Evaluation method and evaluation device

Abstract

To provide an evaluation method and an evaluation device which can evaluate the degree of sweetness of cooked rice still in a state of polished rice.SOLUTION: An evaluation method includes processes of: acquiring a chain length feature value which indicates the ratio of chains in a chain length range used for evaluation in amylopectin of polished rice as an evaluation object; and, on the basis of the acquired chain length feature value and relation information indicating the relation between the chain length feature value previously generated based on a cooked rice analysis result as an analysis result of cooked rice and the degree of sweetness, evaluating the degree of sweetness of cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice as the evaluation object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an evaluation method and an evaluation device. [Background technology]

[0002] Methods for evaluating the sweetness of cooked rice have been known. For example, in the evaluation method described in Non-Patent Document 1, oligosaccharides are extracted from cooked rice, and the sweetness of the cooked rice is evaluated based on the extracted sugars (see Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Yokono Ippo, Watanabe Yoshiyuki, Takatsuchi Shi, Fujita Akiko, Okada Yoshiharu, Nomura Masato, "Relationship between Oligosaccharide Content and Taste in Cooked Rice," Journal of the Society of Taste Technology, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2017, pp. 15-20 [Non-patent document 2] Naoko Fujita et al., “The isolation and characterization of a waxy mutant of diploid wheat (Triticum monococcum L.)”, Plant Science 160 (2001), P.595-602 [Non-patent document 3] Michael G. O'Shea et al., “Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) of oligosaccharides; efficiency of labeling and high-resolution separation”, Carbohydrate Research 307 (1998), P.1-12 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, while conventional techniques have been able to analyze and evaluate the sweetness of cooked polished rice after it has been cooked, they have not been able to estimate the sweetness of cooked rice after cooking based on the polished rice before cooking. For this reason, with conventional techniques, for example, consumers may not be able to fully select polished rice according to their preferences.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an evaluation method and evaluation device that can evaluate the sweetness of cooked rice in its polished rice state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect is an evaluation method in which, for amylopectin in polished rice to be evaluated, a chain length characteristic value that indicates the proportion of chains in the chain length range used for evaluation is obtained, and the sweetness of cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice to be evaluated is evaluated based on the obtained chain length characteristic value and relationship information that indicates the relationship between the chain length characteristic value and sweetness, which has been generated in advance based on the analysis results of cooked rice, which are the results of analyzing the cooked rice.

[0007] One aspect is an evaluation device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires a chain length characteristic value representing the proportion of chains in the chain length range used for evaluation for amylopectin in polished rice to be evaluated, and an evaluation unit that evaluates the sweetness of cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice to be evaluated based on the chain length characteristic value acquired by the acquisition unit and relationship information representing the relationship between the chain length characteristic value and sweetness, which has been generated in advance based on a cooked rice analysis result that is an analysis result of the cooked rice. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the evaluation method and evaluation device can evaluate the sweetness of cooked rice in the form of polished rice. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of amylopectin. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a chain length distribution of amylopectin. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 shows the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and maltooligosaccharide quantification (hereinafter referred to as "MOS quantification") for the chain length ranges for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. [Figure 3B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length range (single chain length) for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. [Figure 3C] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length range (single chain length) for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. [Figure 3D] FIG. 10 shows the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for a chain length range including three (or two) types of chain lengths. [Figure 3E] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length range in which chain length characteristic values are calculated. [Figure 3F] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length range in which chain length characteristic values are calculated. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of fitting between chain length characteristic values corresponding to a predetermined chain length range and MOS quantification. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of fitting between chain length characteristic values corresponding to a predetermined chain length range and MOS quantification. [Figure 4C] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of fitting between chain length characteristic values corresponding to a predetermined chain length range and MOS quantification. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block diagram of an evaluation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an evaluation device according to a reference example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow in which the evaluation device according to the reference example evaluates the sweetness of a sample. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the difference in the concentration of sugars detected from a sample depending on whether or not a sugar decomposition treatment according to a reference example has been performed. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the difference in the concentration of sugars detected from a sample depending on whether or not the sugar decomposition treatment according to the reference example is performed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the results of evaluation of the sweetness of a sample using an evaluation device according to a reference example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Evaluation method overview] The applicant has discovered that there is a correlation between a predetermined value based on the chain length distribution of amylopectin in polished rice (in this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, this will be referred to as the chain length characteristic value) and the MOS quantification (a value corresponding to sweetness) of cooked rice made from the polished rice. Therefore, in the evaluation method according to this embodiment, the sweetness of cooked rice after cooking is estimated by combining the analysis of amylopectin in polished rice with the MOS quantitative analysis of cooked rice. Amylopectin is a type of starch. Starch has a structure in which glucose molecules are linked together like chains, with amylose being the linear type and amylopectin being the branched type.

[0012] <Amylopectin structure> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of amylopectin. In the structure of amylopectin, multiple glucose molecules are polymerized to form clusters, and multiple clusters are bonded together. In the example shown in Figure 1, the bond between glucose molecules in the left-right direction is called an α-1,4-glycosidic bond, and the bond between glucose molecules in the up-down direction, which is the branched portion, is called an α-1,6-glycosidic bond.

[0013] In the example of FIG. 1, four clusters C1 to C4 are connected. In addition, in the example of Figure 1, for the sake of simplicity, only one glucose G1 out of the multiple glucoses is labeled, only one bond K1 out of the multiple α-1,6-glycosidic bonds is labeled, and only one bond K2 out of the multiple α-1,4-glycosidic bonds is labeled.

[0014] <Amylopectin chain length distribution> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the chain length distribution of amylopectin. In the graph shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents the DP (Degree of Polymerization) value, which is the degree of polymerization of glucose, and the vertical axis represents the molar concentration [%]. In the example of Figure 2, the DP value represents the chain length when all the α-1,6-glycosidic bonds in the vertical direction are cleaved in the amylopectin structure shown in Figure 1. The chain length is represented by the number of polymerized glucose molecules. In the example of Figure 2, for ease of explanation, those with a chain length of 6 to 20 are called short chains, those with a chain length of 21 to 40 are called medium chains, and those with a chain length of 41 or more (41 to 60 in the example of Figure 2) are called long chains.

