Traditional treats get high-tech tweak

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Of the countless variations on traditional foods and beverages available nationwide, more and more are being created in a decidedly nontraditional manner with technologies adapted from other industries.

Universities are at the forefront of such innovation, bringing novel twists to everything from sweets to sake while also making use of local produce and boosting regional economies.

At a weeklong event at Takashimaya department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, last month, 31 universities introduced new products made with the help of technologies adapted from other industries.

Cream puffs developed at Yamagata University in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, were a big hit at the event, with 5,000 sold.

The sweet snacks are distinguished by the fine, springy consistency of their rice-flour crust--a remarkable achievement made possible by industrial plastic-foam technology.

In its more familiar industrial applications, this technology is used to ensure consistent density in plastic-foam solids. Air is injected into liquefied plastic to adjust its density as desired, and as the substance expands, it can be shaped into whatever form is required before being left to set.

Students from the university's department of polymer science and engineering came up with the idea of adapting the concept to food after local farmers sought new ways to make use of excess rice.

The crust of the cream puffs is made from 100 percent rice flour, and the texture that so impressed customers at the department store is created by injecting air into the pastry mix, as with plastic foam, before cooking.

The research team, led by Associate Prof. Akihiro Nishioka, had successfully used rice flour to make bread in a previous project, but preparing delicate dough for cream puffs proved to be a much more challenging task.

"Whenever we thought we'd finally done it, the puffs would go flat as soon as we took them out of the oven," said Norifumi Iwawaki, 24, a second-year graduate student.

"We kept putting one failed attempt after another on the table, every day, from morning till night," said Ami Ota, 21, a fourth-year engineering student.

Through trial and error, the students finally perfected the technique in December and the cream puffs went on sale late last month at a confectionery store in Nanyo, Yamagata Prefecture.

The team also invented two kinds of filling--custard cream made with Haenuki rice, a variety produced in the prefecture, and dadacha-mame beans, a local specialty.

"I believe universities are duty-bound to ensure their research gives something back to the local community. We're happy we were able to contribute," Nishioka said.

Also participating in the department store event was Akita Prefectural University, which has developed a type of koji rice malt that does not generate amino acid-- sometimes the source of bitter, tart tastes.

The malt is the key ingredient in Kiwamu, a premium sake the university is marketing in collaboration with a local sake brewer.

"Regional universities will be unable to survive unless we nurture researchers who are able to develop innovative things," said Kimio Iwano, a professor at the university.

Humanities students also took part in the event, including a group from the College of International Relations at Nihon University in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, that made use of their social research skills to benefit the food industry.

The group, whose members study under Prof. Hisatomo Kanaya, researched lesser-known local specialties and surveyed local residents about their favorites.

The results helped a local bento company develop the Tanto Fujisan (varieties around Mt. Fuji) boxed lunch, which features prefectural favorites like pork from Susono and sweet potatoes from Mishima. The bento has been selling well since its launch in February.

"This bento is packed with things that warm local residents' hearts," said Ryotaro Yasuhara, a 22-year-old graduate student who worked on the project.

Tetsuo Saito, president of Ofuji Kyushoku, which produces and sells the Tanto Fujisan lunches, praised the students' work.

"I'm greatly impressed by their efforts to make use of locally produced ingredients," he said.