Meshitsu Produced by RECRUIT What is the difference between "iodine egg and light"? Approaching "Japan's first brand egg" finally released after 25 years of research

I want to try it once, but I have never eaten it. Isn't the leading case "iodine egg / light"?

At one point, it was a brand egg that everyone knew on TV commercials, but I think there are many people, including myself, who "know, but have never eaten." Because it's higher than a normal egg.

However, now that the commercials have stopped flowing recently, what is happening with iodine eggs and light? In the first place, what was the difference between the iodine egg and the shining egg and the normal egg?

This time, I visited Nosan Corporation (actually of the Mitsubishi Corporation Group) at the Landmark Tower in Minato Mirai, Yokohama, and gave the secret to Mr. Ken Goto, the group leader of the marketing group of the iodine egg department, and Mr. Yuri Fukumoto, the chief of the section. I asked.

For the first time in my life, I actually eat iodine eggs and light

Before that, let's eat iodine eggs and light as egg-covered rice. I'm excited about the iodine eggs and light that I eat for the first time in my life.

▲ First, break the shell, which is said to be a little harder than usual.

When I broke the thick shell, a thick egg yolk came out. Putting this on rice will make you happy. After all, eggs are the king of Japanese dining tables.

Crush the yolks that are swelled just like the egg whites and stir with the whites. I'm happy just to see the situation.

By the way, according to Mr. Fukumoto, who has a family word about how to stir eggs, mixing them with air makes them soft and delicious. It is NG to forcefully turn it like I do.

While I was fascinated by the splendid mixture, the iodine egg and light egg over rice was finally completed.

Perhaps because of my mind, it looks yellower than turning it with a normal egg. Am I just poor, or ...

It's finally a real meal. The author who has been waiting for this time without eating rice from the morning. It makes me smile unintentionally.

When you put it in your mouth, it has no unpleasant taste, and the yolk taste is outstanding and delicious. I don't know if there is "3.56 times the richness of an ordinary egg (from a joint research with the Aroma Strategy Research Institute Co., Ltd.)", which will be described later, but it is an egg that you can fully enjoy the satisfaction of eating an egg. thought.

Even with soy sauce, the contrast with the saltiness is outstanding and very good. I really enjoyed the delicious egg-shaped rice.

It took 25 years to release

──How is this iodine egg / light different from a normal egg?

Mr. Goto (honorific title omitted below): To put it simply, the food given to chickens is different. By blending seaweed powder, which contains a large amount of one of the essential minerals "iodine (iodine)", into the food, iodine is transferred to the eggs in the chicken body and is contained in the ingredients to become iodine eggs and light. you know.

── Hoo.

Gotou: We have been conducting research on iodine-containing eggs and health since 1951, and after a research period of 25 years, iodine eggs and light were fully launched in 1976. Since then, I have been conducting research for more than half a century until now.

──It's been a tremendous span of 25 years until the release ... Why did it take so long?

Mr. Fukumoto (henceforth abbreviated title): Originally, we are a feed company, but it was a joint research with a university that we learned the function of iodine eggs. It took a long time because I have been conducting clinical research and basic research since the time of development.

──Is it because you have to be careful in clinical research? Even so, 25 years is long ...

I managed to sell it using Toyama's drug sales method

──How was the reaction when the iodine egg / light was released in 1976?

Fukumoto: I think it was thought to be "high". At that time, one egg was 20 yen, but one egg was sold for 50 yen. It wasn't easy for me to put it in the store.

▲ 50 yen per piece is almost the same as the current price.Price Honor Student

──Iodine eggs and light also had a difficult time.

Fukumoto: At that time, the main egg was 10 eggs, and there weren't many reddish eggs like iodine eggs and light in the first place.

▲ Photo courtesy of Nosan Corporation

Fukumoto: So how do you expand your sales channels when you can't get them to put them in? That was a prescription method like "Toyama's drug sales". With a mechanism to receive money only for the sold amount, the unsold part was collected.

──It's a conscientious measure, isn't it?

Fukumoto: Eggs are a fresh food, so it was difficult to sell them in the same way as medicines with long-term expiration dates, but the number of stores that manage to store them has increased, and they have gradually taken root.

──The hardships have come to fruition.

Gotou: By the way, it wasn't sold nationwide at first, and it was a limited edition product in the Tokyo metropolitan area. This is because it was necessary to gradually expand the farms that could cooperate with us from the metropolitan area.

Iodine egg ・ Why the light is high

── By the way, why are iodine eggs and light so expensive?

Fukumoto: It's often said (laughs). However, iodine eggs use high-grade chicken food, and I have been researching for 25 years before the release, and I am still researching to make good eggs, so I can't help it. Part of the cost will be reflected in the price.

▲ Photo courtesy of Nosan Corporation

Goto: For example, fish meal used for feeding usually contains various kinds of fish in a mixture, and basically there are many lean fish, but chickens that lay iodine eggs and light are said to have a relatively low odor. Since we use only the pale white fish that we have, the eggs also have less odor.

──I'm grateful that there is little fishy odor.

Fukumoto: The cost of white fish itself is high, and there is an additional cost to limit the species of fish. After that, you can only make a farm that has passed 75 check items called "iodine egg / light certified farm", so it costs money.

──Are there any other points that are reflected in the price?

Gotou: The transparent pack of iodine eggs and light is for exclusive use.

──What is the difference from a normal pack?

Gotou: It's designed to protect the quality of eggs, and even if you open the lid once, it can be closed again, so it's difficult to keep it open.