[0015] <Chain length characteristic value> In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, one or more ranges of chain lengths will be referred to as a chain length range. In this embodiment, the chain length range corresponds to the range of DP (DP range). In this embodiment, for a chain length range that includes one or more specified chain lengths (degree of polymerization) in the structure of polished rice amylopectin, the proportion of chains having a chain length included in the chain length range (the sum of the proportions of the number of chains having each chain length to the total number of chains) is used as the chain length characteristic value. Furthermore, in this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, a chain length characteristic value calculated for a certain chain length range will be referred to as the chain length characteristic value corresponding to that chain length range. The total number of chains may be, for example, the number of chains included in all the ranges of chain lengths that exist, or the number of chains included in a portion of the range of chain lengths (for example, a significant range with a large number of chains) rather than all the ranges of chain lengths that exist may be used.

[0016] <Example of the relationship between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification> 3A to 3F, examples of the correlation between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification are shown for the chain length ranges for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. Here, the MOS quantitative value (value corresponding to sweetness) in this embodiment is obtained by a method that will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] <Milled rice varieties> In this example, 24 types of rice (16 varieties) produced in 2022 are used as the polished rice types, and the average values obtained for these 24 types of polished rice are used. However, the polished rice types are not limited to this example. These 24 varieties of polished rice are: (1) Nanatsuboshi (registered trademark) from Hokkaido, (2) Yumepirika (registered trademark) from Hokkaido, (3) Fukkuriinko (registered trademark) from Hokkaido, (4) Aomori Prefecture's Hekireki (registered trademark) from Aomori, (5) Ginga no Shizuku (registered trademark) from Iwate, (6) Tsuyahime (registered trademark) from Yamagata, (7) Koshihikari (registered trademark) from Fukushima, (8) Koshihikari (registered trademark) from Chiba, (9) Irodori no Kizuna (registered trademark) from Saitama, (10) Koshihikari (low) from Niigata, (11) Koshihikari (high) from Niigata, (12) Akitakomachi (registered trademark) from Nagano, (13) Koshihikari (registered trademark) from Hyogo, (14) Hinohikari (registered trademark) from Kyoto, and (15) Shiga Prefecture's Koshihikari (high) from Shiga. The varieties are: (16) Kinumusume (registered trademark) from Tottori Prefecture, (17) Koi no Yokan (registered trademark) from Hiroshima Prefecture, (18) Nikomaru (registered trademark) from Kochi Prefecture, (19) Hinohikari (registered trademark) from Kumamoto Prefecture, (20) Koshihikari (registered trademark) from Miyazaki Prefecture, (21) Hitomebore (registered trademark) from Akita Prefecture, (22) Koshihikari (registered trademark) from Akita Prefecture, (23) Sasanishiki (registered trademark) from Akita Prefecture, and (24) Hitomebore (registered trademark) from Akita Prefecture.

[0018] <Coefficient of determination> In this embodiment, the coefficient of determination (R2 value) representing the degree of agreement between the chain length characteristic value and the MOS quantification for each chain length range is calculated by squaring the correlation coefficient r between the two. The coefficient of determination may also be called the contribution ratio. Generally, a coefficient of determination greater than 0.5 is considered to be a good fit between the two. When the coefficient of determination is the square of the correlation coefficient r, a coefficient of determination of 0.5 or greater indicates a correlation coefficient of 0.7 or greater. Generally, a correlation coefficient of 0.7 or greater is considered to be a strong correlation. In this embodiment, if the coefficient of determination exceeds 0.6, it is considered that there is a sufficient correlation.

[0019] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length ranges for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. FIG. 3A shows the correspondence between the polished rice type, the chain length range for calculating the chain length characteristic value, the coefficient of determination (R2 value), and the accuracy for each of Examples A1 to A11 (examples including DP6 as the starting point). Here, in this example, the type of polished rice is constant. The chain length range for calculating the chain length characteristic value represents the chain length range obtained by analyzing the amylopectin of polished rice and calculating the total value of the proportions of multiple types of chain lengths (degree of polymerization). The coefficient of determination (R2 value) represents the degree of agreement between the MOS quantification obtained for the analyzed cooked rice after cooking and the chain length characteristic value.

[0020] In this example, the accuracy is determined to be good when the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is 0.6 or more, and the accuracy is determined to be insufficient when the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is less than 0.6. In the accuracy column shown in Figure 3A, "◯" is indicated when the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is 0.6 or more, and "×" is indicated when the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is less than 0.6.

[0021] FIG. 3A shows that the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is 0.6 or greater for each of the chain length characteristic values corresponding to DP6 to 15, the chain length characteristic values corresponding to DP6 to 20, the chain length characteristic values corresponding to DP6 to 25, and the chain length characteristic values corresponding to DP6 to 30. FIG. 3A also shows that for other chain length ranges (DP ranges), the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is less than 0.6.

[0022] Here, the chain length characteristic value corresponding to DP 6 to 15 represents the total proportion of each chain length with a DP value of 6 to 15 (i.e., the proportion of the number of chains in the corresponding chain length range to the total number of chains). The same applies to other DP ranges. In the examples of FIGS. 3A to 3F, the total number of chains is the number of chains included in DP6 to DP60.

[0023] 3B and 3C are diagrams showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length range (single chain length) for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. 3B and 3C show the same correspondence of items as in FIG. 3A for each of DP6 to DP60 as Examples B1 to B55. 3B and 3C show that the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is less than 0.6 for each chain length range of DP6 to DP60 (in this example, a single DP value).

[0024] Here, the chain length characteristic value corresponding to the single chain length DP6 represents the proportion of chain lengths with a DP value of 6 (i.e., the proportion of the number of chains with the corresponding chain length to the total number of chains). The same applies to DP7 to DP60.

[0025] FIG. 3D is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for a chain length range including three (or two) types of chain lengths. FIG. 3D shows the correspondence between items similar to those in FIG. 3A for Examples C1 to C18, where the chain length range (DP range) is set to three different chain length ranges. FIG. 3D also shows the correspondence between items similar to those in FIG. 3A, for Example C19, where the chain length range (DP range) is set to two different chain length ranges. Figure 3D shows that the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is less than 0.6 for all of the illustrated chain length ranges (DP ranges).

[0026] FIG. 3E is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length ranges for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. Figure 3E shows the correspondence between items similar to that in Figure 3A for each of Examples D1 to D6 (examples including DP7 as the starting point), each of Examples D7 to D12 (examples including DP8 as the starting point), and each of Examples D13 to D17 (examples including DP9 as the starting point).

