The 6th Niigata International Food Award

Commemorative lecture of laureates
Grand Prix : NAKAMURA Tetsu MR. / Peshawar-kai / PMS (Peace(Japan) Medical Services)【Lecture Speaker】MURAKAMI Masaru MR.：Chairman of Peshawar-kai / Executive Director of PMS
Dr. Tetsu Nakamura always worked at the front. Starting withmedical treatment in 1984, he broadened the scope of his work
to water supply establishment and agriculture.

When Dr. Nakamura started working at the Mission Hospital in
Peshawar, Pakistan that same year, war had already broken out,
and it was said that there were 3,000,000 Afghan refugees inPakistan. It became necessary for Dr. Nakamura to handle themedical treatment for refugees and as a result, founded theJapan Afghan Medical Service (JAMS), which later became thePeace Japan Medical Services (PMS).

After the war ended and the refugees began to return home, Dr.
Nakamura built a clinic in the eastern mountainous region
where many refugees were returning to since this area wasplagued with leprosy. Dr. Nakamura saw farming villages being
devastated by a drought in 2000 and children with weak bodies,dying of diseases caused by drinking dirty water. He thought,“We need water more than medicine to save lives” and started
digging wells. He dug as many as 1600 wells, but the wells dried
up one after another. Therefore, in 2003, Dr. Nakamura started
construction on the Marwarid Canal.

In addition to the labor-intense construction method employing
local technology, Dr. Nakamura combined the techniques usedin the Yamada oblique weir, which was built on the Chikugo
River in Kyushu more than 200 years ago. He made it as a modelfor canal construction so that the locals could repair the canalby themselves in case it ever collapsed. By constructing thecanal, the land that used to be a desert became full of lush
greenery. Dr. Nakamura built the foundation for life needed forthe refugees to return to their homes.

Dr. Nakamura’s goals for medical treatment, his work on thewater supply project and agriculture were the same - “To help
people survive”. There is the threat of ever encroaching poverty,
war and droughts caused by the global warming in thebackground. He always said, “Peace is not a concept but a realstate. Without food, people fight. Therefore, I need to makepeople able to eat. That is the truth about peace”.

In 2018, the Afghan Government decided to adopt the projectusing the PMS method which Dr. Nakamura had practiced. On
December 4th, 2019, when “The Afghan Green GroundProject,” a project for solving drought problems, was about tospread further, he passed away.
The project has succeeded so far thanks to Dr. Nakamura’s
effort and energy. His death came as a shock to us. However,the PMS will continue its work. The Peshawar-kai, which has
supported Dr. Nakamura’s endeavors, will commit to a 20-year
support plan until the project can operate peacefully andindependently.

The 6th Niigata International Food Award

Commemorative lecture of laureates
Sano Touzaburo Special Prize：Dr. OTSUBO Ken’ichi
Fellow, Institute of Science and Technology, Niigata University
Professor for Research, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences
I am deeply grateful to be awarded a special prize of Mr.
Touzaburo Sano, who I respect. I have been working on theeating quality evaluation of rice, technology to identify thedifferent rice varieties, rice production districts from the DNA
and developing new processed rice foods that are good forhealth.
The major varieties in Japan are related species similar to Koshi
The eating quality evaluation of rice is mainly carried out by

and their DNA is also remarkably similar. We developed ansensory testing, in which people taste cooked rice samples andidentification kit for Koshihikari produced in Niigata and put it

give scores on the basis of appearance, taste, flavor, hardness

to practical use. The sales of various identification kits, not justand so on. However, my research is about measuring the quality

ours, increased, and as a result, it became possible to identify

and predicting the taste from the results of chemical analysis,

Koshihikari produced in Niigata from that produced in otheretc. When Uonuma Koshihikari was dropped from the Japanprefectures. Consequentially, the number of false labelling

Grain Inspection Association’s Special A quality rank in 2017, I

cases has decreased. This technology is being broadly applied toconducted a physicochemical assessment. My tests showed thequality control at the breeding stage, the seeds distribution

same result for Uonuma Koshihikari as other brand varieties

stage, and during the agricultural product inspections. It is alsoranked Special A from other districts. I presented a paper

used in the judgement of smuggled rice, to confirm the varieties

detailing my findings. Recently, I also elucidated the tasteof rice used to make lunch boxes, prepackaged cooked rice, andcharacteristics of “Shinnosuke,” the new variety produced in

so on.

the prefecture.
Functional processed rice food research has evolved into aSince false labelling cases such as misrepresenting the area ofcollaborative project aimed to “develop processed rice foodrice production, the law was amended to make the labelling ofwith a prophylactic effect on both diabetes and dementia” withvarieties and production districts compulsory. The identification

project members including: the Niigata University of Pharmacy

technology using the PCR method that I developed can identify

and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata City,

the strain of rice plant, the varieties of rice and the production

Niigata University, food companies and agricultural producers’

district from the DNA of polished rice. Eventually, it became

cooperative corporations. The project is currently underway.

possible to identify them by using only one grain of polished

Receiving this award is an opportunity for me to continue therice or cooked rice.

research and development of rice as well as to tell the younger
generations about Mr. Sano’s achievements. I hope that mywork can contribute to the international exchange oftechnology and advancing communication.

