Research and Development

Our research and development efforts are conducted in two laboratories: the Food and Drink Development Laboratory, which explores the tastiness of milk-based soft drinks, and the Functional Food and Drink Development Laboratory, where we are examining the health promoting effects of foods. While cooperating with our operating divisions to quickly develop products that respond to customer needs, the two laboratories also pursue the research and development of products that are delicious and that produce the health benefits of natural ingredients such as milk. Both laboratories take advantage of our expertise in applying microorganism technologies such as lactobacillus and Calpis Cultured Milk, upon which the company was founded.
The Food and Drink Development Laboratory, in particular, has been working on research and development across a wide range of fields, from our milk-based soft drinks and fruit juices to teas and alcoholic beverages based our 90-year quest for tastiness, starting from the development of CALPIS and our proven know-how for creating rich flavors.
The Functional Food and Drink Development Laboratory explores foods with evidence-based health benefits, such as Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU), based on our 30 years of studies into cultured milk and intestinal flora. It also introduces advanced technologies for evaluating the functionality of food ingredients.

Calpis strain		Lactobacillus acidophilus L-92 Strain		Decoding chart for the lactobacillus genome

Our work on health-promoting functions began nearly 35 years ago with studies of Calpis Cultured Milk. In the process, we elucidated its effects on lengthening life spans, relieving stress, and improving memory and learning in mice. The discovery of lactotripeptide (LTP) in particular, which contributes to lowering blood pressure, led to the development of Calpis Cultured Milk AMEAL S, a FOSHU. Now, having successfully produced a powdered form of LTP, we have started overseas marketing and discovered a beneficial vascular effect that has the potential of preventing arteriosclerosis.
Calpis is also exploring the potential physiological functions of lactobacillus based on studies of intestinal flora. Focusing on the anti-allergic activity of lactobacillus, we discovered Lactobacillus acidophilus L-92 strain. At academic meetings in 2006, we presented the results of our examination of its effect on hay fever in an artificial pollen dispersal facility as well as its effects on atopic dermatitis.
We will continue to address diverse contemporary health issues, including
anti-metabolic syndrome and anti-aging as well as allegies.