[0027] FIG. 3E shows that the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is 0.6 or more for each of the chain length characteristic values corresponding to DP7 to 20 and the chain length characteristic values corresponding to DP8 to 20. Furthermore, Figure 3E shows that for other chain length ranges (DP ranges), the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is less than 0.6.

[0028] FIG. 3F is a diagram showing the degree of agreement (coefficient of determination) between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification for the chain length ranges for which chain length characteristic values are calculated. FIG. 3F shows the same correspondence of items as in FIG. 3A for each of Examples E1 to E8 (examples that include DP6 as the starting point). The example in Figure 3F is a detailed example of the chain length range for which good accuracy was achieved in the example in Figure 3A.

[0029] FIG. 3F shows that the coefficient of determination (R2 value) is 0.6 or greater for each of the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 16, the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 17, the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 18, the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 19, the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 21, the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 22, the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 23, and the chain length feature values corresponding to DP6 to 24.

[0030] <Example of how to calculate the coefficient of determination (R2 value)> 4A, 4B, and 4C are diagrams showing examples of fitting between chain length characteristic values corresponding to a predetermined chain length range and MOS quantification. An example of how to calculate the coefficient of determination (R2 value) will be shown with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C.

[0031] In the graph shown in Fig. 4A, the horizontal axis represents the result of analyzing amylopectin in polished rice and determining the total value of the proportions of multiple chain lengths (degrees of polymerization) (the chain length characteristic value in this embodiment), and the vertical axis represents the MOS quantification value (µg / ml) obtained by evaluating cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice. In other words, the graph shown in Fig. 4A represents the degree of correlation between the analysis results of amylopectin in polished rice and the analysis results obtained by the MOS quantification method. Each of the multiple circles (◯) shown in the graph of Fig. 4A represents an analysis result, and the line resulting from fitting these multiple analysis results (for example, fitting by the least squares method) is shown as the fitting result 1011. From this, the coefficient of determination (R value) can be found. In addition, FIG. 4A shows an example in which the chain length range (DP range) is DP6-15.

[0032] In the graph shown in Figure 4B, the horizontal axis represents the result of analyzing the amylopectin in polished rice and determining the total value of the proportions of multiple chain lengths (degrees of polymerization) (the chain length characteristic value in this embodiment), and the vertical axis represents the MOS quantification value (µg / ml) obtained by evaluating cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice. In other words, the graph shown in Figure 4B represents the degree of correlation between the analysis results of amylopectin in polished rice and the analysis results obtained by the MOS quantification method. Each of the multiple circles (◯) shown in the graph of Figure 4B represents an analysis result, and the line resulting from fitting these multiple analysis results (for example, fitting by the least squares method) is shown as the fitting result 1012. This allows the coefficient of determination (R value) to be calculated. In addition, FIG. 4B shows an example in which the chain length range (DP range) is DP7-20.

[0033] In the graph shown in Figure 4C, the horizontal axis represents the result of analyzing amylopectin in polished rice and determining the total proportion of multiple chain lengths (degree of polymerization) (the chain length characteristic value in this embodiment), and the vertical axis represents the MOS quantification value (µg / ml) obtained by evaluating cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice. In other words, the graph shown in Figure 4C represents the degree of correlation between the analysis results of amylopectin in polished rice and the analysis results obtained by the MOS quantification method. Each of the multiple circles (◯) shown in the graph of Figure 4C represents an analysis result, and the line resulting from fitting these multiple analysis results (for example, fitting by the least squares method) is shown as the fitting result 1013. This allows the coefficient of determination (R value) to be calculated. FIG. 4C shows an example in which the chain length range (DP range) is DP6-16.

[0034] Here, although FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are shown as examples, graphs showing the degree of correlation can also be obtained for other chain length ranges (DP ranges).

[0035] <Correspondence between chain length characteristic value and sweetness> 4A, it is possible to generate information representing the correspondence between the chain length characteristic value and the MOS quantification. For example, the information may represent the correspondence directly from the fitting result 1011, or may represent the correspondence resulting from processing such as correction of the fitting result 1011. Similarly, it is possible to generate information representing the correspondence between chain length feature values and MOS quantifications based on the fitting results 1012 shown in FIG. 4B. Similarly, it is possible to generate information representing the correspondence between chain length feature values and MOS quantifications based on the fitting results 1013 shown in FIG. 4C. Furthermore, for other chain length ranges (DP ranges) in which a valid correspondence relationship between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification is established, it is possible to generate information representing the correspondence relationship between chain length characteristic values and MOS quantification based on the fitting results.

[0036] In this embodiment, the MOS quantification is a value measured by a predetermined analysis method described with reference to FIGS. In other words, in this embodiment, the correspondence between the MOS quantification measured by a predetermined analytical method and the chain length characteristic value is grasped, and the correspondence between the MOS quantification and the sweetness level is grasped, and by combining these correspondences, information (correspondence information) representing the correspondence between the chain length characteristic value and the sweetness level can be generated. Here, the correspondence information may be, for example, a table showing the correspondence between chain length characteristic values and sweetness intensities, or may be information in another format.

[0037] <Method for analyzing amylopectin chain length> The method for determining the chain length of amylopectin is not particularly limited, and any method may be used. As a specific example, Non-Patent Document 2 (or Non-Patent Document 3) shows the results of DP analysis, and a method similar to the method used in Non-Patent Document 2 (or Non-Patent Document 3) may be used to examine the chain length (DP) of amylopectin.

[0038] [Evaluation equipment] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of the evaluation device 1 according to the embodiment. The evaluation device 1 includes an acquisition unit 11, an evaluation unit 12, a control unit 15, a storage unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, a communication unit 18, and an output unit 19. The output unit 19 includes a display unit 21 .

[0039] The control unit 15 controls the entire evaluation device 1. The control unit 15 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), for example.

[0040] The storage unit 16 is a storage device, and includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), and the like. The storage unit 16 may be an external storage device that is connected from the outside.

[0041] The operation reception unit 17 is an input device including, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a lever, a button, and the like. The operation reception unit 17 may be a touch panel that is integrated with the display unit 21.

[0042] The communication unit 18 is a communication device that includes, for example, an antenna for wireless communication and various ports for wired communication.

[0043] The output unit 19 is a device that outputs information. In this embodiment, the output unit 19 includes a display unit 21 . The display unit 21 is, for example, a display device including a display (screen).

