As part of the activities of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the BIOTECH Japan (BTJ) Corporation, the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) headed by its Director, Dr. Mario V. Capanzana visited Niigata, Japan on April 17-22, 2017 for the Project entitled “Verification Survey with the Private Sector for Utilizing and Disseminating Japanese Technologies for Low Protein Rice for Dietary Therapy of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in the Philippines”.
Relative to this, Dr. Imelda AngelesAgdeppa, DOST Associate Scientist is currently implementing the study on the quality of life of non-dialyzed and dialyzed patients with CKD after consumption of low protein rice and recipes in Metro Manila and Luzon hospitals. Likewise, Ms Marcela C. Saises, Senior Science Research Specialist of FNRI is conducting the stability study and monitoring the quality of the low protein rice produced at First Philippines Industrial Park in Tanauan City, Batangas by BIOTECH Japan-Philippines (BTJP) Corporation.
The purpose of the Japan visit is centered on the progress of the lowprotein rice project as BTJ Corporation presents various Japanese food processing technologies including the low protein rice and Japanese culture. More than this, the group had the opportunity to visit Kikusui Sake, Co. Ltd., Niigata Agricultural Research Institute and Food Research Center and attended academic symposium about Japanese dietary therapy method and recent rice researches at the Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University and Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, respectively. The visit to Niigata, Japan is a great avenue to meet and establish global public-private networks for R&D and strengthen FNRI’s partnership with JICA and BTJ Corporation.
