Hiroyuki WATANABE, Professor
1. Current Courses
Food Science
Food Material Science
Basics of Food Analysis
Food Hygiene Science
Experiments in Food Hygienics
Nutraceuticals
Basics of Health and Nutritional Science
2. Research Area
My aim is to give students the necessary skills and knowledge to both judge food scientifically, and play an active role in the food service industry. In order to achieve this, I conduct research on various aspects of foods and food products.
3. Research Topic
Ingredient analysis of food and associated functional evaluations.
4. Research Summary
１. Food functions to maintain and improve human health. Therefore, I analyze food using various chemical methods. In addition, I identify the roles of the ingredients and components of food in terms of nutrition and function to determine how food relates to health.
２．Even high-quality food can become a surplus and may be wasted. Another area of my research is the utilization of surplus farm products.
5. Research Description
◇ Quantitative estimation and functional evaluations of phytochemicals.
・A phytochemical is a natural chemical substance in a plant. Examples include pigments of vegetables and the fruits and catechins in tea. I do research to determine whether these materials have functions which cam retard obesity, or counteract depression-like symptoms that affect the central nervous system because of high-fat diets. Phytochemicals are evaluated using the cultured cells or animal experiments.
◇ Nutritional evaluation of lipids.
・I am evaluating nutritional and physiological functions of edible oils, nuts and seeds that contain oils and fats, or plant sterols.
◇ Long-term storage of farm products using low-temperature drying techniques.
・I have evaluated low-temperature drying techniques and established their effectiveness in preparing food for storage. Low-temperature drying stabilizes enzymes which exist in farm products. This technique contributes to the stabilization of flavor and phytochemicals in food products.