The 6th Niigata International Food Award

Commemorative lecture of laureates
21st Century hope Prize：Dr. YANO Hiroyuki
Unit Leader, Food Resource Utilization Unit, Division of Food Processing and Distribution Research, Food Research Institute,
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)
Dr. Yano has developed a method to produce additive-free,gluten-free rice bread using only basic ingredients for patientsof wheat allergy or Celiac disease. This technique has been
patented in 2019. He has also clarified the swelling mechanismof the bread in a cooperative study with the Hiroshima
University.
In the case of wheat dough, gluten, a highly viscous protein
network, confines the fermentation gas yielded by yeast. Thus,
the dough swells like assembly of balloons. In contrast, it was
not easy to make rice bread without additives because rice
batter does not have gluten. The collaborative study with theHiroshima University elucidated that the rice batter swells by
the “particle-foam” mechanism, in which rice starch granules
surround the fermentation gas like a soap bubble. Wheat doughmade by the gluten network is so resilient. On the other hand,
the rice batter is so fragile as it is as if made of many soap
bubbles. Thus, a key for the successful breadmaking is not tobreak the bubbles in the fermentation/ baking processes. Astable temperature in fermentation and rapid heat up in baking
are both important.

A home-bakery has been developed in the joint study with theTiger Corporation and it has been on the market since 2017. Itwon the Kids Design Award (Ministers of State for Measures for
Declining Birthrate Prize) in 2019. Based on his technique, theNatural Food Co., LTD has developed “Wada’s Rice Bread”. The
high-quality bread hit the market in 2019. It is shelf-stable for amonth.
He is motivated to prevail the breadmaking technology andexport the bread as well as the home-bakery for the wheatallergy/ Celiac patients. The effort is also expected to boost thedemand for the Japanese rice.
He has developed a method to produce additive-free, glutenfree rice bread. The technique has been applied tocommercially available home-bakery and bread. It is expected
to prevail worldwide in the 21st Century. By helping wheatallergy patients it contributes to one of the SDGs: Good healthand well-being.

Prize for Bright Future of Niigata：Mr. EGAWA Kazunori
Principal, Egawa Professional Engineer Office（Technical Discipline:Agriculture）
Former-Director of Niigata Agricultural Research Institute Food Research CenterI started my research career decades ago at Food ResearchCenter, Niigata Agricultural Research Institute. In the 1950's,
when frozen foods were not widely distributed, we worked on apioneer project developing techniques to freeze/thaw Sasadango, a traditional dumpling wrapped with Bamboo leaves.
Our prefecture was the first in Japan to develop aseptic
manufacturing processes for packaged rice cakes. The
technology we developed was also applied to packaged rice,and eventually led to labor saving in household chores.
As consumer needs diversified in the Heisei era, we promoted
research on multi-functional fine rice flour and paved the way
for the rice flour bread production. We also conducted R&D on
low-protein rice that can decrease the risk of renal insufficiency,
and put the technology to practical use for the first time.
After retiring the Food Research Center in 2005, I decided tofollow my mentor's word that Niigata needs a new industry
connecting agriculture and industry. As a new industry in which
agriculture and industry could work together, I focused onprocessing brown rice, considering that brown rice has great
potential in health improvement.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, theincidences of cerebrovascular diseases and stomach cancer as acause of death are higher in Niigata than the national average. I
expected that diet involving brown rice could decrease the riskof such fatal diseases and might contribute to increasing healthspan. Now I am developing a technique to make high-quality
brown rice bread as fluffy as normal rice bread.
My dream is to create new “Niigata cuisine” with brown rice. I
am hoping that not only residents of the prefecture, but alsopeople visiting Niigata, will feel invigorated by eating local foodmade of local fresh materials. I keep asking myself if I, a lateelderly, am worthy of the prestigious Future Award. However,now I would like to take it as an encouragement, and hope tocontinue to work with a renewed feeling and gratitude.