The natural vaporized aroma compounds present in awamori shochu were determined by a threestage volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration technique consisting of on-line GC combined with MSD and PFPD. Several short-chain esters appear to predominantly contribute to the fruity aroma, including ethyl formate, methyl formate, ethyl propionate, and ethyl butyrate, which are typically contained in the natural vaporized aroma of awamori. Compounds that act as stimulant flavor compounds, including 2-methyl propanal, 3-methyl butanal, pentanal, hexanal, octanal, nonanal, and the ketones 2-butanone, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, 2-heptanone, and 3-octanone, were also detected as minor components. Sulfur compounds that impart strong odor/flavor, such as dimethyl trisulfide, benzothiazole, dimethyl trisulfide, and benzothiazole, were detected initially, but their levels tended to decrease with aging. We also found that ethers, including tetrahydrofuran and 1,1-diethoxyethane, increased in aged awamori. Thus the profiles of these compounds changed during aging, resulting in a milder and sweeter flavor. These results suggest that the natural vaporized aroma would contribute to the initial characteristics of the unique awamori aroma.

Purpose: Although the modern diet tends to be softer than in the past, the effects of a softer diet on temporomandibular disorders have not been clarified. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of eating soft food on the morphology and surface of the mandibular condyle by comparing mice that consumed a powder diet with mice that consumed a traditional solid diet. Methods: We used the Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 (SAMP8) that develops degenerative joint disease of the mandibular condyle in an age-dependent manner. Thirty male SAMP8 mice were divided into three equal groups of ten: 1) Solid diet (SD) group, fed a solid diet until the age of 7 months, 2) Powder diet (PD) group, fed a powder diet until the age of 7 months, and 3) Weaning group (WG), which were weaned at 3 weeks. In the experiment, the mandibular condyle was photographed under a stereomicroscope. The condylar surface was evaluated using Chen's classification, and its morphology was image-analyzed using image J software to assess condylar length, width, area and circularity. In addition, bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated by analyzing soft X-ray images. Results: In terms of morphology, the SD group showed significantly larger changes than the PD group and WG in condylar length, width, area, and BMD. Circularity showed increasingly large values in the order of WG>PD>SD, with significantly greater circularity in the WG as compared to the SD group. Additionally, the condylar surface did not change in the WG according to Chen's classification. However, the SD and PD groups showed significant changes. The differences between all groups were significant. Conclusions: These results show that the morphology of the mandibular condyle remains almost unchanged from that in the weaning period by feeding a powder diet, and that a powder diet tends to suppress the growth of the condyle.