chemistry

Taneko Suzuki

Taneko Suzuki is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Taneko Suzuki rather than just read about it. In short: Taneko Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木たね子, 12 November 1926 – 24 April 2020) was a Japanese biochemist and nutritionist who was an expert in protein chemistry and development of foods from fish proteins. Her work on transforming pollock into a hamburger-like substance received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in 1980.

Key takeaways

Taneko Suzuki belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Taneko Suzuki to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Taneko Suzuki from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Taneko Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木たね子, 12 November 1926 – 24 April 2020) was a Japanese biochemist and nutritionist who was an expert in protein chemistry and development of foods from fish proteins. Her work on transforming pollock into a hamburger-like substance received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in 1980. She was also honored with the Achievement in Processing and Technology Award of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science in 1980, and the Director's Medal from the Japan Science and Technology Agency Commissioner in 1985.

Early life and education Taneko Suzuki was born on 12 November 1926 in Tokyo. She studied pharmacy science at the Imperial Women's Medical and Pharmaceutical College and completed her degree in 1947.

Career Suzuki was hired in 1947 to work as a research assistant at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries's Experimental Station, where she remained for two years. In 1949, she began working at the Tokai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory (now known as the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science). She briefly left the Tokai laboratory and worked at the Seikai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory, but returned in 1957. in 1958, Suzuki completed her PhD in agriculture at Kyushu University. After a decade of conducting research there, she was promoted to chief biochemical researcher of the facility. She was promoted to section chief in 1971. In 1976, Suzuki led a $100,000 research project which developed a concentrated fish-protein product from pollock called Marinbeef, which had the texture of hamburger and could be seasoned to taste like beef. Her discovery was seen as a potential new food for providing protein to the diet and was widely reported for its beneficial use in developing countries because of its high nutritional value and long shelf-life. The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science recognized her discovery with their Award for Achievement in Processing and Technology in 1980. That year, she was also honored with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award. Among her publications was the first book in English, Fish and Krill Protein: Processing Technology (1981), which introduced Japan's protein chemical research to the international community. The book focused on the science and technology of surimi, as well as its applications. Fluent in English, she was active in promoting fisheries science and spoke at international events promoting the use of fish proteins. She also acted as a consultant to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. Another influential book was 魚の味—水産食品の科学 (Taste of Fish—Science of Seafood, 1983), which presented seafood science in language written for the general public. Suzuki became the director of the Biological Chemistry Division of Tokai laboratory in 1983, and in 1985, received the Director's Medal from the Japan Science and Technology Agency. The following year, she was appointed professor and dean of the Department of the Living Environment at Nihon University Junior College. In 1993, she retired and began working as a professor at the Kokusai Gakuin Saitama Junior College. After four years, she changed her status to visiting professor, continuing to lecture there until 2019.

Affiliations and memberships Suzuki was a member of the Prime Minister's Office Marine Development Council, Quality Review Committee of the Japan Fisheries Association. She served in various positions in the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, including as manager of the Kanto branch from 1958 to 1982, auditor of the society from 1987 to 1990, and as a councilor between 1990 and 1991. In 2003, Suzuki became the first woman admitted as an honorary member of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science.

Death and legacy Suzuki died on 24 April 2020 from colorectal cancer and a private funeral was held by the family. She is remembered for her work in advancing fisheries science and its food applications, as well as her mentorship of numerous students.

Selected works 鈴木, たね子; 孝一, 神名; 武郎, 八木 (July 1978). "スケトウダラから魚肉タンパク濃縮物の製造〔新食品素材としての魚肉タンパク濃縮物の開発〕" [Manufacture of Fish Protein Concentrate from Walleye Pollock [Development of Fish Protein Concentrate as a New Food Material]]. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi (in Japanese). 44 (7). Tokyo: Fisheries Society of Japan: 781–788. ISSN 0021-5392. OCLC 5181162588. Suzuki, Taneko (1981). Fish and Krill Protein: Processing Technology. London: Applied Science Publishers. ISBN 978-0-85334-954-9. 鈴木, たね子 (1983). 魚の味—水産食品の科学 [Taste of Fish—Science of Seafood]. 共立科学ブックス (in Japanese). Vol. 64. Tokyo: 共立出版. ISBN 978-4-320-00802-1. "The Nutritional Characteristics of Minke Whale Meat" in ISANA No. 8, 1993. http://luna.pos.to/whale/jwa_v8_suzu.html Archived 31 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine

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External links publications list

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Taneko Suzuki

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Taneko Suzuki claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Taneko Suzuki before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Taneko Suzuki ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Taneko Suzuki

In research: Taneko Suzuki appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Taneko Suzuki in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Taneko Suzuki is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1926 births, 2020 deaths, 20th-century Japanese chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Taneko Suzuki outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Taneko Suzuki in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Taneko Suzuki means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Taneko Suzuki out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Taneko Suzuki in simple terms?

Why does Taneko Suzuki matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Taneko Suzuki?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Taneko Suzuki.