Itaru Sotome

Use of whole crop sorghums as a raw material in consolidated bioprocessing bioethanol production using Flammulina velutipes.

The possibility of using two kinds of sorghum as raw materials in consolidated bioprocessing bioethanol production using Flammulina velutipes was investigated. Enzymatic saccharification of sweet sorghum was not as high as in brown mid-rib (bmr) mutated sorghum, but the amount of ethanol production was higher. Ethanol production from bmr mutated sorghum significantly increased when saccharification enzymes were added to the culture.

Starch Damage and Pasting Properties of Rice Flours Produced by Dry Jet Grinding

ABSTRACT Milling method and particle size affect some properties of rice flour. To prepare ultra-fine rice flour of <30 μm, hammer and dry jet grinding methods were examined and the effect of particle size on starch damage and pasting properties of the flour were elucidated. A jet mill could make finer flour (<10 μm mean size) with a narrower particle size distribution than a hammer mill could. Starch damage increased dramatically at a mean size of <10 μm. Particles of a similar size (<60 μm) had different levels of starch damage between mills. Not only the particle size, but also the milling method affected the level of damaged starch. Flour samples of ≥45 μm mean size had similar viscosity curves, but samples of <20 μm had different curves. Peak viscosity and final viscosity decreased sharply at <10 μm. Setback viscosity for particles of 3 μm from both brown rice and white rice were higher than the peak viscosity. Stability to heat and shearing stress were decreased for <20 μm flours as the breakdown vi...

Effects of Milling and Cooking Conditions of Rice on In Vitro Starch Digestibility and Blood Glucose Response

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of milling and cooking conditions of cooked rice prepared from cultivar Koshihikari on in vitro starch digestibility and in vivo glucose response in humans. In addition, compression and adhesiveness tests were conducted for texture analysis of the cooked rice. Brown rice (BR) and surface-abraded BR (SABR, ≥99.5% of the original weight) were digested more slowly than white rice (91% of the original weight) when cooked rice grain was used for the in vitro test, but they were digested more rapidly in the initial stage of the reaction when cooked rice ground by a meat grinder was used. The increase in water added for cooking significantly increased the extent of starch digestion with BR and SABR. The changes in blood glucose levels after the ingestion of cooked rice were dependent on the sample type. The cooking conditions dramatically influenced the glucose response after the ingestion of BR. A significant correlation was found between blood glucose ...

Distribution of Major Xanthones in the Pericarp, Aril, and Yellow Gum of Mangosteen (Garcinia Mangostana Linn.) Fruit and Their Contribution to Antioxidative Activity

Xanthone compounds in mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana Linn.) fruit have been reported to have biological activities including antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, and the major xanthone compounds in mangosteen are α-mangostin and γ-mangostin. The objectives of this research were to quantify and qualify the major xanthones in each part of the mangosteen fruit with and without yellow gum from the point of view of effective utilization of agricultural product. Quantitative evaluation revealed that yellow gum had extremely high amounts of α-mangostin and γ-mangostin (382.2 and 144.9 mg/g on a wet basis, respectively) followed by pericarp and aril. In mangosteen fruit with yellow gum inside, xanthones seemed to have shifted from the pericarp and to have concentrated in a gum on the surface of aril, and there was almost no difference between the amounts of α-mangostin and γ-mangostin in whole fruits with and without yellow gum. Pericarp and yellow gum showed much higher radical-scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant potential than the aril.

MEASUREMENT OF MEMBRANE HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY BY A NEWLY DEVELOPED METHOD

Reducing water loss from vegetables is important to maintain freshness. The hydraulic conductivity coefficient (Lp) of cell membranes is indispensable to analyze the movement of water from cells, which leads to wilting and low metabolic activity. To measure Lp, extracellular solution must be replaced quickly to apply osmotic stress to the cells; however, conventional methods take a relatively long time, which leads to noticeable errors. We therefore developed a new method to measure Lp based on the principle that two liquids exhibit laminar flow through a relatively narrow space, for example, a tube having a small inner diameter. A microchannel having a diameter of 1.4 mm was designed. The microchannel has two inlets, and the flow rate of solution at each inlet can be used to determine the volume of each solution occupying the microchannel. Hence, an extracellular solution of protoplast fixed in a microchannel can be changed instantaneously by changing the flow rate of the solution. The Lp values of barley cotyledon and spinach leaf protoplasts were measured by both the developed method and a conventional method. Lp values measured by the conventional method were lower than those measured by the newly developed method. The developed method also showed less scattering in the measured Lp values because the errors caused by the experimental operation were reduced. In addition, the difference in values measured by both methods was examined by error estimation, and the values obtained by the new method were determined to be valid. With this method, the time delay to replace the extracellular solution was negligible and Lp was obtained without any error being caused by the time required for replacement.

