Changes in carotenoid composition during blanching and storage of frozen and freezedried winter squash were determined. (1) There was no loss of carotenoid due to the blanching process. (2) Lutein decreased at the same rate as total carotenoid content, but β-carotene was stable during the process of freezing. (3) Under frozen storage, β-carotene decreased at the same rate as the total carotenoid content, but the amount of lutein was stable. After 3 months under frozen storage, a 32% loss in the amount of β-carotene was observed. (4) There was no loss of carotenoids during the process of freeze-drying. (5) During storage of freeze-dried squash at 30°C, loss of β-carotene reached 15, 20 and 53% after 1 month, 2 months and 3 months, respectively. However, after 3 months storage at 0°C, the loss of β-carotene was only 10%. (6) The total carotenoid content was 15.5mg/100g in the raw squash pulp and it was composed of 48% lutein, 18% antheraxanthin, 14% violaxanthin, 11% β-carotene, 3% zeaxanthin, 2% β-cryptoxanthin, trollein and neoxanthin.

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Defatted non-salted soybean miso (DF-NSSM) and a water soluble fraction (W-S) of non-salted soybean miso (NSSM) were extracted by n-butanol or sec-butanol, in order to separare the bitter components. (1) The yields of n- and sec-butanol soluble fractions extracted from DF-NSSM were 10 and 13% respectively, and those from W-S were 16% each. (2) In the butanol soluble fraction (Bu-S), a small quantity of free and bound type hydrophilic amino acids and a lot of hydrophobic amino acids which were in the order leucine>phenylalanine>isoleucine>valine were detected. The ratio of bound type amino acids was higher for hydrophilic amino acids and lower for hydrophobic amino acids. In the butanol insoluble fraction (Bu-Ins), a small quantity of free and bound type hydrophobic amino acids and a lot of hydrophilic amino acids were detected. The ratio of those bound types was almost the same as in the case of Bu-S. (3) It was noticed that almostall the bitter components of NSSM was contained in W-S, and by butanol extraction of W-S, free hydrophobic amino acids were concentrated to about 2 times those in W-S, those bound types to about 4 times those in W-S.

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Alginate capsules were prepared by dropping a core solution containing 2% calciumchloride into a 0.5% alginate solution. The capsule has a liquid core solution surrounded bycalcium-alginate gel membrane. Three kinds of alginate with differe M/G ratios (M:D-mannuronic acid, G:L-guluronic acid) were used to prepare capsules. The thickness andstrength of the capsule increased linearly with the square root of reaction time. Thecapsules prepared by alginate with lower M/G ratio had a thicker gel membrane and lowergel strength than those prepared by alginate with higher M/G ratio. The capsules werepreserved in sodium chloride solutions of different concentrations to investigate the stabilityof gel membrane. The capsule membrane swelled and became weaker with the preservationtime, because the ion exchange reaction of calcium to sodium occurred. The capsulesprepared by alginate with lower M/G ratio were more stable than that with higher M/Gratio in sodium chloride solutions. The result suggests that the calcium binding property ofguluronic acid is stronger than that of mannuronic acid.

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The saponins and flavonoids responsible for undesirable taste are associated with proteins or carbohydrates at a lower temperature, but they are liberated from these proteins or carbohydrates at a higher temperature. The effects of immersing temperature on the swelling behavior of soybean, on the exuding components from soybean into water and on the lipoxygenase activities of swelled soybean were studied. The swelling time of soybean was reduced with elevation of the temperature, but the solid materials exuded from soybean into water was increased. The solid materials exuded from whole soybean into water, which were 2-8% of whole soybean as dry matter, contained 60-77% carbohydrate and 8-14% crude protein. The main component of this crude protein was identified as basic 7S globulin. On the other hand, the solid materials exuded from soybean cotyledon, which were 8-13% of soybean cotyledon, as dry matter, contained 57-65% carbohydrate and 11-22% crude protein. Further, saponin A group which was the most undesirable component of soybean and many other unidentfied components were observed in an exuding solution from whole soybean immersed over 50°C.The lipoxygenase activities contained in soybean swelled at 60°C were 50% lower than those in soybean swelled at20°C, and any activity could not be detected in a sample prepared at 70°C.

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The utility of fungal degradation of cane bagasse was appreciated to upgrade it for animal feed after pasteurization with 10 kGy of radiation. Solid-state culture media from alkali-treated bagasse were prepared by an addition of some amounts of inorganic salts as nitrogen source. Initial pH of solid-state media is needed to adjust at 4.0-5.0 for the optimum growth of fungi. The degradation of crude fiber by Coprinus cinereus, Pleurotus species, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma koningi, and T. viride was obtained as 32 to 56% after one month cultivation. C. cinereus could degradate crude fiber more than 40%, even on alkali non-treated bagasse at the same cultivation condition. Release of reducing sugars was obtained as 76 to 196 mg glucose/g after saccharification of precultivated bagasse by C. ctinereus, A. niger, T. koningi and T. viride.

