High-Performance Rice developed by OIST "Churaotome" is used in Special Craft Beer
An original craft beer "Itanji Ale” - a black Belgian porter made with brown sugar from Iejima and OIST Rice - was created using the ehanced rice "Churaotome" researched and developed by OIST and Onna Village. It was crafted in collaboration with AgVenture Lab (hereafter "Ag Lab") and the Agricultural Cooperative Association of Okinawa Prefecture (hereafter "JA Okinawa"). This is the first product using Churatome and the craft beer was presented at a product launch event held in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, on July 20.
Itanji Ale is now available exclusively at JA Okinawa A-Coop stores in Okinawa and online. “Complemented by domestically sourced hops, it offers a delightful bouquet of refreshing aromas, nicely balanced with a deep, bitter undertone ” President of Ag Lab, Hiroki Ogino explained.
Churaotome rice is a new strain of high-performance rice that OIST had been researching and developing in collaboration with Onna Village. It provides benefits such as suppressing the elevation of blood sugar levels, leading to the expectation that it will prevent lifestyle-related diseases in general. OIST recently held a naming ceremony for Churaotome on June 28. There are high expectations for the use of Churaotome in developing other food products by OIST, Onna Village, and Okinawa Prefecture in the near future.
Takanari Ichikawa, Senior Manager of the OIST Innovation Technology Transfer Section, said "Churaotome was developed by working with many partners. Today, I am very pleased to be here with our new partners, JA Okinawa and Ag Lab, to unveil Itanji Ale. We believe that the word "Itanji” – meaning non-orthodox - also symbolizes those who continue to possess originality, the most important factor that drives innovation, and that it is meant to motivate people with creativity. Through these creative initiatives, we aim to generate opportunities for new projects and strengthen Okinawa's innovation ecosystem."
■For an overview of "Itanji Ale - black Belgian porter with brown sugar from Iejima and OIST rice", please click here: https://nbrewery.base.shop/items/76708629
About Ag Lab https://agventurelab.or.jp/en/
Ag Lab, an innovation lab, was collaboratively founded on May 27, 2019, by eight prominent national federations within the Japan Agriculture Group. These federations include the National Central Association of Agricultural Cooperatives, National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, Norinchukin Bank, and the House of Light Association, Inc.
About JA Okinawa https://www.ja-okinawa.or.jp/ (Japanese Only)
JA Okinawa, an organization dedicated to agriculture, living, credit, and mutual aid, actively engages in comprehensive business endeavors. In 2002, it emerged as a unified entity, combining 27 Japan Agricultural Cooperatives within the prefecture, thereby establishing itself as a single prefectural agricultural cooperative association. Guided by the principle of ‘mutual aid’, which fosters solidarity through reciprocal assistance, JA Okinawa strives to contribute to the stable supply of food and ensure food safety and security by promoting agriculture. Embracing the commitment to regional development, we fulfill our JA mission through business activities firmly rooted in the community and the well-being of our members.
