A new biological activity of 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate derived from Wasabia japonica was discovered as an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3β. The most potent isothiocyanate, 9-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate, inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3β at a K(i) value of 10.5 µM and showed ATP competitive inhibition. The structure-activity relationship revealed an inhibitory potency of methylsulfinyl isothiocyanate dependent on the alkyl chain length and the sulfoxide, sulfone, and/or the isothiocyanate moiety.

In order to obtain reference data for future breeding programs involving Tamba black soybean, the eating qualities of its green soybean were evaluated by chemical and physical analyses. In 'Murasaki-Zukin 2go', 'Murasaki-Zukin', and 'ShinTamba-Guro', numerical data on chemical ingredient contents and the creep rupture property were collected by lab. analyses, and contrasted with sensory characteristic data. As a result, 'Shin-Tamba-Guro' received a high sensory evaluation with a good appearance, sweetness, rich taste, soft texture, and adequate viscosity. The degree of sweetness could be determined according to the increase or decrease in sucrose, maltose, alanine, and threonine contents in the boiled green soybeans. Those of tastiness and softness depended on two amino acid contents, glutamic and aspartic acid, and the break load level, respectively. For the evaluation of viscosity, the original 'M level' was available as a new index for the boiled green soybean. The evaluation method in this study must be applied as a new selection tool for developing a novel variety with good eating-quality in Tamba black Soybean.

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The present study examined the effect of three growth temperatures on the starch gelatinization temperature and β-amylase activity of two cultivars of green soybean in experimental plots. The β-amylase activity of >Fuki< at climate chamber of 25℃ was significantly higher (p<0.01) than that grown in a field. On the other hand, we found no significant difference between three plots of >Shin-tamba-guro< upon comparison of their β-amylase activities. However, when comparing the starch gelatinization temperature, the values for the three plots were significantly different (p<0.01): gelatinization temperature increased with a rise in growth temperature. Thus, we suggest that the production of maltose in green soybean is affected by temperature during the ripening process.