▲ Can be opened or snapped in to close

Fukumoto: The pack is also hard.

── Certainly, it seems safe to hit it a little, so there is a sense of security.

Gotou: Actually, the iodine egg and light itself use only relatively young chicken eggs, so the shell is sturdy.

── Cheek, is that so?

Gotou: Eggs laid by older chickens are becoming more and more thin-shelled.

Fukumoto: The egg whites of the eggs laid by young chickens have a nice swelling.

──You feel better when you break it.

▲ Freshly broken iodine egg / light egg yolk

Gotou: Also, I briefly talked about it during the tasting, but according to the taste sensor of "Taste and Fragrance Strategy Research Institute Co., Ltd.", the richness is 3.56 times that of a normal egg, and the taste is also proven.

──You have lined up selling points in quick succession. It's true that I'm attracted to many things, but I'm still short of money and I still consult with Saifu ...

Fukumoto: (laughs). Iodine eggs ・ Because the price of the eggs themselves is too cheap, rather than the light being particularly expensive.

──It's a whining of Gachi. However, I hear that chicken farmers are really in trouble because the eggs are too cheap, so this may be the more reasonable price. Even this is about 50 yen per piece.

Iodine egg / light even in Popolamama

──Other companies have products that use iodine eggs and light. What kind of products do you have?

Goto: Speaking of famous places, "Fairy tale", a sandwich specialty store, uses iodine eggs and light for egg sandwiches.

▲ Photo courtesy of Nosan Corporation

Goto: The rest is Popolamama, a boiled fresh pasta specialty store. It is used in carbonara and so on.

▲ Photo courtesy of Nosan Corporation

There used to be "iodine egg / light egg bolo"

──It seems that there is also a hot spring egg version for iodine eggs and light.

Fukumoto: Yes. Onsen tamago was born in 1987. At that time, the awareness of iodine eggs and light was increasing, so I reached out to various processed foods.

──What kind of processed food did you have?

Gotou: There were somen noodles in egg bolo, omelet, and egg throat lozenges.

──It's quite a lineup ... I wanted to eat it.

▲ This is "iodine egg / light hot spring egg"

▲ Onsen tamago "Hikari no Ito", a hand-rolled somen noodle made with iodine eggs and light, released in 1987 in the same year.

Fukumoto: Mayonnaise is still on sale.

──What is iodine egg mayonnaise?

Fukumoto: It has a strong taste and is quite popular. We also have freeze-dried soup that you can eat by adding hot water. Actually, freeze-dried soup was a hot topic because there weren't many other companies' products at that time.

Awareness to young people is not good

──To be honest, I haven't done any TV commercials lately, and I feel like I don't ask my name.

Goto: According to the distribution rate, which shows how many supermarkets are placed in Japan, they are still placed in over 80% of stores.

── Over 80% of all supermarkets?

Gotou: Of the many branded eggs, I think the only eggs sold in all 47 prefectures are iodine eggs and light. However, I haven't hit many commercials lately, so it's true that young people's awareness has dropped a little.

──Have you ever changed the situation now and in the past?

Fukumoto: Branded eggs from other companies are appearing more and more. At the time of its release, the only brand eggs were iodine eggs and light, but in the last 20 years or so, the number of competing products has increased at a stretch.

── Certainly, there are various things.

Gotou: I think there are probably more than 1,000 types nationwide.

──Iodine eggs ・ I'm proud of the fact that light is the forerunner, but the number of rivals has increased. Do you have any ideas to make young people aware of iodine eggs and light?

Gotou: Actually, it is not well known, but in order to make you more familiar with iodine eggs and light, we have introduced "Hikarin" as an official character. We are planning to have "Hikarin" play an active role everywhere in the future, so please look forward to it.

Fukumoto: By the way, there are also costumes, which will appear at events.

Gotou: And it looks like this.

──It seems to be popular with children, but it makes me feel sad when I'm doing it in this small room.

Recommended to use raw as much as possible for cooking

──I would like to know if there is something like a simple recipe that brings out the deliciousness of iodine eggs and light.

Fukumoto: I think that the deliciousness of iodine eggs and shining is transmitted only raw, isn't it? is not it. The taste is strong by nature, so you don't have to season it too much.

Gotou: There are quite a few cases where "I'm sukiyaki today, so let's use iodine eggs and light specially."

── Just hearing that makes you feel better. Even if you say that you want to make it luxurious with eggs, it is the difference between 20 yen and 50 yen per egg.

I want to protect the traditional brand that 3 generations continue to eat

──Finally, what is the most important thing in making iodine eggs and light?

Fukumoto: After all, iodine eggs and light are something that people can eat, so I would like to make them while paying close attention to safety so that customers can eat with confidence.

──You should think that a slightly higher price is a relief fee.

Gotou: There are quite a few families who have been eating iodine eggs and light for three generations since their grandmother's generation. "We only eat iodine eggs and light." I want to deliver peace of mind for such people.

I knew it existed, but I don't know what it was. As I got closer to the iodine egg, light, which was near and far away, I wanted to eat more.

Iodine eggs and light are a little higher than ordinary eggs, so they had various additional elements that made me a little more excited. Only for iodine.

Written by: Hiroki Tatsui

A writer and program researcher who likes table tennis, horse racing, and Sapporo Ichiban Miso Ramen. He has been in charge of "Secret Kenmin SHOW" for 7 years and is good at local stories.

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