Functional Properties of Submicron-Scale Rice Flour Produced by Wet Media Grinding

The digestibility and hydration properties of wet-ground submicron-scale rice flour were compared with those of dry-ground coarser microscale flours. The submicron flour (mean size 0.6 µm) was produced in a wet-media mill with 0.3 mm zirconia beads by continuous 24 h pulverization. The solubility, water absorption index, and swelling power increased as the mean particle size decreased, reaching maximum values in the submicron flour. Starch damage was high in the submicron flour, with the absence of intact starch granules. The digestibility also increased as the particle size decreased, and it was highest in the submicron flour. These results show that wet-ground submicron rice flour has different functional properties from dry-ground coarser flour. The digestibility was more strongly influenced by starch damage and the water absorption index than by the mean particle size.

Design and Development of Biodegradable Sapling Pot with Biodegradable Polymer and Biomass

Processes of biodegradable molded products were developed. However, to make commercial products to adapted each purpose is still under going. So, this time, to improve the molded products properties, we tested to blend with PLA (polylactic acid) or PBSA (Poly butylenes succinate adipate) into CGM(Corn gluten meal) based agro by-products ingredient. Molded samples were able to make from all tested material and each sample had each physical properties. Finally, we selected suitable condition for practical field test of Large Sapling Pot for Persimmon saplings. Such application will be addressed in our talk and general situation of biodegradable products by biomass resources in Japan will be also introduced.

Water permeability changes of the cell membrane as a function of time

Water loss and microscopic water migration inside tissues or cells are major causes of vegetable deterioration and wilting during the postharvest period. Water loss and water migration caused by respiration and transpiration are influenced by the condition of the cell membrane or other biomembranes. Therefore, for the studying on postharvest technology, it is essential to understand the changes in the properties of biomembranes of the agricultural products during the storage. The change in cell membrane water permeability coefficient (L p ) and osmotic tolerance of barley cotyledon protoplast was measured and the change in dynamic state of water in the cotyledons was estimated by 1 H-NMR during the storage. The barley cotyledons were cut from the plants and stored in test tubes at 20°C in dark. The storage periods were 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours. After the storage, protoplasts were separated from the cotyledons and the Lp of the cell membranes were measured by Two Laminar Flow (TLF) Method.[...]

Development of the measurement method of membrane hydraulic conductivity by the use of microchannel

We have developed a new method to measure the hydraulic conductivity of cell membrane (L/sub p/), based on the principle that two liquids flow in laminar flow though relatively narrow space. The developed method has advantages that the number of the required cell sample is only one, and accurate measurement can be made as compare with the conventional method.

Measurement of membrane hydraulic conductivity by a newly developed method

Reduction of water loss from leafy vegetables is important to keep freshness. The hydraulic conductivity coefficient of cell membrane (Lp) is indispensable to analyze the movement of water from cells which leads to wilting and low metabolic activity. To measure Lp, extra-cellular solution must be replaced quickly to apply osmotic stress to cells, however, the conventional methods take a relatively long times which leads to noticeable errors. We therefore developed a new method to measure Lp, based on the principle that two liquids flow in laminar flow though relatively narrow space, for example, a tube having a small inner diameter. A micro-channel having a diameter of 1.4 mm was designed. The micro-channel has two inlets and the flow rate of solution at each inlet can be used to determine the volume of each solution occupying the micro-channel. Hence, the extra-cellular solution of protoplast fixed in a micro-channel can be changed instantaneously by the changing the flow rate of solution. The Lp of spinach leaf protoplasts was measured by both the developed method and a conventional method. Lp measured by the conventional method was 0.03 to 0.07x10-12[m/s/Pa] and that measured by the newly developed method was 0.076x10-12[m/s/Pa]. The difference in values measured by both methods was examined by error estimation and the value obtained by the new method was judged valid. With this method, the time delay for replacing of extra-cellular solution was negligible and Lp was obtained without the error caused by the time for replacement.