[0044] In this embodiment, the storage unit 16 stores correspondence information D1 that indicates the correspondence between the chain length characteristic value and the sweetness level. Here, the correspondence information D1 may be set in advance in the storage unit 16, or may be set in the storage unit 16 at any timing. Also, for example, the correspondence information D1 stored in the storage unit 16 may be configured to be updatable.

[0045] The acquisition unit 11 acquires chain length characteristic values (information representing the values) corresponding to the chain length ranges used for evaluation for the amylopectin of the polished rice to be evaluated. Here, the chain length range used for the evaluation may be, for example, set in advance, or may be set by a user operating the evaluation device 1, or may be set by an external device. Furthermore, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which multiple candidate chain length ranges are prepared, and a user or an external device can select (selectively set) one candidate from these candidates as the chain length range to be used for evaluation.

[0046] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire chain length characteristic values manually input by a user, or may acquire chain length characteristic values input from an external device via the communication unit 18, or alternatively, may acquire information on chain length characteristic values that have been stored in advance in the memory unit 16. In this embodiment, the case where the acquiring unit 11 acquires the chain length characteristic value (itself) is exemplified, but as another example, the acquiring unit 11 may acquire information for calculating the chain length characteristic value and calculate the chain length characteristic value based on the information. For example, information on the chain length distribution of amylopectin as shown in Figure 2 may be used as the information.

[0047] The evaluation unit 12 determines the sweetness level corresponding to the chain length characteristic value acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (the chain length characteristic value corresponding to the chain length range used for evaluation) based on the corresponding information D1 stored in the storage unit 16. This determination result is an estimated evaluation of the sweetness level of cooked rice based on the information (chain length characteristic value) in the state of polished rice.

[0048] Here, the output unit 19 may output, for example, information relating to the result of the evaluation by the evaluation unit 12 to a user or an external device. In this embodiment, the output unit 19 can display information about the results of the evaluation by the evaluation unit 12 on a screen using the display unit 21, and the user can view the information.

[0049] In this embodiment, the correspondence information D1 is stored in the memory unit 16 of the evaluation device 1, but as another example, the correspondence information D1 may be stored in an external database or the like, and the evaluation device 1 may receive and acquire the correspondence information D1 from the database or the like via the communication unit 18. The evaluation device may be called, for example, an evaluation system.

[0050] As described above, the evaluation method and evaluation device 1 according to this embodiment can evaluate the sweetness of cooked rice in the form of polished rice. This allows, for example, a consumer (in this embodiment, for example, a user) to select (sort) polished rice according to preference.

[0051] In this embodiment, by combining analysis of the amylopectin chain length of polished rice with MOS quantitative analysis of cooked rice, it is possible to estimate the sweetness level through analysis of polished rice.

[0052] In this embodiment, consumers can know the sweetness (estimated value) of the polished rice after cooking, allowing them to select rice with the sweetness level that suits their taste. Furthermore, consumers can obtain necessary information regarding sweetness when blending their preferred rice, for example.

[0053] Here, there is a correlation between the results of the component analysis of polished rice and the results of the analytical sensory evaluation of cooked rice. In this embodiment, for example, by using the chain length range (DP range) with high correlation as the chain length range (DP range) for component analysis of polished rice, the accuracy of sweetness evaluation can be improved.

[0054] In the above, an example of an evaluation method has been described in which the evaluation device 1 performs a process to evaluate the sweetness of cooked rice based on the analysis results of polished rice, but some or all of this process may be performed manually. For example, conventionally, taste evaluation has been performed by analyzing cooked rice (sensory taste evaluation or physical property measurement), but the evaluation method and evaluation device 1 according to this embodiment can perform taste evaluation (evaluation of sweetness) by analyzing polished rice (analysis of amylopectin components). The sweetness level may also be referred to as sweetness, for example.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the analysis is performed to calculate the percentage when the number of chains from DP6 to DP60 is set to 100%. However, as another example, the analysis time may be extended to perform the analysis up to a larger DP value (for example, DP120 or approximately DP120). Even in such a case, the analysis results are expected to be the same as in this embodiment (or similar to the extent that they do not cause practical problems).

[0056] [Example of MOS quantitative analysis method for reference example] An example of an analytical technique for MOS quantification according to a reference example will be shown with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the MOS quantitative value (value corresponding to sweetness) is determined (evaluated) using the method described with reference to FIGS.

[0057] <Outline of evaluation method> First, an outline of the evaluation method according to the reference example will be described.

[0058] The evaluation method according to the reference example includes a decomposition step in which rice is subjected to a sugar decomposition process using an enzyme that decomposes starch, and an evaluation step in which the sweetness of the rice after the sugar decomposition process has been performed in the decomposition step is evaluated.

[0059] As a result, the evaluation method according to the Reference Example can reproduce the events that occur in the oral cavity of a person who eats rice by the sugar decomposition process, and as a result, the evaluation method can suppress the discrepancy between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation.

[0060] Hereinafter, the evaluation method according to the reference example will be described in detail by explaining the configuration of an evaluation device capable of executing the evaluation method and the processing performed by the evaluation device.

[0061] <Configuration of evaluation device> The configuration of an evaluation device capable of executing the evaluation method according to the reference example will be described below by taking an evaluation device 2001 as an example.

[0062] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the evaluation device 2001. As shown in FIG.

[0063] The evaluation device 2001 is a device that evaluates the sweetness of a sample, which is a food material containing starch. In this example, the sample is cooked rice.

[0064] More specifically, the evaluation device 2001 performs a saccharide degradation process on a sample using a starch-degrading enzyme, thereby decomposing the starch contained in the sample into various saccharides. The enzyme in question is, for example, α-amylase or glucoamylase, but other enzymes capable of decomposing starch into saccharides may also be used. However, the enzyme used by the evaluation device 2001 is preferably an enzyme present in the human oral cavity. Therefore, the following description will be given, as an example, of a case in which the evaluation device 2001 uses α-amylase as the enzyme present in the human oral cavity. This allows the evaluation device 2001 to reproduce at least a portion of the reaction occurring in the oral cavity when a person senses sweetness. The evaluation device 2001 then performs a saccharide degradation process on the sample and evaluates the sweetness of the sample after the saccharide degradation process. Therefore, the evaluation device 2001 can reproduce the events occurring in the oral cavity of a person who eats rice through the saccharide degradation process, thereby reducing the discrepancy between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation. Specifically, the evaluation device 2001 can evaluate the sweetness of a sample that has been evaluated as sweet in a sensory evaluation and that has been evaluated as not sweet by a conventional evaluation method as sweet in the same way as in the sensory evaluation.

