#Japan #Okayama #Fujiwara #FOOMA #Culturing Device

Fujiwara Technoart's Award-Winning Culturing Device

Fujiwara Technoart Co., Ltd., a leading developer of brewing, food machinery, and bio-related equipment, based in Okayama, Japan, has recently garnered significant recognition for its innovative compact air-permeable solid culturing device. The company was honored with the Economic Industry Award—the highest accolade—at the 5th FOOMA Award 2026, showcasing the device's remarkable technological advancements and its potential to contribute to sustainable practices.

About the FOOMA Award

The FOOMA Award is a prestigious recognition in the food machinery and related technology sector. It is awarded to products and technologies that demonstrate innovation, practicality, and contribution to society. Winning this award not only signifies technical excellence but also emphasizes the commitment to enhancing food production processes.

Features of the Air-Permeable Culturing Device

The winning device utilizes solid culturing technology widely recognized for Koji making in Japan. Designed to enhance the value and utilization of underused resources for industrial applications, this compact apparatus operates using a substrate air-permeable temperature control method similar to larger culturing installations. This ensures high reproducibility in air-permeable cultivation experiments, all managed under automated conditions.

Additionally, the device is equipped with a stirring mechanism, enabling automatic stirring and achieving 24-hour unattended operation.

This innovative technology presents several advantages:

1. Ease of Cultivation Technology Adoption: It enables research institutions and small to medium enterprises to easily implement solid culturing techniques.
2. Rapid Process for Value Verification: It facilitates quick verification of unused resource value and commercialization processes.
3. Contributing to Circular Economy: By promoting resource recycling and sustainable practices.
4. Roadmap for Sustainable Societies: It paves the way for sustainable societies based on the microbial industry platform.

This device is not only making waves in Japan but has also found its way into the Ferments du Futur (FdF) research consortium, led by INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) and ANIA (National Association of Food Industries in France). It signifies the rising interest in Japan's Koji-making technology on an international scale, providing insights and applications for researchers worldwide.

Expanding Horizons of Cultivation Technology

In Japan, initiatives to cultivate underused resources with Koji fungi are beginning to gain traction. For instance, the development of a bread high in polyphenols using spent coffee grounds fermented through Koji encapsulates the creativity and potential of this technology in food innovation.
Discover the polyphenol-rich bread created from spent coffee

The ambition at Fujiwara Technoart is to create new value that addresses social challenges through the utilization of microbial processes, collaborating with various businesses and research institutions. The company's philosophy aligns closely with sustainable development goals, aiming not just at innovation within the brewing field but also exploring applications in food tech, bio-refineries, functional materials, feed, agricultural resources, and bio-materials.

As the company seeks to diversify protein supplies and reduce food waste through high-value utilization of underused resources, it emphasizes its commitment to a circular economy.

The FOOMA Award’s judging chairman, Yoshikazu Goto, noted, "This machine embodies the dream of spreading Japan's excellent brewing and fermentation technology worldwide." Such recognition reinforces the company's vision of global outreach and the significance of their advancements in fermentation and solid culturing technology.

Upcoming Events

Fujiwara Technoart will be participating in the FOOMA JAPAN 2026 expo from June 2-5 at Tokyo Big Sight, showcasing its transformative innovations. They will host a session titled The Potential of Food Tech as a National Strategy — Globalization of the Food Industry, on June 4, highlighting the reconceptualization of food value chains and the creation of new business opportunities.

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• - Website: Fujiwara Technoart
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This accolade signifies a promising future where traditional techniques are blended seamlessly with modern technology to foster innovation in food production and sustainability, marking a significant milestone for Fujiwara Technoart.