Yesterday, we held a welcome party for the new third-year undergraduate students (a cherry blossom viewing at Hirosaki Park). The cherry blossoms were in full bloom at just the right time.

In this same spirit, we were delighted to welcome two new members to our laboratory. We look forward to working together over the next two years.

We are grateful to the fourth-year undergraduate and graduate students who handled all the preparations.

This year, three undergraduate students have graduated. Congratulations!

You all worked so hard. As your new lives begin in April, keep doing what you’ve been doing — I know everyone will be fine.

We held our senior thesis presentations yesterday and today.

All students completed their presentations successfully, and we could see the relief on their faces.

The presentations were of excellent quality. Well done to all!

3-methylbutanal is known to contribute to a nutty aroma in cheese. A paper on a Lactococcus cremoris strain producing 3-methylbutanal has recently been published. Previous studies have reported that 3-methylbutanal is produced most efficiently at temperatures of 37°C or higher. However, in this strain, the highest production level was observed at the relatively low temperature of 20°C.

The content of this paper is primarily derived from the master’s thesis research conducted by Hayashizaki.

We were able to hold our year-end party again this year.

The dumplings were delicious, and the hot pot was delicious too. They even made hot sandwiches at the end. What more could we ask for?

I look forward to seeing everyone healthy and well again next year. Happy New Year.

By the way, this year’s cheeses were Saint-Marcellin, Mozzarella, Brie, Époisses, Provolone, and Asiago.