[0065] The evaluation device 2001 includes, for example, a specimen supplying unit 2010, an enzyme supplying unit 2011, a reaction vessel unit 2012, a heating unit 2013, an evaluation unit 2014, a control unit 2015, a storage unit 2016, an operation receiving unit 2017, a communication unit 2018, and a display unit 2019. Note that the evaluation device 2001 may be configured without some or all of the specimen supplying unit 2010, the enzyme supplying unit 2011, the reaction vessel unit 2012, the communication unit 2018, and the display unit 2019. For example, if the evaluation device 2001 does not include the specimen supplying unit 2010, a member corresponding to the specimen supplying unit 2010 can be attached from the outside, or the functions of the specimen supplying unit 2010 can be performed manually. Furthermore, for example, if the evaluation device 2001 does not include the enzyme supplying unit 2011, a member corresponding to the enzyme supplying unit 2011 can be attached from the outside, or the functions of the enzyme supplying unit 2011 can be performed by a person. Furthermore, for example, if the evaluation device 2001 does not include the reaction vessel unit 2012, a member corresponding to the reaction vessel unit 2012 can be attached from the outside. Furthermore, for example, if the evaluation device 2001 does not include the communication unit 2018, a member corresponding to the communication unit 2018 can be attached from the outside, or the evaluation device 2001 does not exchange various information through communication with other devices. Furthermore, for example, if the evaluation device 2001 does not include the display unit 2019, a member corresponding to the display unit 2019 can be attached from the outside.

[0066] The specimen supply unit 2010 supplies the specimen stored in a storage unit (not shown) to the reaction vessel unit 2012. The specimen supply unit 2010 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of supplying the specimen stored in a storage unit to the reaction vessel unit 2012.

[0067] The enzyme supply unit 2011 supplies α-amylase stored in a storage unit (not shown) to the reaction vessel unit 2012. The enzyme supply unit 2011 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of supplying α-amylase stored in a storage unit to the reaction vessel unit 2012.

[0068] The reaction vessel section 2012 is configured to include a vessel in which the specimen supplied from the specimen supply section 2010 is reacted with α-amylase supplied from the enzyme supply section 2011, and a mixing member that mixes the specimen and α-amylase supplied into the vessel. The reaction vessel section 2012 may have any configuration as long as it includes the vessel and the mixing member and is capable of performing a saccharide decomposition process within the vessel.

[0069] The heating unit 2013 heats the sample and α-amylase mixed in the container contained in the reaction vessel unit 2012 at a holding temperature within the optimal temperature range for α-amylase. The optimal temperature range for α-amylase is approximately 35°C to 40°C. The holding temperature is preferably a temperature within the optimal temperature range that is predetermined as the temperature in a person's oral cavity when the sample is eaten. This is because at least a portion of the reaction that occurs in the oral cavity of a person who has eaten the sample is desired to occur in the container contained in the reaction vessel unit 2012. Below, as an example, a holding temperature of 40°C will be described. This is because when a person chews food that is at a temperature higher than body temperature, the temperature in the oral cavity is thought to be higher than body temperature. Therefore, 40°C, an example of a holding temperature, should be close to the temperature that is at least partially realized in a person's oral cavity. In other words, setting the holding temperature to 40°C is considered appropriate. The holding temperature may be lower than 40°C or higher than 40°C, as long as it is within the optimum temperature range for α-amylase.

[0070] Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 2015, the heating unit 2013 continues to heat the specimen and α-amylase mixed in the vessel contained in the reaction vessel unit 2012 at the holding temperature for a holding time predetermined for the α-amylase. In other words, under the control of the control unit 2015, the heating unit 2013 holds the specimen and α-amylase mixed in the vessel contained in the reaction vessel unit 2012 at the holding temperature for a holding time predetermined for the α-amylase. The holding time may be any time period as long as it is equal to or longer than the time required for the evaluation unit 2014 to detect various sugars obtained from the specimen by the sugar degradation process using α-amylase. The retention time is, for example, about 5 to 10 minutes, but is not limited to this. In the evaluation device 2001, if the detection sensitivity of various sugars by the evaluation unit 2014 increases due to technological innovation or the like, it is desirable to make the retention time approach the time it takes for a person to chew a sample. This is because the time it takes for starch to be decomposed into various sugars in the container approaches the time it takes for starch to be decomposed into various sugars in the human oral cavity.

[0071] The evaluation unit 2014 includes a device that detects the concentrations of various sugars contained in a sample after the saccharide decomposition process in the container included in the reaction container unit 2012 using a predetermined method and evaluates the sweetness of the sample based on the detected concentrations. The predetermined method is a method capable of detecting the concentrations of various sugars contained in a sample, and may be a known method such as HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography), glucose quantification, capillary electrophoresis, or a combination of some or all of these, or may be a method to be developed in the future. In other words, the evaluation unit 2014 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of detecting the concentrations of various sugars contained in a sample and evaluating the sweetness of the sample based on the detected concentrations. Note that evaluating the sweetness of a sample may also be referred to as calculating the sweetness of the sample.

[0072] The control unit 2015 controls the entire evaluation device 2001. The control unit 2015 includes a processor such as a CPU or FPGA.

[0073] The storage unit 2016 is a storage device and includes, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an SSD, an HDD, etc. The storage unit 2016 may be an external storage device that is connected from the outside.

[0074] The operation reception unit 2017 is an input device including a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a lever, buttons, etc. The operation reception unit 2017 may be a touch panel that is integrated with the display unit 2019.

[0075] The communication unit 2018 is a communication device that includes an antenna for wireless communication and various ports for wired communication.

[0076] The display unit 2019 is a display device including a display.

[0077] <Process by which the evaluation device evaluates the sweetness of the sample> Hereinafter, the process of evaluating the sweetness of a sample by the evaluation device 2001 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the process of evaluating the sweetness of a sample by the evaluation device 2001. Note that part or all of the processes from step S110 to step S180 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 may be performed by a device different from the evaluation device 2001, or may be performed by a person without using the evaluation device 2001. Note that the evaluation device 2001 starts the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 by accepting an operation to start the process of evaluating the sweetness of a sample.

[0078] After receiving an operation to start the process of evaluating the sweetness of the sample, the control unit 2015 controls the sample supply unit 2010 to supply a predetermined amount of sample into a container included in the reaction container unit 2012 (step S110).

