taste in specific Dadachamame seeds, and discuss the mechanisms for determining the good taste of Dadachamame to improve the palatability of edamame. Furthermore, we have developed mutant edamame populations that can be used for edamame breeding. Since mutant soybean populations have already been developed, meticulous soybean breeding will be possible in the future for creating the desired characteristics for the final soybean products.

At the “Small Research-Discussion on Cereal Grains” in the annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology in 2022, Dr. Fumi Hayashi (associate professor of the Faculty of Nutrition, Kagawa Nutrition University) gave a lecture entitled “Eating a combination of grain dishes, fish and meat dishes, and vegetable dishes: The basic principle of sustainable healthy diets.” The lecture content suggested that 1) a well-balanced diet that follows the Dietary Balance Guide reduces mortality, 2) prolonged restriction of grain intake can have adverse effects on health, 3) consuming low-refined cereal can make diets healthier, and 4) choosing plant-based foods can promote healthy diets with low environmental impact.

According to the guiding principles of the FAO/WHO, sustainable healthy diets are dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe, and equitable; and are culturally acceptable. The goal of a sustainable healthy diet is to prevent all forms of malnutrition (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, and obesity) and to reduce the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases, while protecting biodiversity and global environmental health. In this paper, we propose a diet based on "grain dishes, fish and meat dishes, and vegetable dishes" as the basic composition of a dietary pattern that is easily adaptable to people's lifestyles, provides the nutrients necessary to maintain proper health and nutrition, has a low environmental impact, and is sustainable even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan has one of the fastest growing aging populations in the world. By 2040, Japan’s aged adult population is estimated to increase to a historically unprecedented level of 40 percent. As the population ages, the prevalence of frailty, a significant predictive factor for nursing care, is expected to rise. Eggs are recognized as functional foods that provide an array of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds that can positively impact human health, making them a cost-effective dietary choice. Given that eggs are a rich source of high-quality protein, they have the potential to prevent frailty. However, few studies have investigated the association between habitual egg consumption and frailty prevention. In the Shimane University Cohort Study, which mainly focuses on the Oki Islands, we examined this association in community-dwelling older adults. In this paper, we will review the main findings regarding the link between habitual egg consumption and frailty in our cohort study, as well as other recent publications.

The taste sensor, based on an artificial lipid/polymer membrane, is the result of more than 30 years of collaborative research with University Professor Kiyoshi Toko of Kyushu University Institute for Advanced Study. Progress in taste sensors has been made thanks to the valuable feedback from professionals and researchers in the food and pharmaceutical industries who use taste sensors, and taste sensor data are now being used to develop new taste information businesses. The technological advances in taste evaluation and the growing demand for taste visualization are not only limited to food and pharmaceutical R&D, but are also being used as effective tools for a variety of businesses. In this report, we introduce the technological developments and business applications we have been working on with such taste sensor users in the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the issues that are currently being addressed by taste sensors.

A new dynamic extraction model was developed based on fundamentally thermodynamic equilibrium properties, such as solute solubility in the mobile phase and the solute distribution coefficient between the solid matrix and pseudo-liquid surface in the stationary phase for both supercritical fluid and ambient pressure extractions. In this model, the material balance of solute among the solid matrix, the pseudo-liquid surface and the mobile phase was satisfied at the given time step. The predictive mathematical form was obtained for proving the expression of many types of extraction curves. In addition, this model allows for adsorption isotherm equations instead of the solute distribution coefficient for expression of the extraction curves. In the future, this new model can be widely applied to the semi-batch extractions without kinetic parameters, such as mass transfer and diffusion coefficients, that were usually used in previous models.