Most of the spring wheat in Hokkaido was replaced by winter wheat after the release of the winter hardy variety ‘Hokuei’ in 1954 ; the target of wheat breeding subsequently shifted to increased yield. After the release of the winter wheat variety ‘Horoshirikomugi’, with good storage tolerance and disease resistance, in 1974, wheat production in Hokkaido increased remarkably. At the time, Hokkaido’s wheat was mostly consumed for bread-making, and millers demanded hard wheat with higher protein content. However, the higher yield of new varieties resulted in lower protein content, generating a negative reputation because of poor bread-making qualities. Therefore, we focused on Japanese ‘Udon’ noodles, which require intermediate protein content, in consultation with millers. Our aim was to develop a winter wheat with good Udon noodle-making qualities, similar to those of Australian Standard White (ASW). ‘Chihoku-komugi’, which was released in 1981, showed slightly lower amylose content and good Udon-making qualities, because the amylose content of flour is greatly associated with the texture of Udon noodles. This variety was regarded as one of the best domestic wheat varieties for Udon noodle-making ; however, its lower disease resistance, poor milling qualities, and undesirable flour color did not satisfy farmers and millers. This led us to screen breeding lines of early generations by evaluating milling qualities and flour color. As a result, a new variety, ‘Kitahonami’, with good noodle-making and milling qualities, similar to those of ASW, was developed in 2006. ‘Kitahonami’ shows excellent milling qualities and flour color, high yield, good resistance to diseases, and pre-harvest sprouting, which is satisfactory to farmers and millers. ‘Kitahonami’ is currently cultivated throughout Hokkaido.
Several measurements and observations were performed to improve the quality of Japanese noodles made from wheat cultivated in Saitama Prefecture. First, water distribution in noodles during and after boiling was investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Water diffusion from the surface to the core was quantitatively determined by quantifying water distribution in the noodles, using the calibration line of spin-spin relaxation time (T2) and moisture content in gelatinized flour gels. The slope of the force-displacement curve corresponded with the changes in water distribution. It is known that water distribution is an important factor in determining the texture of boiled noodles. Then, observations of the microstructure of boiled noodles were conducted using a fluorescence microscope. The degree of starch granule swelling and the structure of the gluten network differed depending on the location within the boiled noodle. Moreover, the effects of flour type on microstructure were also observed on the noodle surface. With respect to noodle color preservation, loss of creamy/yellow color was observed in the boiled noodles made from high lutein content flour. The lipoxygenase activity remaining in the boiled noodles was thought to cause the discoloration, and the addition of antioxidant ingredients was effective in maintaining the color of boiled noodles.
In order to encourage the participants to reconsider how to obtain and provide food assistance in the event of a large-scale natural disaster, we held a disaster prevention forum at the 59th annual conference of the Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology. We presented various meal combinations of processed food based on the concepts of the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top, which presents information for maintaining physical well-being that can be understood without any specialized knowledge about nutrition. In addition, we introduced menus for groups in need of special assistance such as infants, the elderly and foreign residents (e.g., Muslims). We targeted participants at a disaster prevention event as a way to induce individuals to learn diet self-help techniques, in the hopes that participation in this forum raises awareness of food-related issues in disaster prevention.