Staff Writer, with CNA
A government-run aquaculture laboratory has developed two food ingredients based on algae extracts that proved effective in mitigating metabolic syndrome by controlling blood pressure levels and blood fat, the Council of Agriculture reported yesterday.
The ingredients developed by the council’s Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) are Fuso-trehalose — a sugar that exists in algae, mushrooms, beans, shrimp and bread — and “instant kanten” — the Japanese name for agar.
Wu Chun-heng, director of the FRI’s Seafood Technology Division, said that in addition to moderating blood pressure and lipid level, Fuso-trehalose also Aenhances the defense mechanism against pathogenic viruses and bacteria in the human immune system.
“Japanese physicians have long experience in using trehalose compounds as a supplementary treatment for cancer patients,” Wu said.
Wu said Fuso-trehalose can be used as a food ingredient because its chemical structure can survive even in environments of 121°C for 30 minutes or 100°C for one hour — the temperatures and times usually used for food sterilization.
The trehalose made by Japanese companies is only 80-percent pure, while the Fuso-trehalose produced by the FRI is 90 percent pure or more, which makes the refined ingredient very competitive on the market, Wu said, adding that the relevant technologies have been passed on to a local company.
In the case of instant kanten, Wu said that the products currently available on the market are neither easy to cook nor were they very portable, thus the FRI group came up with the idea of making instant noodle-like kanten products.
These products contain kanten powder that can be brewed with hot water at 85°C.
FRI Researchers said that dietary fiber-laced kanten could be used as meal replacements for patients with metabolic syndrome or persons who wish to control their weight.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS