品種比較に基づいた水ナス果実の品質並びに加工特性

Abstract

Eggplant, a vegetable with a high annual consumption in Japan, has been designated as one of １ ４ major vegetables in Japan, and its production is promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. Eggplants, including ornamentals, have been bred and cultivated for more than １, ２ ０ ０ years across all areas of Japan. Several eggplant cultivars have been adapted for specific climatic environments in various regions. Therefore, unique cultivars of various shapes, e. g. , round, egg-shaped, oblong, long, and very long, and with various peel colors, such as purple, green, and white, have been cultivated １) .Mizu-nasu, which has been cultivated for at least １ ０ ０ years in the Senshu region, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, has a round, purple fruit with a smooth and shiny peel. Most of the harvested fruit are used to produce salted pickles, which are very popular throughout Japan. NAKAMURA et al . ２) investigated differences in fruit characteristics among several Mizu-nasu strains. However, the quality characteristics of Mizu-nasu fruit in comparison with different varieties are not clear.Eggplant fruits contain some principal nutrients, such as lipids and proteins, but abundant polyphenol compounds, such as anthocyanin and chlorogenic acid, which are known as functional components ３) . In addition to the functional effects, these compounds exhibit antimutagenic activity. In an analysis of ２ ５ vegetables, AZUMA et al . ４) found that antioxidative activity is higher in the extract of eggplant that in the extracts of other vegetables, except Jew's mallow ( Corchorus olitorius L. ) and perilla ( Perilla ocymoides L.