Takii & Company, Limited

A dried vegetable series using Phyto-Rich

We produced dried vegetables using vegetables from the Phyto-Rich series developed by Takii & Co., Ltd., known for "vegetables with a good reason." From that series, we have commercialized "Kyo Kurenai carrot," "Orange carrot," "Healthie okra," "Bentenmaru spinach," "Benihoshi mizuna," "Kodomo Piman," and "Frutica tomato."

What is Phyto-Rich?

Takii's "Phyto-Rich" series grew out of a research project launched in 1995 aiming to make vegetables that balance "deliciousness" and "health." After years of variety development, it has been rolled out in earnest since 2010, and the brand comprises varieties with enhanced functional components that vegetables naturally carry, such as lycopene, lutein, GABA, and anthocyanin, or with functional components they do not originally contain.

これらの成分が含まれることで知られており、ファイトリッチではそれらを豊富に含むことで付加価値を高めています。現在はトマト、にんじん、ピーマン、玉ねぎ、白菜など多様な品目がラインアップされ、一部は機能性表示食品としての展開も進んでいます。健康志向が高まる現代社会において、“おいしくて体によい”という理想を体現する、次世代型の野菜ブランドです。

See articles about Phyto-Rich here

Examples when made into dried vegetables

The Phyto-Rich series each has its own character even fresh, but drying draws out an even deeper flavor. This time, we introduce concrete examples of using especially distinctive items after drying.

Orange carrot in herbal tea and fiber-infused water

Fresh Orange carrot is sweet enough to juice as-is, but drying changes its flavor, and beyond a clean sweetness, a herbal aroma comes to the fore. Making use of that aroma, it can be enjoyed as fiber-infused water with rich flavor simply by adding it to water, and it also has a track record as a material for herbal tea.

See the product page for dried Orange carrot here

Bentenmaru spinach, made into powder for health foods

We gently dried "Bentenmaru," which has little harshness and a firmly felt sweetness and umami. Drying accentuates its vivid color and rich flavor, and turned into powder it can be used in drinks such as aojiru. Its mellowness, unique to a variety with little bitterness, brings out a flavor that other spinach cannot offer.

See the product page for dried Bentenmaru spinach here

Toward the future of dried vegetables

Drying vegetables from the Phyto-Rich series leads to discoveries such as new flavors that cannot be experienced in the fresh state. Beyond concentrating umami and aroma, drying also raises shelf life and processing suitability, enabling use across a wide range of applications such as drinks, sweets, and prepared dishes.

Proposals are expanding that make the most of the appeal and convenience unique to drying, such as enjoying aroma as herbal tea or fiber-infused water with Orange carrot, or making powder for aojiru and smoothies with Bentenmaru spinach. Valuing the Phyto-Rich philosophy of balancing "deliciousness" and "health," we will continue to broaden the possibilities of dried vegetables and deliver new value and color to the table.