[0079] Next, the control unit 2015 controls the enzyme supply unit 2011 to supply a predetermined amount of α-amylase into the vessel contained in the reaction vessel unit 2012 (step S120).

[0080] The process of step S120 may be performed in the reverse order to or in parallel with the process of step S110. In step S110 or step S120, the specimen supply unit 2010 or the enzyme supply unit 2011 may be configured to supply a predetermined amount of water at a predetermined temperature into a container included in the reaction container unit 2012.

[0081] After the process of step S120 is performed, the control unit 2015 controls the mixing member of the reaction vessel section 2012 to mix the specimen with α-amylase in the vessel contained in the reaction vessel section 2012 (step S130). The process of step S130 may be performed in parallel with either or both of step S110 and step S120.

[0082] Next, the control unit 2015 controls the heating unit 2013 to start heating the specimen and α-amylase in the container contained in the reaction container unit 2012 at the aforementioned holding temperature (step S140). Note that in Figure 7, the process of step S140 is indicated by "start heating." Furthermore, the process of step S140 may be performed in the reverse order to the process of step S130, or may be performed in parallel.

[0083] Next, the control unit 2015 waits until the aforementioned retention time has elapsed from the timing when heating of the sample and α-amylase was started in step S140 (step S150).

[0084] If the control unit 2015 determines in step S140 that the retention time has elapsed since the heating of the sample and alpha-amylase began (step S150-YES), it controls the heating unit 2013 to terminate the heating of the sample and alpha-amylase (step S160).

[0085] Here, the processes of steps S130 to S160 are an example of the saccharide decomposition process in the evaluation method according to the reference example. By such a saccharide decomposition process, the evaluation device 2001 can reproduce the situation in which starch contained in a sample is decomposed into saccharides in the oral cavity of a person who eats the sample, and as a result, can increase the concentration of saccharides detected in the sample.

[0086] Here, Fig. 8 shows an example of the difference in the concentration of sugars detected from a sample depending on whether or not the sample has undergone a sugar degradation treatment. In the example shown in Fig. 8, a method that combines glucose quantification and capillary electrophoresis is used to detect the concentration of sugars in a sample.

[0087] The horizontal axis of the bar graph shown in FIG. 8 indicates the type of sample for which sugar concentration was detected. There are six types of sample, each represented by "First Rice - Untreated," "Second Rice - Untreated," "Third Rice - Untreated," "First Rice - Enzyme-treated," "Second Rice - Enzyme-treated," and "Third Rice - Enzyme-treated." Here, First Rice, Second Rice, and Third Rice refer to different varieties of rice, such as Koshihikari (registered trademark), Sasanishiki (registered trademark), and Hitomebore (registered trademark). Meanwhile, the vertical axis of the bar graph indicates the concentrations (in μg / 50 mg) of three types of sugar detected in each of these six types of samples. The three types of sugar are glucose, maltose, and maltotriose. When the sample is rice, as in this example, these three types of sugar are the main sugars detected in the sample. In this case, sugars other than these three types of sugars are detected in the sample only at negligibly low concentrations compared to the concentrations of these three types of sugars. Therefore, in this example, it is considered that these three types of sugars are the main sugars that make a person perceive sweetness when chewing the sample. For this reason, in this example, the evaluation device 2001 detects the concentrations of each of these three types of sugars in step S170, which will be described later.

[0088] FIG. 8 shows that the glucose concentration detected in the sample labeled "First Rice Enzyme-Treated" was about five times higher than the glucose concentration detected in the sample labeled "First Rice Untreated." Similarly, FIG. 8 shows that the glucose concentration detected in the sample labeled "Second Rice Enzyme-Treated" was about five times higher than the glucose concentration detected in the sample labeled "Second Rice Untreated." Furthermore, FIG. 8 shows that the glucose concentration detected in the sample labeled "Third Rice Enzyme-Treated" was about five times higher than the glucose concentration detected in the sample labeled "Third Rice Untreated." In other words, the saccharide degradation process can reproduce the conditions in which starch contained in the sample is decomposed into glucose in the oral cavity of a person who eats the sample, thereby increasing the glucose concentration detected in the sample. This means that the evaluation method according to the reference example can reduce the discrepancy between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation.

[0089] Furthermore, Figure 8 shows that the concentration of maltose detected in the sample labeled "First rice - enzyme treated" is more than 10 times higher than the concentration of maltose detected in the sample labeled "First rice - untreated." Similarly, Figure 8 shows that the concentration of glucose detected in the sample labeled "Second rice - enzyme treated" is more than 10 times higher than the concentration of maltose detected in the sample labeled "Second rice - untreated." Furthermore, Figure 8 shows that the maltose concentration detected in the sample labeled "Third rice - enzyme-treated" is more than 10 times higher than the maltose concentration detected in the sample labeled "Third rice - untreated." In other words, the saccharide degradation treatment reproduces the conditions in which starch contained in the sample is decomposed into maltose in the oral cavity of a person who eats the sample, and as a result, it is clear that the maltose concentration detected in the sample is also increased. This also makes it possible for the evaluation method of the Reference Example to suppress discrepancies between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation.

[0090] Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the concentrations of maltose are lower than those of glucose for "First rice - untreated" to "Third rice - untreated." In contrast, in this example, the concentrations of maltose are higher than those of glucose for "First rice - enzyme-treated" to "Third rice - enzyme-treated." This difference is thought to be the cause of the discrepancy between the results of the conventional evaluation of the sweetness of samples and the results of the evaluation of the sweetness of samples by sensory evaluation. In other words, the saccharide decomposition treatment included in the evaluation method of the reference example can suppress such discrepancy.

[0091] Furthermore, Figure 8 shows that the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample labeled "First Rice Enzyme-Treated" was more than 10 times higher than the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample labeled "First Rice Untreated." Similarly, Figure 8 shows that the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample labeled "Second Rice Enzyme-Treated" was more than 10 times higher than the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample labeled "Second Rice Untreated." Furthermore, Figure 8 shows that the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample labeled "Third Rice Enzyme-Treated" was more than 10 times higher than the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample labeled "Third Rice Untreated." In other words, the saccharide degradation treatment was able to reproduce the conditions in which starch contained in the sample is decomposed into maltotriose in the oral cavity of a person who eats the sample, and as a result, it was able to increase the concentration of maltotriose detected in the sample. This also makes it possible for the evaluation method according to the reference example to suppress the discrepancy between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation.

