Professor Develops Technology That Can Turn Udon Into Paper

JAPAN NEWS

Kagawa University professor Naotaka Tanaka holds a sheet of paper made from Sanuki udon in Miki, Kagawa prefecture, Japan.

TAKAMATSU, Japan >> A new technology in which udon noodles are turned into paper has been developed in Kagawa prefecture, famous for the chewy Sanuki udon, and preparations are underway to put the tech to practical use.

Naotaka Tanaka, a faculty member in Kagawa University’s Agriculture department, developed the process that involves blending udon, water and an enzyme to produce glucose. The glucose serves as a nutrient to cultivate microorganisms, which in turn produce cellulose membranes. The membranes form paper when dried.

Kagawa refers to itself the “Udon Prefecture” with good reason — it has the most soba and udon restaurants per 10,000 people in Japan.

Sanuki udon takes time to cook, so it’s common for restaurants serving the noodle to boil it in advance. But since Sanuki udon eventually loses its chewiness and flavor, it needs to be consumed on the day it is prepared. Often, large quantities of noodles are discarded at the end of the day. When converted to a flour equivalent, more than 3,000 tons are wasted each year.

Tanaka said udon-based paper can be made easily, without papermaking equipment. Five to 10 sheets of A4-size paper (roughly 8-1/4-by-11-3/4 inches) can be produced from one serving of udon. The udon-based paper is thinner than standard copier paper and up to 10% of its weight. It does not tear easily, is water resistant and can adhere to surfaces when dampened.

A social welfare corporation has taken over product development and is manufacturing uchiwa fans (a traditional hand-held fan). Next year, it will market Marugame Uchiwa, a specialty of Marugame city in the prefecture, using the paper.

“A wide range of products can be made using the paper. I want to make this a new specialty product unique to the ‘Udon Prefecture,’” Tanaka said.

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