NEWS
JAPANESE
WHISKEY
MAKES WAVES
An innovative Japanese whisky
company is taking the whisky
establishment by storm,
scooping up more than 20
awards at four international
competitions this year.
As first-time entrants, whisky
company Matsui Shuzo are
delighted with the results. “We
were confident that we had a
high quality product, but we
weren’t sure how we would
go in an international arena.
We thought we might come
away with one or two awards,
so we couldn’t believe it when
we heard about the number of
medals we’d won” says Kaoru
Matsui, managing director of
Matsui Shuzo.
Matsui Shuzo’s whisky is
brewed by one of the oldest
companies in sparsely
populated Tottori Prefecture,
Japan. The small but mighty
distillery is located deep in the
Kurayoshi countryside, beneath
the Daisen mountain range, and
sources water from mountainfed
streams to dilute the whisky
from cask to bottle.
“We use some of the softest
water in Japan, and our subtropical
climate helps to bring
out a wide range of flavours from
the barrel during the maturation
period. Recently we’ve been
using Mizunara (Japanese Oak)
and Sakura (Cherry wood)
barrels, and we’re challenging
ourselves to develop entirely
new production techniques,”
says Kazuhito Murai, general
manager at Matsui Shuzo.
DUPONT'S NEW VEGAN AND PLANT-BASED
GRINDSTED GELLAN VEG 200 SOLUTION
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences
has announced the debut of
naturally sourced Grindsted
Gellan Veg 200 stabiliser, enabling
high performance results of
innovative plant-based and vegan
beverages.
Since 2014, the number of new
vegan products increased by
35%, with beverages as one of
the highest growing categories
globally. With 6 out of 10 US
consumers increasing their
consumption of plant-based
foods and beverages in their daily
diet, so called “alternatives” are
becoming mainstream.
Dietary preferences shifting
towards plant-based options is
becoming more prevalent, and
personal health is the key driver of
change. In the DuPont-sponsored
study conducted by HealthFocus,
42%of respondents said that they
prefer more plant-based foods
in their daily diet and more than
half of all consumers said that it
“makes me feel healthier.” Also,
the environmental component of
this dietary shift is not negligible,
as three out of four Millennials are
willing to spend more on ethical
products.
Grindsted Gellan Veg 200
advances plant-based and
vegan beverages to fit the
most demanding consumer
expectations. Plant-based/
vegan claim, health profile, clean
label, premium taste and texture
are the most desired features
of innovative products in this
category.
“Produced by bacteria during
fermentation of renewable, biobased
raw materials, Gellan Veg
200 is a purely natural solution.
It provides excellent stability and
particle suspension and minimal
contribution to mouthfeel,” says
Lise Stouby, senior scientist,
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences.
Grindsted Gellan Veg 200 is
suitable for a wide range of
plant-sourced raw materials, has
low protein reactivity and high
performance across a broad
pH range.
Added directly into the mix, Gellan
Veg 200 delivers a stabilising
network throughout the shelf life
to maintain a homogenous and
stable final product.
NatureFlex has launched a
range of speciality packaging
films developed by Futamura to
offer packaging material options
that give strong environmental
support towards increasing world
consumer demand for more
environmentally responsible
packaging.
These bio-films are based strongly
on renewable resources (woodpulp
from managed plantations)
and are certified to the European
(EN13432) and American (ASTM
D6400) norms for Industrially
compostable packaging. In
addition, the majority of grades
have been certified by TÜV
Austria to the OK Compost Home
standard for home composting
and certain grades have been
proven to biodegrade in a wastewater
environment. Further testing
has proven that most NatureFlex
grades are also suitable for
anaerobic digestion.
To further support the positioning
of NatureFlex, a peer reviewed
LCA has been carried out by
Thinkstep, based on their GaBi
software, allowing transparent
communication of the
environmental impacts of using
these films.
NatureFlex films use novel heat
seal-resins on each side. They are
static free and offer a super wide
heat seal range for outstanding
machine performance.
The films offer good gas barrier
properties and the coatings can be
tailored to provide varying degrees
of moisture barrier, depending on
the needs of the wrapped product.
FUTAMURA HAS WOOD ON
PACKAGING WITH NATUREFLEX
20 AUGUST 2019