Novel food items

Canned kalderetang itik. Lambanog flavored with pineapple, coffee, prunes, and others. Bottled ginger-based juice drinks.

These are but among the additions to the country’s dynamic "food world", thanks to technological interventions by the DOST through its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP).

Over the past two years when SET-UP was launched through the initiative of DOST headed by Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro, many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been assisted, with a number of them becoming exporters.

Beneficiary of the kalderetang itik technology is the AHG Manufacturing owned by Angelica Guerrero in Makati City.

Through the Industrial and Technology Development Institute (ITDI) and the DOST-National Capital Region (NCR), DOST has extended technical assistance to AHG in product standardization and canning process, including packaging and labeling.

AHG is now commercially producing kalderetang itik initially for the local markets. It plans to further venture into canning other ethnic delicacies.

The DOST Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC)-Quezon has also assisted the Capistrano Lambanog Distillery in Tayabas, Quezon, in acquiring a new distillation setup through a financial assistance (with minimum interest) under SET-UP.

Capistrano, whose products are sold as souvenir or gift item, now targets to increase its volume of production (18,000 gallons of distilled coconut wine per year) by 20 percent.

The firm’s lambanog are now flavored with prunes, pineapple, coffee, blueberry, cinnamon, and lipote.

PSTC-Quezon, together with the Packaging Research and Development Center of the Philippines (PRDCP), has developed six new label designs for the new flavors.

Another product displayed at the NSTW exhibit in Legazpi City was ginger juice drink of the Tri-Tea Food Products Corp. based in Quezon City.

Now called Ginja Twist, it is a unique drink that combines the natural goodness of fresh fruits and ginger’s health benefits.

Assisted by DOST-ITDI, Tri-Tea is now producing six flavors (pineapple, mango, strawberry, guava, guayabano, and dalandan) of ginger-based drinks.

Last January, Tri-Tea proprietor Marites Sy told this writer, they began exporting their product to the United States, Guam, and Saudi Arabia.

Ginja Twist, according to its developer, relieves indigestion and flatulence, prevents nausea and vomiting, reduces joint pains and muscle spasms, improves blood circulation, prevents sore throat and bacterial infection, increases heart beat strength, and invigorates sex drive. – Rudy A. Fernandez