A recent decrease in the production of cultivated Neopyropia thalli (nori) and the processed product (dried sheet) have fueled demand for development of unique and highly competitive nori products in Mie Prefecture. Currently Neopyropia yezoensis (Susabi-nori), showing excellent growth characteristics, was mainly used for nori cultivation in Japan. Until the 1940s,however, Neopyropia tenera (Asakusa-nori), which had the advantage of high commercial value for excellent flavor and taste but the disadvantage of susceptible to environmental changes and disease, was mainly cultured in Japan. Wild Asakusa-nori thalli was discovered in the estuary on the coast of Ise Bay in Mie Prefecture in 2011.On this occasion, a new project for the revival of Asakusa-nori cultivation was initiated. Firstly, some candidate varieties suitable for cultivation were selected from wild Asakusanori thalli and the biological characteristics (e.g., growth, release of monospores) of each varieties were clarified by a laboratory culture tests. Secondly, quality control and evaluation techniques for Asakusa-nori thalli and the processed dried sheets were developed, because this thalli were cultivated by diverting a part of the Susabi-nori farming sites. As a result of the project, approximately 280,000 sheets of the Asakusa-nori were produced in Mie prefecture in 2016, and the its average unit price was four times higher than that of dried sheets of Susabi-nori. Dried sheets of Asakusa-nori produced in Mie Prefecture have been registered the trademark as ”Ise Asakusa-nori" and differentiated from general Susabi-nori products by the branding.
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