Effects of liming on the flavor of kokuto-shochu, a spirit made from non-centrifugal sugar.

Kokuto-shochu is a traditional Japanese spirit prepared from kokuto, a non-centrifugal brown cane sugar. When manufacturing kokuto, lime is added to the sugarcane juice to accelerate the crystallization of sucrose. Although the liming process differs depending on the manufacturer, the effects of liming on the quality of kokuto-shochu are unclear. Therefore, we investigated the flavor characteristics and volatiles present in kokuto-shochu prepared from kokuto with different liming degrees. Kokuto-shochu prepared from kokuto without liming had a pronounced kokuto-like flavor with a rich taste and contained higher contents of nerolidol, nonanal, acetoin, ß-damascenone, and 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone compared to that prepared from kokuto with liming. On the other hand, kokuto-shochu prepared from kokuto with excess liming had a comparative grassy flavor. It contained higher esters, 4-vinylguaiacol, and pyrazines compared to other shochu. The levels nerolidol, isoamyl acetate, nonanal, and acetoin were affected by the mash pH during fermentation, and thus, liming would affect the formation of such volatiles via changing the mash pH. In contrast, pyrazines, 4-vinylguaiacol, and 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone were not affected by mash pH, and their levels in the kokuto-shochu were consistent with those in kokuto raw materials. These results suggested that the liming process affects the levels of volatiles in kokuto-shochu by changing the mash pH and volatile levels in kokuto raw materials.

Herbal Medicine Ninjin'yoeito in the Treatment of Sarcopenia and Frailty.

Frailty and sarcopenia have recently gained considerable attention in terms of preventive care in Japan, which has an ever-increasing aging population. Sarcopenia is defined as atrophy of skeletal muscles caused by the age-related decrease in growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor and sex hormones. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reports that frailty can lead to impairment of both mental and physical functioning. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and dementia may underlie frailty. It is important to prevent progression of frailty and extend the healthy lifespan. In herbal medicine practice, including Japanese Kampo medicine, "Mibyo," a presymptomatic state, has long been recognized and may be applicable to frailty. Kampo medicines may include several medicinal plants and are thought to have the potential to improve symptoms of frailty, such as loss of appetite and body weight, fatigue, and sarcopenia, as well as anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. Ninjin'yoeito (Ren Shen Yang Ying Tang) is the most powerful Kampo medicine and has been widely applied to palliative care of cancer patients. This review includes recent anti-aging studies and describes the effects and mechanisms of Ninjin'yoeito (Ren Shen Yang Ying Tang) when used for frailty or to extend a healthy life expectancy.

Key volatile compounds in red koji-shochu, a Monascus-fermented product, and their formation steps during fermentation.

Red koji, which refers the solid culture grown koji mold on the steamed rice, is one of the ingredients of Asian fermented foods including the Japanese spirit shochu. This study was aimed at elucidating the characteristic flavor and key volatile compounds of red koji-shochu as well as the mechanism of their formation. Sensory evaluation showed that red koji-shochu has the distinctive flavors cheese, sour, milky, and oily. Fifteen key volatile compounds of red koji-shochu were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography, and by comparison between red koji-shochu and white koji-shochu, as another typical shochu. The mash analysis revealed that ketone compounds and short-chain acids derive from red koji. Furthermore, although other key compounds were produced by yeast, it is highly likely that their concentrations were affected directly or indirectly by the high activities of protease and lipase in red koji.

Acute effects of traditional Japanese alcohol beverages on blood glucose and polysomnography levels in healthy subjects.

