Kaoru Sakamoto

Purpose: According to the survey of recipes for Akashiyaki in the previous report, the proportions of flour, egg, and dashi soup in Akashiyaki varied depending on the recipe, and for flour, there were recipes using only wheat flour and recipes using wheat flour and wheat starch (Ukiko, Jinko). Since there are different kinds of wheat starches with different particle sizes, we prepared Akashiyaki using four kinds of wheat starches with different particle sizes from wheat flour and compared the effect of flour on the properties of Akashiyaki. Methods: Four kinds of wheat starches with different particle sizes were used as wheat flour. The ratio of powder: egg: dashi stock =0. 8:1:3 was used and baked in a takoyaki pan. At a measurement temperature of 20°C., the following were measured: height, mass, breaking load, breaking strain, stress at 10% and 20% strain, color difference, salinity, and sensory evaluation. Results: Wheat flour was slightly higher in Akashiyaki than wheat starch, lighter in mass, higher in breaking strain and breaking load, higher in a* and b* values of color difference, and was evaluated as having a darker yellow color, being the toughest, and being easier to chew. Among wheat starches, the higher the particle size, the higher the Akashiyaki, the lower the b* value, and the paler, firmer, and stickier yellow color in the sensory evaluation. These results suggest that the gluten content of wheat flour and the viscosity of wheat starch are higher than those of wheat starch. There was no difference in the salt content of Akashiyaki depending on the type of flour, but in the sensory evaluation, the taste of dashi soup was stronger in wheat starch than in wheat flour. This may be due to the fact that wheat starch contains less protein than wheat flour, and Akashiyaki made with wheat starch seems to be softer. The characteristics of the powder affected the taste of Akashiyaki.

Objective: We believe that germ-sprouted rice aims to combine the good taste of polished rice with the nutritional value of brown rice. Although embryo bud milled rice containing 80% or more embryo buds is distributed as rice whose nutritional value is guaranteed, its consumption does not account for a large percentage of the total rice consumption. Therefore, with the aim of expanding the use of germ rice, we examined the rice characteristics of easy-to-eat germ rice that are different from those of conventional germ-polished rice. Methods: Two types of germ rice with different germ retention rates and polished white rice were pounded at Touban Co. The water absorption rate, color difference, texture, reducing sugar content, and GABA content were measured and sensory evaluation was conducted for the germinated rice. Results and Discussion: The germ retention rates of the two types of germ rice were 52.8% and 43.5%, respectively. When the water absorption was measured at 5°C and 40°C, the germ rice had a higher water absorption rate at both temperatures. In addition, water absorption at 5°C was higher than at 40°C. The higher water absorption of the germ rice was thought to be due to the difference in the method of pounding. The color difference ΔE between germinated rice A and B was found to be 1.41, which was enough to visually recognize the difference, and there were significant differences in L* and a* values. In the texture measurement, no difference in hardness was observed in comparison with polished rice. The reducing sugar content indicated that the sweetness of the germinated rice increased after prolonged soaking, and the GABA content of the germinated rice was lower than that of the brown rice but higher than that of the polished rice, and the amount varied depending on the cooking method. In the sensory evaluation, significant differences in whiteness, gloss, aroma, and overall evaluation were observed between the two types of germ rice, indicating that even a 9.3% difference in germ retention rate significantly affected the evaluation.