The damage characteristics of five layers of Japanese radishes stacked in a triple-wall fiberboard box under a vibration treatment (2～30Hz, 0.6G), which was considered a transport model of a newly developed bulk container, are investigated. The differences in the vibration treatment period (0.5, 3, 5, 10, 20, and 40min) and the position of the Japanese radishes in the stack significantly affected the type and the severity of the damage. Various types of damage, including abrasion, peeling, and bruising of Japanese radishes, are observed differently, depending on the stacking layers. Abrasion and peeling symptoms are found on the upper layers of the stack of the Japanese radishes owing to a non-synchronized movement, whereas bruise symptoms are found on the lower layers. Further, the acceleration transmissibility test of the Japanese radishes against a vibrating table revealed resonant frequencies close to 15Hz in all the layers. The higher the stacking layer, the higher is the acceleration transmissibility. Moreover, the contact stress index obtained from a multipoint pressure sensor revealed that both the maximum and the minimum values at the lower layers are significantly higher than those at the upper layers (maximum value: P＜0.05 (15Hz, 20Hz, and 25Hz are excluded) ; minimum value: P＜0.01). A reduction in the load from the upper layers, caused by the non-synchronized movement, most likely results in lower values of the contact stress index of the Japanese radishes in the middle/upper layers. Overall, it appears that the restriction of the free movement of Japanese radishes in the upper layer without any additional stress facilitates the prevention of damages such as abrasion and peeling. Moreover, we need to find an acceptable stacking height to avoid bruising in the lower layers. Further research on the design of packaging conditions for the actual transport condition will enable us to distribute Japanese radishes by using the newly developed bulk container without any unacceptable damages.

　Shiraboshi is a boiled-dried adductor muscle of scallop, which is predominantly produced in North-Hokkaido, Japan. The manufacture of shiraboshi has certain limitations such as less productivity in opening and threshing of the shell for its processing and the appearance quality by excessive browning of the adductor muscle. In this study, a new improved procedure for the manufacture of shiraboshi was developed based on the consideration that the generation of glucose-6-phosphate was responsible for the browning. A new preheating treatment of the rare muscle introduced immediately after the shell opening-threshing process led to the inactivation, and the hot water extract obtained was a glycine and taurine enriched broth, a valuable by-product. Moreover, the shell opening-threshing process was improved by using saturated steam that allowed localized and quick heating of the shell surface. The new procedure increased the yield of the scallop adductor muscle and reduced the loss due to solving out during boiling/steaming process. Consequently, the new procedure introduced involves two modified processes: firstly, for improving the productivity of the shiraboshi preparation and secondly, for obtaining a novel value-added by-product.

　Polished rice for sake brewing is subjected to a rice storage period called "karashi" until soaking. Generally, just polished rice for sake brewing has a low moisture content, and the moisture content tends to increase during rice storage; however, the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) in adsorption has not yet been indicated. In this study, a major sake brewery rice variety 'Yamada-nishiki' was used as the sample and polished to 70% of the apparent polishing ratio, and the EMCs of 'Yamada-nishiki' were determined at various conditions of temperature and relative humidity. It was observed that the obtained EMCs fitted the Chen-Clayton equation well (R²＝0.997), and the calculated parameters were used to demonstrate the contour line shown by the moisture contents of 'Yamada-nishiki' (70% of the apparent polishing ratio), as affected by temperature and relative humidity. In addition to this, it was shown that the cracking ratio of 'Yamada-nishiki' (70% of the apparent polishing ratio) during soaking (15℃, 120min) increased with decreasing moisture content of polished 'Yamada-nishiki'. Our study indicates the fundamental knowledge on moisture control of polished rice for sake brewing during the rice storage period "karashi," which is one of important processes during sake brewing.

　Here we investigated the effect of skim-milk proteins on both the decline in baking quality and on the reversal of the decline in baking quality of skim milk. β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) molecule interacted with a part of gliadin and lysed the gliadin molecules. In case of the heated mixture of β-Lg and κ-casein (κ-CN), the influence of β-Lg on gliadin resolvability was low. Further, these results revealed that the decline in the baking quality of non-heated skim milk or low-heated skim milk was because of the dissolved part of gliadin. In addition, the results suggest that the decline in the baking quality of high-heated skim milk was reversed because of the influence of β-Lg on gliadin resolvability; hydrophobic interactions of the heated polymer of β-Lg and κ-CN with gliadin reduced the resolvability of gliadin.