Kugako Sugimoto, NOST Tokyo
Origineel gepubliceerd op de site van Agentschap NL
Samenvatting
Op 4 december 2013 opende de Kinki Universiteit zijn tweede restaurant in Ginza, een van Tokio’s meest exclusieve wijken. Hier kunnen liefhebbers terecht voor tonijn die volledig uit eitjes via aquacultuur is groot gebracht. Eerder opende de universiteit al een restaturant in het westen van japan in Osaka, waar de universiteit is gevestigd. Het sterkste selling point van het nieuwe restaurant is de constante aanvoer van smakelijke en veilige volledig uit aquacultuur afkomstige tonijn. Het restaurant had een goede start omdat december en januari traditioneel de drukste periode voor restaurants zijn vanwege Oud- en Nieuwjaarsfeesten.
Summary
On December 4, 2013, Kinki University opened its second restaurant in the most expensive real estate area, Ginza of Tokyo, to serve tuna that Kinki University aquacultured from the eggs. The university already opened similar restaurant in the western part of Japan, in Osaka, where the university is located. Strong point of the restaurant is its stable supply of safe and tasty tuna using the technology of complete aquaculturing. Business started well because December and January are a traditionally busy period for restaurants in Japan due to year-end and new-year parties.
Details
A-marine Kindai, an academic startup, opened a restaurant to serve completely aquacultured bluefin tuna in Ginza, Tokyo on December 4, 2013. Fully aquaculturing is a technology in which Kinki University first succeeded in 2002 by selecting and crossing bluefin tunas. Conventional aquaculturing starts with obtaining young bluefin tunas from the ocean and bring them up bigger until shipment. The technology that Kinki University developed does not depend on the natural source. At first, eggs are obtained from the aquacultured bluefin tunas. Then, the eggs are fertilized. Fish hatch within 32 hours after fertilization. Hatched bluefin tunas are fed with plankton in a tank on the land. Roughly within 20 days, hatched tunas become fries and are transferred to a fish preserve. Young bluefin tunas will become 300 g with 30 cm length in three months. In three years, a tuna becomes 30 kg with 1 m length and be ready for shipment. When a bluefin tuna is aquacultured for 5 years, it becomes 200 kg with 2 m length and eggs can be taken from it for the next cycle of aquaculture. This technology, independent from the biomass of bluefin tunas in the ocean,creates steady supply of bluefin tunas for the market. Aquacultured tunas do not accumulate considerable amount of mercury in their bodies, which is sometimes a problem with natural tunas in the ocean. Aquacultured tuna meat is safe for consumption by mercury vulnerable pregnant women. However, the full aquaculturing of tuna also confronts many problems. Especially the survival rate in the first 10 days after hatching of bluefin tunas is very low. Even after such critical 10 days, fries decrease their number by cannibalism. In addition, bluefin tunas are very sensitive to noise and easily get panicked until they crash into the net of a fish preserve. Slow development of fins for breaking and steering may also contribute to death by a crash. In the wide ocean, bluefin tunas swim very fast and breaking and steering are not so critical for surviving. In addition, young tunas that still cannot adjust the position with their air bladders die because of sinking to the bottom during sleep. Furthermore, compound feeding can be used for only a certain period of development and fresh food is needed for tuna during other periods. This is expensive and requires more labor. Cost reduction is necessary for permanent business success of aquaculturing bluefin tunas.
The Japanese consume 400,000 ton of tuna and 40,000 ton (10%) are covered by fully aquacultured bluefin tunas of Kinki University. Aquacultured bluefin tunas are considered fatty. Sushi using fatty parts of tuna meat is popular and expensive in Japan. However, other kinds of meat are also demanded by consumers. Adult bluefin tuna of Kinki University consists of 30% of fatty meat (toro in Japanese), 40% of semi fatty meat (chu-toro), and 30% of less fatty meat (akami). In Japan, fish grown and caught in nature is more appreciated than aquacultured fish. An aquacultured bluefin tuna is considered less tasty because of the lack of exercise. However, reception by customers and chefsof Kinki University’s bluefin tuna has been quite good. Ginza is located near Tsukiji, the famous fish market, where high quality fish and a lot of high quality restaurants are present. The restaurant and tuna created by the university need to survive in the real competitive business world just like new grads.
The restaurant also serves as a training place for university students. Some pottery dishes were made by students of art major. Nutrition major students participated in creating the menu. The first trial to serve the research results of the university as food at a restaurant, directly to the customers, was conducted in Osaka. So far, business seems good in Osaka where the university is located. Stakeholders would like to invest profits from the restaurants to further research and development of aquaculturing. Suntory Holdings participates in the management of the restaurants.
Bronnen
Source
1. Fisheries Laboratory, Kinki University
2. Yomiuri Online (Dec. 4, 2013, in Japanese)
Streamer:
University startup opened a restaurant in the competitive business area in Tokyo and serves fully aquacultured bluefin tuna produced by extensive research.
