Expanding to Education and the Community

1. Itea Project

Rare sugars are seldom found in nature, and the only trees known to have them are iteas, also known as sweetspires.
Now, with the cooperation of people in the community, an effort is underway to promote itea. The initiative is receiving a great deal of attention as a regional revitalization effort.
 

Honorable Mention for Policy at the 2017 Hometown Product of the Year Awards

Collaborative efforts by industry, academia, and government to grow itea received the Honorable Mention for Policy at the 2017 Hometown Product of the Year Awards.

 What are the Hometown Product of the Year Awards?
An awards system that supports products vital to regional futures, as well as efforts to market those products (domestically or internationally) and popularize the region. The awards system, which is government-recognized, does so by raising awareness of little-known regional products and the histories and efforts that support them.

Distributing to students

The project distributed hydrocultured itea seedlings as a teaching resource to elementary and middle school students in the prefecture.

Commercialization and market development

Itea efforts were selected for the Kagawa Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry Support Fund in 2015.

•  Project
  Mass Production of "Rare Sugar Tree" Itea Seedlings, Commercialization of Potted Plants, and Market Development.
•  Project Summary
  The objective is to commercialize itea as the "Rare Sugar Tree" through seedlings and potted plants. Iteas are the only plants that contain the rare sugar D-allulose, Kagawa Prefecture's "Dream Sugar."
  The project will establish mass production of seedlings, and the new rare sugar business will revitalize rural mountainous areas affected by aging and population loss.
•  Cooperating Organizations
  Izumoring, Co., Ltd. and the Sannan Farming Union

 

2. Rare Sugar Koshien Competition

High school students study rare sugar and compete in the Rare Sugar Koshien Competition.
The competition is not simply a presentation of research. It is an educational program that includes research meetings and remote feedback, as well as panel discussions after presenting.
(The event was held from 2007 to 2016.)

10th Rare Sugar Koshien Summary (2016)

• First place: Kyoto Prefectural Katsura High School A
  Theme: Increasing honey production through sugar
• Runner-up: Tokushima Prefectural Jonan High School B
  Theme: Tracking changes in sugar base reactions for different rare sugars, using homemade simple colorimeters (adapted for constant temperature baths)
• Runner-up: Kagawa Prefectural Takamatsu Higashi High School B
  Theme: Effects of sugar type and amount on sponge cake: KSK5-20 activation
• Special mention: Kochi Prefectural Kochi Ozu High School
  Theme: Relationship between sugar structure and reduction capabilities, and applications for preventing discoloration

 

---