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Changes in cell wall polysaccharide composition in relation to softening in Japanese persimmon fruits were investigated. Mature fruits stored for two weeks at 0°C were treated with alcohol vapour or CO₂ to remove astringency. Flesh firmness of the fruits treated with alcohol decreased rather rapidly, while that of control fruits (not treated) or the fruits treated with CO2 decreased slowly. Changes in the contents of cold water soluble pectin (CWSP), hot water soluble pectin (HWSP), EDTA soluble pectin (EDTA-SP) and cellulose (Cel.) seemed to have no direct relationship to the decrease of flesh firmness in any treatment. The contents of 5% NaOH soluble hemicellulose (5% NaOH-HC) and 20% NaOH soluble polysaccharide (20% NaOH-PS)lowered with the decrease of flesh firmness during fruit softening. Regression coefficients between the flesh frmness and the contents of 5% NaOH-HC and 20% NaOH-PS were 62.6 and 19.9 respectively, which were significant at 0.1% level (correlation coefficients were 0.86 and 0.59 respectively). These results show that softening of Japanese persimmon fruits appears to be mainly due to the decomposition of hemicellulose in cell wall.

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When whole soybeans are texturized using a twin-screw extruder, the effect of particleconsidered close to the highest density of filling. The thermal capacity of melting soybeanswas 14.8 (J/g) according to the DSC analysis. Using a thin-groove type screw and barrel(L/D=12), a thermal efficiency of about 46% was estimated in the texturizing process ofpulverized hulled soybeans.

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Effects were studied of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) or reduction-carboxyamide methylation on apparent viscosity of soybean globulin suspending systems. Viscosities of gelsformed with lower 2-ME concentration (0.01 and 0.02M) were lower than those of gelswithout 2-ME after heat treatment. Formed gels, however, had the highest viscosities withhigher 2-ME concentration (0.03 and 0.1M), which indicated the molecular expansi onresulting from cleavage of intramolec ular disulfide bonds. The roles of protein components(7S and 11S globulin) and sulfhydryls of these proteins on gel viscosity were studied byblocking the sulfhydryls of these proteins. Completely reduced and carboxyamid emethylated(RCAM-)7S globulin showed the highest viscosity after heat treatment, which indicated thatthe gel networks were mainly made by hydrogen bonds, On the other hand, RCAM-11Sglobulin did not make gels even after heat treatment which suggested important roles of thedisulfide bridges on network formation in the case of 11S globulin gel.

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hanges in chemical compositions and firmness of salted sea urchin gonads were investigated as a function of ripening time. The firmness of salted gonads increased for the first 14 days and then decreased unti1 30days. The viable cell count of fresh gonads decreased after the addition of sodium chloride and ethyl alcohol, and did not increase during ripening. During ripening for 180 days, total and reducing sugars, total nitrogen, volatile basic nitrogen and free amino acids in hot-water extracts increased by autolysis, which might contribute to the taste of salted and ripened gonads. Higher molecular weight proteins appeared in the initial stage of ripening and increased for 14days, and then they followed by a remarkable decrease. The polymerization of proteins was caused by the formation of cross-linking other than disulfide bond. The polymerized proteins may affect the firmness of salted gonads.

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Spray drying was investigated as one of the drying methods expected to be useful for the production of powdered wheat carboxypeptidase. Heat stability test revealed that crude enzyme preparation was stable up to 50°C for 45min. Recrystallized enzyme was in hibited by oxalic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, citric acid, and maleic acid at conce ntrations of 10 mM and 50mM. Tartaric acid and fumaric acid did not inhibit the enzyme. The inhibition type and the K_i value for di- and tri-carboxylic acids, which acted as an inhibitor for the enzyme, were examined. Oxalic acid, malic acid, and maleic acid served as a noncompetitive inhibitor and their K_i values were 7.0, 12, and 24mM, respectively. Succinic acid was an inhibitor of mixed type and its K_i value, 10mM. Citric acid showed a competitive inhibition and the smallest K_i value, 4.4mM, among the inhibitors tested. The enzyme extracted with 0.04M citric acid solution was spray-dried in a yield of 100%.

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Chlorophylls a and b andβ-carotene levels were measured using HPLC in tissues of butter head lettuce grown in soil, hydroponically and in vitro (callus and regenerated plants). The ratio of chlorophylls a+b toβ-carotene was approximately 25-31. Exceptions were observed in most of the soil-grown plants greater than 70g in weight and hydroponic plants. A high variability in the ratios observed in the hydroponic ones would be concerned with the difference in chlorophyll formations. Residual levels of the pesticides (dichlorvos, fenitrothion, formothion and chlorothalonil), the herbicide (chloronitrofen) and the environmental contaminant (trichloroethylene) were analyzed in soil- and hydroponically-grown materials. No detectable amounts of these chemicals were found inhydroponically-grown plants, while considerable contents of chlorothalonil and fenitrothion were detected in soil-grown plants.

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