[0092] Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the concentrations of maltotriose are lower than those of glucose for "First rice - untreated" to "Third rice - untreated." In contrast, in the example, the concentrations of maltotriose are higher than those of glucose for "First rice - enzyme-treated" to "Third rice - enzyme-treated." Also, in the example, the concentrations of maltose and maltotriose are approximately the same for "First rice - untreated" to "Third rice - untreated." In contrast, in the example, the concentrations of maltotriose are lower than those of maltose for "First rice - enzyme-treated" to "Third rice - enzyme-treated." These differences are also thought to be the cause of the discrepancy between the results of the conventional evaluation of the sweetness of samples and the results of the evaluation of the sweetness of samples by sensory evaluation. In other words, the saccharide degradation treatment included in the evaluation method according to the reference example can suppress such discrepancies.

[0093] On the other hand, Figure 9 shows another example of the difference in the concentration of sugars detected in a sample depending on whether or not the sample has undergone a sugar degradation treatment. In the example shown in Figure 9, HPLC is used as a method for detecting the concentration of sugars in a sample.

[0094] The horizontal axis of the bar graph shown in Figure 9 indicates the type of sample for which sweetness was evaluated. The types of samples are the same six types as in the example shown in Figure 8. Meanwhile, the vertical axis of the bar graph indicates the concentration (unit of concentration is μg / 50 mg) of three types of sugars detected in each of these six types of samples. As in the example shown in Figure 8, the three types of sugars are glucose, maltose, and maltotriose.

[0095] Comparing Figures 8 and 9, it can be seen that even when evaluated using the HPLC method, the concentration of sugars detected in samples after sugar decomposition treatment is higher than the concentration of sugars detected in samples that have not been subjected to sugar decomposition treatment.

[0096] After the process of step S160 is performed, the control unit 2015 controls the evaluation unit 2014 to evaluate the sweetness of the sample in the container included in the reaction container unit 2012 (step S170). Here, the process of step S170 will be described. In step S170, the evaluation unit 2014 detects the concentrations of three types of sugars, namely glucose, maltose, and maltotriose, from the sample using the predetermined method described above. Then, for each of the three types of sugars, the evaluation unit 2014 multiplies the detected sugar concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to the sugar. For example, the evaluation unit 2014 multiplies the detected glucose concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to glucose. Also, for example, the evaluation unit 2014 multiplies the detected maltose concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to maltose. Also, for example, the evaluation unit 2014 multiplies the detected maltotriose concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to maltotriose. The correction coefficient for glucose is a value indicating the sweetness of glucose when the sweetness of sucrose is set to 1, and in this example, is 0.7. Also, for example, the correction coefficient for maltose is a value indicating the sweetness of maltose when the sweetness of sucrose is set to 1, and in this example, is 0.4. Also, for example, the correction coefficient for maltotriose is a value indicating the sweetness of maltotriose when the sweetness of sucrose is set to 1, and in this example, is 0.3. After calculating the concentrations multiplied by the correction coefficients for each of the three types of sugars, the evaluation unit 2014 evaluates (calculates) the sum of the three concentrations after multiplication by the correction coefficients as the sweetness of the sample. That is, the evaluation unit 2014 evaluates the sweetness of the sample as the sum of the value obtained by multiplying the detected glucose concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to glucose, the value obtained by multiplying the detected maltose concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to maltose, and the value obtained by multiplying the detected maltotriose concentration by a correction coefficient corresponding to maltotriose.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the results of evaluation of the sweetness of the specimen by the evaluation device 2001. In FIG. 10, glucose is represented by G1, maltose by G2, and maltotriose by G3. In the example shown in FIG. 10, for example, the glucose concentration detected from cooked rice of variety xxx1 produced in field B in 2016 by the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is 179.3 μg / 50 mg. Therefore, in this example, the value obtained by multiplying the glucose concentration by a correction coefficient of 0.7 corresponding to glucose is 125.5. Furthermore, the maltose concentration detected from the cooked rice by the process is 417.9 μg / 50 mg. Therefore, in this example, the value obtained by multiplying the maltose concentration by a correction coefficient of 0.4 corresponding to maltose is 167.2. Furthermore, the maltotriose concentration detected from the cooked rice by the process is 402.7 μg / 50 mg. Therefore, in this example, the value obtained by multiplying the maltotriose concentration by the correction coefficient 0.3 corresponding to maltotriose is 120.8. Therefore, in this example, the evaluation device 2001 evaluates the sweetness of the cooked rice as the sum of these three values, i.e., 413.5. These results shown in Figure 10 are consistent with the results of the sensory evaluation. Therefore, the evaluation device 2001 can suppress the discrepancy between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation.

[0098] Next, the control unit 2015 causes the display unit 2019 to display evaluation result information indicating the result of the evaluation made by the evaluation unit 2014 in step S170 (step S180), and ends the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. The evaluation result information may be any information such as text, an image, a table, etc., as long as it indicates the result.

[0099] The evaluation unit 2014 may be configured to detect the concentrations of two predetermined types of sugars from the three types of sugars, namely glucose, maltose, and maltotriose, in a sample, and evaluate the sweetness of the sample based on the detected concentrations.

[0100] As described above, the evaluation method according to the reference example includes a decomposition step (in this example, the processing of steps S130 to S160 shown in FIG. 7) in which rice (in this example, cooked rice) is subjected to a sugar degradation process using a starch-degrading enzyme (in this example, alpha-amylase), and an evaluation step (in this example, the processing of step S170 shown in FIG. 7) in which the sweetness of the rice after the sugar degradation process has been performed in the decomposition step is evaluated. This allows the evaluation method to reproduce the events that occur in the oral cavity of a person who eats rice through the sugar degradation process, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the discrepancy between the obtained evaluation results and the results of the sensory evaluation.

[0101] In this embodiment, the evaluation results obtained from cooked rice by such an analysis method are used as MOS quantification. This analytical method includes a decomposition step in which rice is subjected to a sugar decomposition process using a starch-decomposing enzyme, and an evaluation step in which the sweetness of the rice after the sugar decomposition process has been performed in the decomposition step is evaluated. In this analytical method, for example, the saccharide decomposition treatment includes a treatment in which a sample containing the enzyme and the rice is mixed and maintained at a temperature within the optimal temperature range of the enzyme for a period of time corresponding to the enzyme. In this analysis method, for example, the rice is cooked rice, and the holding temperature is a temperature within the range of the optimal temperature that is predetermined as the temperature inside a person's mouth when eating the rice. In this analytical method, for example, the enzyme is α-amylase and the holding temperature is 40°C.

