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Announcement of the MEXT Minister Prize 2017 for Science and Technology

Updated:April 14, 2017 (Friday)

Dr. Kunihiko Uemera, Unit Leader of the Advanced Food Technology Unit, Division of Food Processing and Distribution Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO has been chosen as awardee of the 2017 MEXT Minister Prize for Science and Technology in the Development Category. The awarding ceremony will be held at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on April 19, 2017.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Minister Prize recognizes scientists who contribute highly innovative research in the field of science and technology. The prestigious prize aims to contribute in improving the domestic standards of science and technology by honoring scientists who have made outstanding achievements that show advanced research accomplished from original perspectives.

Dr. Uemura was recognized for his research on the development of high-quality sterilization technology for fruit juice beverage by high electric field AC. The technology facilitates sterilization of liquid foods such as fruit juice in a shorter time by adding high AC voltage. By using this technology, high quality fruit juice with fresh flavor can be produced. This technology was developed by NARO in collaboration with Frontier Engineering Co., Ltd. and Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Co., Ltd. and has been used for disinfection of fruit juice products available on the market since 2013.

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