Kana Ioku

A total of 445 Japanese texture terms were classified. First, terms with almost the same meaning represented by different Chinese characters, and onomatopoeic words derived from the same sound were classified into same-term groups for a total of 271 term groups. Next, eight experts in texture studies categorized the 271 term groups into the three texture attributes proposed by the International Standard Organization (ISO 11036): mechanical attributes, geometrical attributes and other attributes. Term groups were compared within each of the three attributes, and their similarities were assessed by 96 texture scientists/technologists. The data were analyzed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. The classification in this study showed some similarities with the classification of texture terms in other languages. However, the results also revealed some characteristics that were unique to Japanese texture vocabulary, such as a wide variety of terms concerned with stickiness and elasticity. Practical Applications Developing a comprehensive list of texture terms in every language is necessary for comparing terms between languages, as well as for sensory evaluation within each language. The data obtained in this study can be applied to preliminary lexicons of descriptive sensory evaluation of texture. Classification of texture terms helps sensory evaluation researchers to define descriptors and to train panelists. The data also provide useful clues for worldwide understanding of Japanese texture terms.

In our previous studies, 445 Japanese texture terms were collected through questionnaires completed by texture researchers and analyzed for consumer recognition. The present study investigated consumers' vocabulary for food texture according to gender, age and region using the data set. A 75% recognition criterion was used as the minimum level for consumers' vocabulary. Results indicated that females seemed to have a larger vocabulary for food texture than males. Younger consumers (junior high school students and 18-34 years old) had a smaller food texture vocabulary compared to middle-aged (35-49 years old), mature (50-64 years old) and elderly (over 65 years old) age groups. Consumers living in metropolitan areas seemed to have a larger food texture vocabulary than consumers in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area. Logistic regression analysis was used to test for significant differences in term recognition among demographic attribute groups. Results showed that recognition of terms such as "mottari" (sticky, viscous or glutinous), "burin-burin" (quivery or firm), "boso-boso" (dry and tasteless) differed according to consumer gender, age and/or region of residence. It was considered that several factors such as eating experience, food's boom, popular expressions and dialect could explain these differences.

We analyzed the relationship between the dietary pattern and blood rheology in 34 vegetarian and 65 omnivorous middle-aged female volunteers. The vegetarian diet consisted mainly of unpolished rice, green vegetables, and tofu (bean curd), under a physician's guidance, and there were individual variations. The blood rheology was evaluated by measuring the passage time of whole blood with a microchannel array flow analyzer (MC-FAN). A cluster analysis was performed on the nutrient intake of each subject. Four clusters representing different dietary patterns could be readily identified. These were (a) a vegan diet, (b) vegetarian diet, containing only two omnivores, (c) eating moderately, all omnivores, (d) tendency to overeat, all omnivores. The intakes of Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, vitamins K and B_1, and folic acid by the vegetarian group were significantly more than those by the other three groups. BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and diastolic pressure of the vegan and vegetarian groups were significantly lower than those of the omnivorous groups. The serum folic acid level for the vegan group was significantly higher than that for the two omnivorous groups, and the plasma quercetin level for the vegan and vegetarian groups was significantly higher than that in the two other groups. The blood rheological parameters for the vegan and vegetarian groups tended to be higher than those for the two omnivorous groups. These data suggest that the vegetarian diet stimulated the blood rheology, and subsequently decreased the risk of impairing the microcirculation.

Texture descriptive terms in Japanese were collected and validated. Five hundred and ninety-nine words were obtained from an open-ended questionnaire distributed to 116 food specialists in Sendai, northern area (25 individuals), Tokyo, central area (29), Osaka, western area (32) and Kagoshima, southern area (30). Out of these 599 words 332 terms were selected in a 2-day roundtable discussion made by 4 researchers. To the 332 terms added were 94 terms that have been collected from dictionaries, technical books on food texture and research papers about food texture. Thus, a list of 426 terms was presented to 55 selected assessors who had some experience of research on texture. They were asked whether these terms correctly expressed food texture. Then the data were evaluated by 4 experts who had been engaged in research on food texture or rheology for a long time. As a result of deletion and addition, 445 terms were obtained as a texture descriptive language. About 70% of the terms are onomatopoeic words. This shows onomatopoeic words play an important role in texture description in Japanese. Compared with the data taken from questionnaires in 1968, some new onomatopoeic words such as "mochi-mochi" and "puru-puru" are included in the list.

<BR>【目的】消費者パネルを用いたテクスチャーの官能評価において，用語は重要な役割を果たす．そこで，アンケートや文献調査等によって収集したテクスチャー用語445語（文献１）を用いて，消費者のテクスチャー語彙を調べた．<br>【方法】テクスチャー用語445語について，それぞれ「食表現だと思うか」「食表現として使うか」を質問した．回答者の負担を軽減し，かつ用語の順序効果を排除するため，445語を4群に分割し，任意に２群ずつ組み合わせて12通りの調査票を作成した．調査は2004年6月から10月にかけて実施し，首都圏および京阪神地区において，中学校，大学，高齢者向け市民大学，消費者勉強会等で3533人に調査票を配付した．<br>【結果】回収票は2582（回収率73.1％），うち有効票は2437であった．提示される配置によって回答が変化する用語は445語中16語と少なく，他の多くは配置による差が小さいことが確認された．50%以上の回答者が食表現であるとみなした用語は281語あった．また，90％以上の回答者が食表現であるとした消費者のテクスチャー語彙の中核的な用語は"かたい""クリーミー""サクサク""パリパリ""ねばねば"等66語で，他言語の調査データ（文献２）と比較すると，"crisp" "crunchy" "juicy" "soft" "creamy"に相当する用語は，言語間で共通して消費者パネルによく使用されるテクスチャー表現であることが推察された．1:早川他，日食科工，52，(2005)（印刷中）．2: Rohm, J. Texture Stud., 21, 363 (1990)