[0102] In this embodiment, the evaluation results obtained from cooked rice by the analytical method described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10 are used as MOS quantification, but other analytical methods may be used instead of these analytical methods.

[0103] [Regarding the above embodiment] A program for implementing the functions of any of the components of any of the above-described devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and then loaded into a computer system for execution. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an operating system or peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and compact disc (CD)-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The term "computer-readable recording medium" also includes devices that retain a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory within a computer system that acts as a server or client when a program is transmitted over a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. Such volatile memory may be, for example, RAM. The recording medium may also be, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.

[0104] The above program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The above program may also be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the above program may be a so-called differential file that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system. A differential file may also be called a differential program.

[0105] Furthermore, the functions of any of the components in any of the above-described devices may be implemented by a processor. For example, each process in the embodiments may be implemented by a processor operating based on information such as a program and a computer-readable recording medium storing information such as the program. Here, the functions of each unit of the processor may be implemented by, for example, individual hardware, or may be implemented by integrated hardware. For example, the processor may include hardware, and the hardware may include at least one of a circuit for processing digital signals and a circuit for processing analog signals. For example, the processor may be configured using one or more circuit devices mounted on a circuit board, or one or both of one or more circuit elements. An integrated circuit (IC) or the like may be used as the circuit device, and a resistor or a capacitor may be used as the circuit element.

[0106] Here, the processor may be, for example, a CPU. However, the processor is not limited to a CPU, and various types of processors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) may be used. The processor may also be, for example, a hardware circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor may also be, for example, composed of multiple CPUs, or may be, for example, composed of a hardware circuit such as a multiple ASIC. The processor may also be, for example, composed of a combination of multiple CPUs and a hardware circuit such as a multiple ASIC. The processor may also include, for example, one or more of an amplifier circuit or a filter circuit that processes analog signals.

[0107] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope that do not deviate from the gist of this disclosure.

[0108] [Note] (Configuration example 1) to (Configuration example 5) are shown.

[0109] (Configuration example 1) For the amylopectin of the polished rice to be evaluated, a chain length characteristic value representing the proportion of chains in the chain length range used for evaluation is obtained; The sweetness of the cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice to be evaluated is evaluated based on the acquired chain length characteristic value and relationship information that is generated in advance based on the analysis result of the cooked rice, and that represents the relationship between the chain length characteristic value and the sweetness. Evaluation method.

[0110] (Configuration example 2) The chain length range used for the evaluation is a chain length range in which the coefficient of determination representing the correlation between the chain length characteristic value and the cooked rice analysis result is 0.6 or more. The evaluation method described in (Configuration Example 1).

[0111] (Configuration example 3) The chain length range to be used for evaluation is one of DP6-15, DP6-16, DP6-17, DP6-18, DP6-19, DP6-20, DP6-21, DP6-22, DP6-23, DP6-24, DP6-25, DP6-30, DP7-20, or DP8-20. The evaluation method according to (Configuration Example 1) or (Configuration Example 2).

[0112] (Configuration example 4) The cooked rice analysis result is an MOS quantification corresponding to an evaluation result obtained by a predetermined analytical method, The predetermined analytical method includes a decomposition step of performing a saccharide decomposition treatment on rice using a starch-decomposing enzyme, and an evaluation step of evaluating the sweetness of the rice after the saccharide decomposition treatment has been performed in the decomposition step. The evaluation method according to any one of (Configuration Example 1) to (Configuration Example 3).

[0113] (Configuration Example 5) an acquisition unit that acquires a chain length characteristic value representing the proportion of chains in the chain length range used for evaluation for the amylopectin of polished rice to be evaluated; an evaluation unit that evaluates the sweetness of the cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice to be evaluated, based on the chain length characteristic value acquired by the acquisition unit and relationship information that is generated in advance based on the analysis result of the cooked rice, and that represents the relationship between the chain length characteristic value and sweetness; An evaluation device comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1, 2001...Evaluation device, 11...Acquisition unit, 12, 2014...Evaluation unit, 15, 2015...Control unit, 16, 2016...Memory unit, 17, 2017...Operation reception unit, 18, 2018...Communication unit, 19...Output unit, 21, 2019...Display unit, 1011-1013...Fitting result, 2010...Sample supply unit, 2011...Enzyme supply unit, 2012...Reaction vessel unit, 2013...Heating unit, C1-C4...Cluster, D1...Correspondence information, G1...Glucose, K1-K2...Binding unit

Claims

1. For the amylopectin of the polished rice to be evaluated, a chain length characteristic value representing the proportion of chains in the chain length range used for evaluation is obtained; The sweetness of the cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice to be evaluated is evaluated based on the acquired chain length characteristic value and relationship information that is generated in advance based on the analysis result of the cooked rice, and that represents the relationship between the chain length characteristic value and the sweetness. Evaluation method.

2. The chain length range used for the evaluation is a chain length range in which the coefficient of determination representing the correlation between the chain length characteristic value and the cooked rice analysis result is 0.6 or more. The evaluation method according to claim 1 .

3. The chain length range used for evaluation is any of DP6-15, DP6-16, DP6-17, DP6-18, DP6-19, DP6-20, DP6-21, DP6-22, DP6-23, DP6-24, DP6-25, DP6-30, DP7-20, and DP8-20. The evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The cooked rice analysis result is a MOS quantification corresponding to an evaluation result obtained by a predetermined analytical method, The predetermined analytical method includes a decomposition step of performing a saccharide decomposition treatment on rice using a starch-decomposing enzyme, and an evaluation step of evaluating the sweetness of the rice after the saccharide decomposition treatment has been performed in the decomposition step. The evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

5. an acquisition unit that acquires a chain length characteristic value representing the proportion of chains in the chain length range used for evaluation for the amylopectin of polished rice to be evaluated; an evaluation unit that evaluates the sweetness of the cooked rice obtained by cooking the polished rice to be evaluated, based on the chain length characteristic value acquired by the acquisition unit and relationship information that is generated in advance based on the analysis result of the cooked rice, and that represents the relationship between the chain length characteristic value and sweetness; An evaluation device comprising:

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