The Sapporo Grand Hotels brand of soups takes pride in providing products with sustainably-sourced ingredients that are at the peak of freshness. The soups are carried by GRANVISTA Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd., a premium hotel brand synonymous among Japanese consumers with top quality. Thanks to a packaging innovation called NutraSave from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, Sapporo Grand Hotels soups retain their fresh taste and remain shelf-stable in retort packaging for up to 18 months, all without preservatives.
The Sapporo Grand Hotels brand of products includes corn, pumpkin and onion soups, as well as hearty salmon, snow crab, and scallop porridges. The brand promise for consumers is to provide flavors, textures and aromas that live up to expectations of what would be served at the famous classic Sapporo Grand Hotel.
“Quality is very important to us,” says Akiko Sato, manager, sales and product development with GRANVISTA Hotels & Resorts. “Our products are additive-free, and we use Hokkaido’s local ingredients such as corn, pumpkin, milk, cream, and butter,” she adds, referring to the Japanese island from where the ingredients are sourced.
However, keeping soups fresh tasting without preservatives is a challenge because of oxygen, which degrades colors, textures and tastes and ultimately leads to food spoilage. To counteract the effects of oxygen, Sapporo Grand Hotels used to package soups in an aluminum pouch and subjected them to a rigorous 120-degree Celsius sterilization. But this strategy was not without its problems.
“This heating process used to cause a browning reaction to the dairy products in our soups,” says Sato. She notes that when the company heard Mitsubishi might have a packaging alternative that would resolve this headache, they went into testing immediately.
TECHNOLOGY MAINTAINS FRESHNESS FOR THE LONG HAUL
Mitsubishi’s NutraSave is an oxygen absorbing resin component that is incorporated into packaging film. Unlike traditional barrier films, NutraSave absorbs the oxygen that remains in packaging during and after the retort heating process. As a result, products such as soups and stews, dips, sauces, prepared meals and other fresh products can remain shelf stable for extended periods without degradation to color, texture or taste.
The NutraSave technology is particularly useful for natural and organic brands in which few if any preservatives are used. Because the technology protects food during the retort process from oxygen, manufacturers do not need to add sodium or other flavorings that are usually supplemented to foods to counteract the effects of retort. Additionally, vitamins such as Vitamin C are protected and do not lose their nutrient value.
When Sapporo Grand Hotels began using NutraSave, they were able to extend shelf life up to 18 months. But, importantly, the product was able to retain the original freshness without preservatives.
“This is exactly why we switched to this product,” says Sato. “It can maintain the freshness during the shelf life period without changing the color of the product, and our customers have responded positively by remarking on the soup’s fresh taste.”
The NutraSave technology was recently introduced in North America and is currently available for packagers and converters.
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