Organizational Structure of Research Organizational Structure of Research

Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd.Products Research & Development Laboratory

Enhancing brand value through differentiation

We are working to enhance the brand value of our products, especially flagship brands, by developing robust technology that will differentiate us from competitors and enhance the value of individual products. As a pioneer of the Japanese soft drink business with a range of core brands led by Mitsuya Cider, first launched in 1884 as Mitsuya Hirano-Sui and long embraced by Japanese consumers, Calpis first launched in 1919, Bireley’s distributed in Japan since 1951, Juroku-Cha launched in 1993 as the pioneer of the blended tea market, and Wonda Coffee launched in 1997 as the next generation of canned coffee, we are constantly pursuing innovation to develop delicious, lively, fun and healthy products and to further enhance our brand value.

  • Product development

    We develop new products to accommodate customer needs. We are also constantly renewing and improving our legacy brands to keep with the changing needs. Moreover, we proactively pursue research on the functionality of our products, such as the lipid metabolism-improving effect of Benifuuki, a kind of Japanese green tea.

  • Commitment to deliciousness

    We conduct research and evaluation on the sensory aspects (such as taste, aroma and color) of preproduction samples and finished products and apply the results in new product development by utilizing our unique system for sensory evaluation data management

  • Supporting Asahi Group businesses worldwide

    We serve as the promoter and coordinator of technological exchange among Group companies and affliated companies to drive growth of the Asahi Group’s beverage business.

Research

Research and development of the health functions of Benifuuki green tea

With the increase of patients with allergic rhinitis (including hay fever) and asthma, it is reported that one out of two Japanese suffer from some kind of allergic disease. There is growing concern over the rapid increase of potential patients of allergic diseases that may lead to a rise in healthcare costs. In addition, the rising interest in the health benefits of green tea has led to high expectations for scientifically elucidating the health related functions of green tea. So we embarked on a research project to elucidate the effects, functional mechanism, and properties of Benifuuki, a kind of green tea said to have significant health benefits and to develop a product to take advantage of such health benefits. The project led to new discoveries.

  1. 1. We discovered that methylated catechins in green tea (epigallocatechin-3-O-(3”-O-methyl)-gallate and gallocatechin-3-O-(3”-O-methyl)-gallate) have anti-allergic properties and elucidated its functional mechanism.
  2. 2. We were the first in the world to discover a cell membrane molecule (67 kDa laminin receptor) that specifically binds catechins in green tea and transmits the physiological activity of those catechins, clarifying the functionality of green tea catechins at the molecular level.
  1. 3. We identified optimal sites for growing Benifuuki, a harvesting method to maximize the anti-allergic components of the tea leaves, and quality control methods for guaranteeing the methylated catechin content.
  2. 4. Making use of these methylated catechins, we developed and launched tea bags and packed beverage products with health benefits for the eyes and nose, through partnership with a national university, another company, and a public institution.

* Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd. received the 2016 Award for Achievement in Technological Research from the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (JSBBA; a publicly funded corporation), together with its partners: National Agriculture and Food Research Organization; Division of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University; and JA Kagoshima Chagyou K.K.