Providing the same quality as freshly cooked rice, Fuwarica’s sweetness and savoriness values exceed Commercial Rice Cooker/Jars
Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd.(Head office: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Toru Taniguchi; hereinafter SUZUMO) has obtained the CE and UKCA marks for its flagship product, the rice-serving machine Fuwarica GST-RRA, and will begin full-scale sales not only in Japan but also overseas from 2025.
In order to convey the exceptional quality of what Fuwarica produces, we have conducted taste survey, which was distributed in Japan on October 31, 2024
About the Taste Survey
The survey was conducted on Friday, October 11, 2024 at Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd. Tokyo Office Showroom under the supervision of the Taste Professor. The survey setting was a self-service buffet. Freshly-cooked rice, the 30th bowl of rice one hour after putting the rice into the Fuwarica GST-RRA, and the 30th bowl of rice one hour after putting the rice into a general Commercial Rice Cooker/Jars were served, and a taste analysis was performed for each. The tastes were then compared.
Survey Results:
"Freshly-cooked Rice" Sweetness: 2.66 Savoriness: 2.22
"Rice-Serving Machine Fuwarica" Sweetness: 2.65 Savoriness: 2.20
"Commercial Rice Cooker" Sweetness: 2.38 Savoriness: 1.97
The taste analysis chart showed that more than 95% of people could recognize the significant difference of the sweetness and savoriness of rice: "Freshly-cooked Rice" and "Rice-Serving Machine Fuwarica" surpassed " Commercial Rice Cooker" by far.
AI Taste Sensor "Leo" rated the freshly-cooked rice’s sweetness and savoriness as higher than the average, which was 2.5 and 2.1 respectively.
The rice that had been left in Fuwarica for one hour was significantly sweeter and more savory than the rice that had been left in the Commercial Rice Cooker for one hour. The numerical results showed that it was possible to provide a delicious taste that Fuwarica was able to provide a delicious taste that was just as good as freshly-cooked rice.
The Taste Professor has also provided his thoughts on this survey.
Survey Thoughts: Ryuichi Suzuki, CEO of OISSY (aka Taste Professor)
Sweetness and Savoriness: “Freshly-cooked Rice” and “Fuwarica 1 hour” > “ Commercial Rice Cooker 1 hour”
The following two reasons are thought to be the cause for the results.
Temperature Stability and Humidity Control
Fuwarica does not open or close after rice is added until the next refill, so its temperature does not change and the rice stays warm and moisturized, maintaining its quality. On the other hand, the Commercial Rice Cooker is opened and closed, and the rice is stirred with a scoop before it is served. This facilitates heat loss and accelerates rice deterioration.
Rice-handling
With Fuwarica, the rice is stirred and measured using a unique mechanism, and is served fluffy and airy, giving it a soft texture that makes it easier to taste. On the other hand, with the Commercial Rice Cooker and rice scoop, the rice grains tend to be affected by the strength of stirring and the pressure applied when serving.
About the AI Taste Sensor "Leo"
"Leo" is an AI Taste Sensor that can quantify human taste, developed by OISSY CEO Ryuichi Suzuki (nicknamed Taste Professor). A significant difference in taste value is 0.2 points or more (what 95% or more people can recognize).
https://oissy.jp/
Survey Background
In Japan, rice is not only a staple food, but an important factor in determining the deliciousness of the entire dish. Furthermore, a fluffy presentation plays an important role both visually and in terms of texture.
Some people say that anyone can easily serve rice with a rice scoop, but it is actually difficult to serve fluffy and airy rice. In fact, the Rice-Serving Machine Fuwarica has been widely used in many restaurants in Japan, that values the deliciousness of the rice mixed with the sauce or roux, such as in curry and rice bowl dishes.
Reference: Customer Implementation Cases in Japan (Japanese article)
About the Rice-serving Machine Fuwarica
Fuwarica gently loosens rice without kneading it. Fuwarica can automatically and hygienically serve a fixed amount of rice by simply pressing a button. In addition, Fuwarica has evolved to meet customer needs, such as having advanced options for making rice balls and strengthening the heat and moisture retention functions.
The GST-RRA has evolved further to be used in various rice-serving situations, such as improving visibility and ease of use by adopting a large LCD touch panel, strengthening heat retention and moisture retention performance, displaying the remaining amount of rice, and providing a continuous serving function. The main unit is compact in size and does not require any special equipment or installation work other than an outlet, so it can easily replace a Commercial Rice Cooker and has been highly evaluated to have an immediate effect on resolving labor shortage issues.