Faculty of Agriculture Department of Applied Biological Science

Professor

During my graduate school, I studied on the isomer of amino acids composing of the cell walls of lactic acid bacteria. I became interested in lactic acid bacteria living in fermented tea leaves from my research. I investigated fermented foods of tea leaves in Japan and in the mountain areas of Thailand. Taking the opportunity, I have been researching and collecting lactic acid bacteria in various traditional fermented foods in Southeast Asian countries (until around 1995). After that, the survey was limited to Japan, I investigated on traditional fermented foods , “Sunki” (Nagano Prefecture), “Sendango” (Nagasaki Prefecture), “Goishi-cha” (Kochi Prefecture), “Awa -bancha” (Tokushima Prefecture). Research results accumulated have been returned to the local community. I have studied the characteristics of lactic acid bacteria living in various places, such as the isolation of unculturable lactic acid bacteria that appear as food-contaminating bacteria. I am going to find new lactic acid bacterial strains with individual characteristics by investigating unexamined traditional fermented foods of Japan, I hope to expand the world of lactic acid bacteria.