Organizational Structure of Research Organizational Structure of Research

Asahi Quality & Innovations, Ltd.Process Development Laboratories

Research on new ways to utilize yeasts and lactic acid bacteria

We develop processing technology for the creation of new products, services and businesses. We aim to develop technologies, products and businesses that will accelerate the Group’s growth, through research on new ways to utilize yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, the core technologies of Asahi Group(AG).

  • R&D of beneficial ingredients based on yeasts

    While there are many reports on the functionalities of yeasts, details of their functional mechanisms have not been made clear. We conduct research to find new ways to effectively utilize yeasts and its functions. To give some examples, we develop functional feeds for reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock industry, search for unknown health benefits, and develop technologies to utilize such benefits as functional ingredients.

  • R&D for culturing beneficial lactic acid bacteria

    The physiological functions of lactic acid bacteria are attracting attention in recent years. Lactic acid bacteria exist as diverse species, however, and an efficient culturing technique is essential for the commercial production of individual species. For instance, the composition of the culture medium for each species needs to be developed in consideration of the target substances. We develop techniques for effective control of culture media in view of mass production.

  • R&D of processes for manufacturing functional ingredients

    We develop processes for manufacturing functional ingredients from yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, to enable efficient production across culturing, extraction, concentration, drying and powdering processes, so that the functional ingredients can be utilized in a wide range of applications.

Research

Maximizing the beneficial functions of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria

AG has long been engaged in the research on utilization of brewing yeasts since its foundation, continuously creating various yeast-based products including our long seller “Ebios” supplement tablets, natural seasonings, and yeast extract as culture media for industrial use. Other findings include the effect of polysaccharides as a constituent of yeast cell walls to enhance disease resistance of plants, to stimulate the immune system in animals, and to regulate the intestinal environment.
 On the other hand, our researches on lactic acid bacteria are rooted in Calpis Co., Ltd, a company that manufactured and launched Japan’s first lactic acid drink in 1919. A joint research between Calpis and Riken conducted in the 1970s discovered through animal tests that fermented milk manufactured by our proprietary method using lactic acid bacteria and yeasts had properties that prolong life. Since then, we have been studying the health benefit functions of lactic acid bacteria as a pioneer in microbe and fermented milk research.

 The Process Development Laboratories develop processing technologies for producing highly unique functional ingredients by using our expertise in culturing techniques, materialization of ingredients, and functional evaluation technologies with an aim to bring out the most from yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, the core technologies of AG, at industrial production level.
 We will contribute to the promotion of healthy living and the enrichment of society worldwide by pursuing the unknown functions of yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and other microorganisms through the AG’s advanced technologies.