On the Carbohydrates of the Shoots 
of Sasa paniculata. 
By 
K. Miyake and T. Tadokoro. 
Bamboo shoots are widely consumed in Japan as an article of food, in 
spring time. The species of bamboo used in warmer provinces are Phyllo- 
stachys mills Riv. and Phyllostachys Quilioi Riv. . In northern districts, 
however, the shoots of Sasa paniculata Shibata et Makino are largely used 
for food. 
Investigations on the constituents of bamboo shoots, up to the present 
time, have been only to show their general composition, except the papers 
by Ivozai J) and Totani ’ 5 who studied their non-protein nitrogenous con- 
stituents and proved the presence of asparagin, tyrosin, guanin, xanthin, 
hypoxanthin, adenin, cholin and betain. In regard to the chemical nature 
of carbohydrates, which compose the greater part of the bamboo shoots no 
special investigation has been reported. Moreover, the researches which have 
been made hitherto were exclusively on the shoots of the species -of Phyllo- 
stachys and nothing was known about the shoots of Sasa paniculata. Conse- 
quently, we selected the Sasa shoot for the material of our study and exa- 
mined its composition, particularly its carbohydrates. 
1) Bull. Imp. Coll. Agric. and Dendrol., Tokyo, 1 (1890), 7, pp. 37—46. 
2) Hoppe-Seyler Zs. physiol. Chem., Strassburg, 62 (1909), pp.113 — 114; ibid, 
70 (1911), pp. 388—390. 
