Utilizing the enhanced rice “Churaotome” discovered and developed by OIST and Onna Village, an innovative craft beer called “Itanji Ale” was produced by Nakatsu Brewery.  It is a black Belgian porter prepared with brown sugar from Iejima and OIST Rice.  The Agricultural Cooperative Association of Okinawa Prefecture (hereinafter “JA Okinawa”) and AgVenture Lab (hence “Ag Lab”) worked together to create it.  The craft beer was introduced at a product launch ceremony on July 20 in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, and is the first beverage made with Churatome.

Now, only JA Okinawa A-Coop stores in Okinawa and online are selling Itanji Ale. According to Ag Lab President Hiroki Ogino, “Complemented by domestically sourced hops, it offers a delightful bouquet of refreshing aromas, nicely balanced with a deep, bitter undertone.”

The product launch was held at the JA Okinawa Head Office. (From left) President of Ag Lab Hiroki Ogino, President of JA Okinawa Norio Maeda, and Senior Manager of Technology Transfer Section at OIST Innovation Takanari Ichikawa.

A fresh kind of high-performance rice called Churaotome was discovered and developed by OIST in conjunction with Onna Village. It has advantages including lowering blood sugar levels, which raises hopes that it will generally avoid ailments linked to a sedentary lifestyle.  On June 28, OIST recently celebrated Churaotome’s naming.  OIST, Onna Village, and Okinawa Prefecture have great hopes for the utilization of Churaotome in the creation of further food items in the near future.

The OIST Innovation Technology Transfer Section’s Senior Manager, Takanari Ichikawa, stated that “Churaotome was developed through collaborating with several partners.  It gives me great pleasure to be present today as we introduce Itanji Ale alongside our new partners, JA Okinawa and Ag Lab.  We think that the name “Itanji” – which means non-orthodox – also represents individuals who still retain originality, which is the key element that propels innovation, and that it is intended to inspire those with creativity. We hope to boost Okinawa’s innovation environment and provide chances for new projects through these imaginative activities.

SOURCE: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
PHOTO CREDIT: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University