Deep seawater (DSW) is one of sustainable resources. There are 15 stations for pumping up it in Japan and it is utilized in many kinds of fields now. DSW has the specific position different from other sustainable resources because there are many kinds of useful substances for human life in it in addition to the cold energy. Today, we can see many kinds of souvenir food products using DSW in the local areas where DSW is pumped, however there is little scientific evidence of the utility value of DSW, particularly in the confectionery field. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the value of DSW utilization in the production of red bean paste which was universally used in confectionery. In this process, DSW was utilized in the removal of astringent substances from red beans, which is important in producing red bean paste. As a result, it was suggested that DSW was able to successfully remove astringent substances from red beans while also increasing softness and preventing discoloration; effects which were superior to using salt water of the same concentration.

View full abstract

Nutrient-rich deep-seawater has been pumped from Suruga Bay to a coastal site of Yaizu city, Shizuoka Prefecture. The deep-seawater contains high amounts of nitrate and it potentially alleviates nutrient limitation of seaweed growth. In this study, the effects of nitrate concentration, irradiance, and water temperature on nitrate uptake rate in juvenile Eisenia nipponica sporophytes were investigated. Nitrate uptake kinetics were fitted with Michaelis‒Menten’s equation. The maximum nitrate uptake rate (Vmax) and half-saturation concentrations (Ks) were 0.024 μmol cm－2 h－1 and 11.3 μmol L－1, respectively. The relationship between the nitrate uptake rate and irradiance exhibited an exponential curve, and the maximum uptake rate was 0.033 μmol cm－2 h－1, at an irradiance of 400 μmol m－2 s－1. Under dark conditions, no nitrate uptake was observed. The effect of water temperature on the nitrate uptake rate was parabolic curves showing a maximum nitrate uptake rate of around 13.5℃. Since nitrate concentrations in the Suruga Bay deep-seawater were consistently higher than 20 μmol L－1, the deep-seawater has a great potential to meet the nitrate demand of E. nipponica sporophytes.

View full abstract

There are many clinical reports describing symptoms improving with deep seawater (DSW) supplementation in various kinds of diseases today. However, we have not been able to find any information about this improving mechanism yet. On the other hand, it has been well known recently that ER stress is present as the foundation of every disease. In our past study concerning the calcification of normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) caused by UVA irradiation, we reported the suppressive effect of DSW on the calcification. As its functional mechanism, it is postulated that apoptosis of NHDF induced by ER stress stimulation would be suppressed by DSW supplementation. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the pathway from the stimulated ER stress to the induction of apoptosis in NHDF by UVA irradiation. Furthermore, the supplementation effect of DSW was also analyzed in that pathway. As a result, it was suggested that ER stress of NHDF was induced by UVA irradiation, leading to apoptosis of NHDF. In addition, it was suggested that the apoptosis was suppressed by DSW supplementation, although the ER stress was not suppressed by it. From these results, it was suggested that the improvement mechanism of a clinical condition by DSW in many clinical reports might be based on the suppression of apoptosis induced by ER stress.

View full abstract

Deep ocean water (DOW) is applied in various applications because it is rich in nutrients and minerals and has excellent cleanliness and low-temperature as well as high stability. However, most of them were limited to apply nutrients and cleanliness, and there were few examples of the use of stable low temperature energy. In the amid growing interest in the recent SDGs particularly on the goal 7 “Affordable and Clean Energy” and the goal 13 “Climate Action”, the current achievements and future prospects made by Wooke Co., Ltd. for the application of DOW as a cold heat source will be described. By using low the temperature of DOW for air-conditioning, CO2 emission was reduction extensively, and the warmed DOW was then applied for aquaculture without heating which saved fuel cost greatly.

View full abstract