This study aimed to collect, record, and preserve various Yashouma (steamed rice flour dumpling) samples from the Nagano Prefecture. Specifically, this study conducted literature reviews, interviews with key individuals, and field research on the Yashouma cooking classes in Nakano City.

Historical literature of the Edo period describes rice flour dumplings as Yaseuma (Yase meaning "thin" or "slim" and Uma meaning "horse," in Japanese, possibly reflecting the rice dumpling shape). These dumplings are traditionally distributed during the Nehan-e ceremony, the Buddha's death anniversary, to temples across the Nagano Prefecture. Interviews revealed that the beautiful design of Yashouma was invented by a temple in the Matsumoto region around Showa 10 (1935) and gradually became popular throughout the region. Significant efforts, including social networking service promotions and archiving, have also popularized Yashouma cooking classes in the region.

This study aimed to analyze the solubility of egg white proteins in baked eggs (BE) prepared by kneading and baking hen egg white with wheat flour or potato starch. Electrophoresis results demonstrated that most proteins were detected in the insoluble fraction of both wheat-BE and starch-BE. The amount of protein in the soluble fraction was less than 0.2 mg/mL for wheat-BE. In starch-BE, the amount of protein reached 0.94 mg/mL, and the amount of protein decreased as the amount of egg white during BE preparation increased. The same was true for the amount of ovalbumin, which was higher in starch-BEs than in wheat-BEs, and decreased as the amount of egg white during BE preparation increased. When starch-BE was prepared with added refined sugar, the amounts of protein and ovalbumin in the soluble fraction decreased as the amount of added refined sugar increased. These results suggest that even under the same baking conditions, the solubility of egg white proteins differs depending on the ingredients mixed with the egg white.

With the diversification of the food industry, the processing and manufacturing of vegetables is increasing. It is known that the heat treatment performed during the processing alters or loses the nutritional components of vegetables. In this study, three varieties of carrots ("Aiko", "Aromared", and "Lime") were heated in a convection steam oven (CSO) at three different temperatures (120°C, 140°C, and 160°C) to investigate the effects on sugar (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) and carotene (α and β) content. Results showed that sugar content was not affected by heating, with little loss in Lime. The amount of α and β-carotene remaining tended to increase as the heating temperature increased, but some varieties showed more loss than estimated, suggesting the effect of heating. CSO are beneficial as a processing method that enables the retention of nutrients.