Business

Institute develops high-fiber rice and meat

• Publication Date：03/26/2010
• Source： Liberty Times

Taiwan’s Food Industry Research and Development Institute recently announced that it has developed a method to blend dietary fiber into rice and meat, thereby increasing their fiber content.

The institute has passed along the technology to local food companies. Healthy meals featuring a high level of dietary fiber will be introduced in April to provide the public with another option in healthy eating.

When the institute was established in 1965, the focus of development was on manufacturing canned foods such as mushrooms, asparagus, and bamboo shoots that met export standards. The products were a hit, and the organization gained quite a reputation. Over the years, however, it gradually moved into the field of research and development, establishing critical technology in the food sector.

The institute also provides inspection services and storage of bio-cells, as well as engaging in research into the genetic code of healthy foods, making itself the kingpin of Taiwan's food technology development.

Following its recent finding that most people in Taiwan have an insufficient daily intake of dietary fiber, the institute decided to work on developing a means to blend dietary fiber into rice and meat products. As a result, it can now introduce over 10 grams of dietary fiber into each helping of 10 types of rice commonly consumed here. Researchers have also blended the dietary fiber into sauces and meats, all the while maintaining the original texture of the foods.

Wang Yi-ching, a researcher in the institute's product development department, said the dietary fiber healthy meals developed by the institute come vacuum-packed and have instructions on how they should be prepared by central kitchens. Wang said they hope that the convenient packaging will lead to greater usage among consumers, adding that the public merely needs to take the packages home and heat them.

Dr. Liao Chii-cherng, deputy director of the institute, added that the institute's national cell bank has information on 590,000 sets of cells, such as cord blood stem cells and genetic cells. The cells are stored at a low temperature in liquid nitrogen, and they can be preserved for over 30 years. The institute used to play an important role in food safety-related practices, as well as the CAS and HACCP inspection certification systems, and it was the first government-commissioned food inspection agency.

(This article originally appeared in “The Liberty Times” March 25.)