With the objective of shipping squash fruit during the winter season, which constitutes the off-season for domestically grown squash fruit, we aimed to develop storage techniques that mitigate the softening of squash fruit mesocarp that typically occurs during prolonged storage. Utilizing near-infrared spectroscopic analysis to sort squash fruit based on dry matter immediately after harvest proved to be efficacious in limiting mesocarp softening. Through this approach, fruits with a dry matter ratio of 30 % (w/w) or higher, when stored at 10 °C, demonstrated the ability to maintain their mealy texture even after a 2-month storage period. Furthermore, employing a highly mealy cultivar and storing it at a temperature of approximately 10 °C enabled the preservation of the mealy texture for over 2 months, eliminating the necessity for screening based on dry matter.

本研究では, 予備加熱に続く本加熱を利用した二段階加熱法による卵白の加熱ゲル物性制御について検討した. 66 ℃での予備加熱により調製した二段階加熱ゲルにおいて対照と比較して破断荷重および破断ひずみが大きく繊維状の微細構造が認められた. 一方, 74 ℃での予備加熱により調製した二段階加熱ゲルにおいて対照と比較して破断荷重および破断ひずみが小さく, 空隙が多い不均質な微細構造が認められた. 74 ℃での予備加熱により調製した二段階加熱ゲルは加熱 (80 ℃, 24 h) や3週間程度の酸性調味液への浸漬 (21 d) による硬化に対して一定の抑制効果を示した.

予備加熱時のタンパク質の熱変性挙動を分析し, 物性制御の機構を解析したところ, 66 ℃での予備加熱によりOVTおよびLYZがSS結合を主とした凝集体を形成したが, 大半のOVAは未変性のまま維持された. したがって, 本加熱にてOVA同士の結合が生じ, 繊維状のネットワークを主体とした, 破断荷重および破断ひずみが大きいゲルが形成されたものと推察された. 一方, 74 ℃での予備加熱により, OVTおよびLYZ のSS結合を主とした凝集に加えて, 大半のOVAが微変性条件にて凝集したことが明らかになった. したがって, 予備加熱にてすでに疎なネットワークが形成され, 残存する OVA量が少なく本加熱がゲルネットワークに及ぼす影響は小さいため, 分子間相互作用の強化がゲルの硬さに反映されにくいと考えられる. このように, 疎なネットワークにより, 二段階加熱後に破断荷重が小さくなり, 長時間加熱および酸性調味液浸漬に供してもゲルが硬化しにくくなったと推察された. 以上, 予備加熱により各タンパク質の変性および凝集履歴を変化させることで, 本加熱により調製したゲルの物性を制御できることが示された.

高灰分粉を発酵種の継代試料として活用することで, 低コストで従来のパンとの風味差別化を図ることが可能になると考えられる. 本研究では高灰分粉発酵種の使用による国産小麦を原料としたパンの呈味・香気成分の変化を確認した. 呈味成分分析と揮発性成分分析の結果, 共通して高灰分粉発酵種添加割合が2.5および5%のパン試料と小麦粉発酵種添加割合が10%および20%のパン試料が同様の傾向を示した. 発酵種添加割合の増加と共に, 呈味成分分析結果では乳酸やアミノ酸含有量の増加が, 揮発性成分分析結果からは有機酸類やアルデヒド類の面積値の増加が確認された. 一方, メイラード反応生成物であるピラジン類は発酵種添加割合の増加と共に面積値が減少した. 官能評価において, 発酵種無添加試料では「甘味」「塩味」などの用語が選定され, 高灰分粉発酵種20%添加試料では「酸味」「えぐみ」「焦げ臭」などが選定された. 官能評価の結果, 小麦粉発酵種10%添加試料は高灰分粉発酵種2.5%添加試料おび5%添加試料と同程度, また小麦粉発酵種20%添加試料は高灰分粉発酵種5%添加試料と10%添加試料の中間程度の結果となった. これらの結果から, 高灰分粉発酵種は小麦粉発酵種と比較して, 少量の添加でも呈味成分や揮発性成分の増強効果が高いことが確認された.

The first type of confectionery is “patisserie”, which is a baked confectionery. In Japan, that alone means a cake shop. The second is “confiserie”. This is a confectionery that combines sugar with various things such as fruits. For example, if you combine sugar and cacao, you get chocolate. French confectionery shops make both “patisserie” and “confiserie”. The third type is “glaciere”, which is a frozen dessert represented by ice cream and sorbet. And finally, there is a “Viennoiserie” that overlaps with a bakery, where you can find croissants. We summarized the raw materials used in confectionery. One of the raw materials is fruit juice, most of which is manufactured by French companies. Fruit specialists hand-select the fruits and make purees, concentrates, coulis, and wholes. All are frozen. Japan has many delicious fruits. Considering the income of fruit producers in Japan, one idea is to produce and manufacture fruits and fruit juice for confectionery like in France.

The historical relationships among fruits, fruit juice, and the production of confectionery items is examined from Japanese and global perspectives. Specifically, the global perspective considers the history of Western confectionery while adding a professional perspective. First, the origin of sweetness – historically obtained from honey and fruits – was examined as this is considered the foundation of confectionery. Next, for a Japanese historical perspective, the origins of sweets in Japan was traced from the mythological period to the writings in the Kiki, under the titles Kasojin and “The ancestors of sweets”. For a global historical perspective, the field of Western confectionery was examined and categorized into confiserie, which can be translated as sugar confectionery, glacerie confections. Among these categories, fruit juice was most widely used in confiserie: for example, in Pate de Fruit (a jelly confectionery made with 100% fruit juice) and Guimauve (French-style marshmallow). Similarly, for glacerie (frozen confectionery) items, fruit juice is often used directly to produce a variety of rich-tasting frozen confections. In addition, in the field of patisserie, a new trend referred to as nouvelle patisserie has emerged in which fruit juice plays an important role and is used extensively to produce mousses with a light texture. To supplement these descriptions, sections titled “History of Sugar” and “Footprints of Frozen Sweets” have also been included.