Background. Alcohol consumption is a lifestyle factor associated with type 2 diabetes. This relationship is reportedly different depending on the type of alcohol beverage. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of traditional Japanese alcohol beverages on biochemical parameters, physical and emotional state, and sleep patterns. Methods. Six healthy subjects (three men and three women; age, 28.8 ± 9.5 years; body mass index, 21.4 ± 1.6 kg/m(2)) consumed three different types of alcohol beverages (beer, shochu, and sake, each with 40 g ethanol) or mineral water with dinner on different days in the hospital. Blood samples were collected before and 1, 2, and 12 h after drinking each beverage, and assessments of physical and emotional state were administered at the same time. In addition, sleep patterns and brain waves were examined using polysomnography. Results. Blood glucose levels at 1 h and the 12-h area under the curve (AUC) value after drinking shochu were significantly lower than that with water and beer. The 12-h blood insulin AUC value after drinking shochu was significantly lower than that with beer. Blood glucose × insulin level at 1 h and the 2-h blood glucose × insulin AUC value with shochu were significantly lower than that with beer. The insulinogenic indexes at 2 h with beer and sake, but not shochu, were significantly higher than that with water. The visual analogue scale scores of physical and emotional state showed that the tipsiness levels with beer, shochu, and sake at 1 h were significantly higher than that with water. These tipsiness levels were maintained at 2 h. The polysomnography showed that the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency with shochu and sake were shorter than that with water and beer. Conclusions. Acute consumption of alcohol beverages with a meal resulted in different responses in postprandial glucose and insulin levels as well as REM sleep latency. Alcohol beverage type should be taken into consideration for people with impaired glucose tolerance.

Rice koji reduced body weight gain, fat accumulation, and blood glucose level in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Rice koji is considered a readily accessible functional food that may have health-promoting effects. We investigated whether white, yellow, and red koji have the anti-obesity effect in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), which is a model for obesity. Mice were fed HFD containing 10% (w/w) of rice koji powder or steamed rice for 4 weeks. Weight gain, epididymal white adipose tissue, and total adipose tissue weight were significantly lower in all rice koji groups than in the HFD-rice group after 4 weeks. Feed efficiency was significantly reduced in the yellow koji group. Blood glucose levels were significantly lower in the white and red koji groups with HOMA-R and leptin levels being reduced in the white koji group. White and red koji increased glucose uptake and GLUT4 protein expression in L6 myotube cells. These results showed that all rice koji have the anti-obesity or anti-diabetes effects although the mechanisms may differ depending on the type of rice koji consumed.

Development of a heat-processing method for koji to enhance its antioxidant activity.

We developed a heat-processing method to enhance the antioxidant activity of koji. The superoxide anion scavenging activity (SOSA) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of heat-processed koji (HP-koji) at 55 °C for 7 days were 4.9 times and 4.2 times, respectively, those of unheated koji. These results showed that heat processing effectively enhances the antioxidant activity of koji. Analysis of the antioxidant activities of koji subjected to a range of temperatures (45-75 °C) revealed that the SOSA is enhanced by heating at higher temperatures, which might be catalyzed by Maillard reaction, whereas the ORAC was enhanced by heating at lower temperatures, which might be catalyzed by an enzymatic reaction. Assuming these enhancements in antioxidant activities are contributed by both Maillard and enzyme reactions, we hypothesized that the antioxidant activity of HP-koji could be more effectively amplified by heating at a higher temperature after the progression of the enzymatic reaction at a moderate temperature. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of heating of koji in a stepwise manner, first at 55 °C for 2 days and then at 75 °C for 5days. The antioxidant activities of stepwise-heated HP-koji were higher than those of koji heated at either 55 °C or 75 °C. The SOSA and ORAC of stepwise-heated HP-koji were 94 times and 6 times, respectively, those of unheated koji. This result suggests that enzymatic reaction followed by Maillard reaction can effectively enhance the antioxidant activity of HP-koji. Thus, we developed a novel heat-processing method to enhance the antioxidant activity of koji.

Characterization of glucoamylase and α-amylase from Monascus anka: enhanced production of α-amylase in red koji.

To enhance glucoamylase and α-amylase production from Monascus anka, we investigated the influence of different culture conditions on enzyme production and purified and characterized these enzymes. The effect of different raw materials was investigated by using solid-state plates of raw materials such as barley and non-waxy or waxy rice. The barley plate was the most suitable for mycelial growth, but glucoamylase and α-amylase production per growth area did not differ according to the raw material. Investigation of the effect of temperature showed that incubation at 37 °C promoted maximal cell growth, while incubation at 25 °C and at 40 °C resulted in enhanced α-amylase and glucoamylase production, respectively. Characterization of the purified enzymes revealed that α-amylase was unstable at acidic pH and less resistant to heat (stable at < 40 °C) than glucoamylase. When these culture conditions were applied to enzyme production in red koji, reducing the temperature from 35 °C to 25 °C for 48 h in the late stages of growth resulted in higher glucoamylase and α-amylase production (1.4 and 18 times, respectively) with a concomitant increase in protein stability.