Natural water from the Northern Alps
Known as Japan’s rooftop, the Northern Alps boast some of the heaviest snowfalls in the world – in some areas, the snowfalls are 10m deep. This huge volume of packed snow penetrates deep into the ground as the year passes, and becomes cool, clear natural water. Kirea Water uses this cool, clear, delicious natural water as its base.

Toyama’s deep sea water
Deep sea water is pure sea water from more than 200m below the surface.The light of the sun cannot penetrate to these depths, and the plankton that feeds off of the nutrients and minerals in the water cannot survive there. This means that the minerals and nutrients remain in the water. However, deep sea water is still sea water, and cannot be consumed as is. It is first necessary to remove the large amounts of sodium chloride and other components that give it such a salty taste. Goshu Yakuhin is a pioneer in the field of sea-water processing, and was the first company in the nation to successfully use three-stage water separation technology.

Kirea Water includes concentrated mineral water, which contains the essence of ocean minerals separated and concentrated from Toyama’s deep ocean water using our technology.

Water quality tests performed over a period of years have shown that Toyama’s sea ocean water, taken from sea waters more than 333m deep, is maintained throughout the year at around 2 degrees Celsius, and demonstrates microbial and physiochemical safety. 

Kirea Water includes a wealth of components from the rich ocean, which is the origin of life.

High purity milk oligosaccharide
Because oligosaccharides are contained in table sugars and in many other foods for sale, most people think that they are naturally sweet. However, lactosucrose, a component of milk oligosaccharide, is not at all sweet. Like starches, it has a plain flavor. The sweetness of oligosaccarides is a byproduct of the manufacturing process and nonreactive raw materials. Lactosucrose is produced through an enzymatic reaction between the raw materials lactose and sucrose (sugar). But with purification methods up until now, it has been impossible to remove monosaccharide byproducts and the raw material sucrose. About half of these remained, becoming sweet oligosaccharide.

Kirea Water is meant to be consumed as a mineral water, and it is problematic if it tastes like sugar water. Using the latest technology, we were able to add refined high purity milk oligosaccharide. High purity milk oligosaccharide contains more than 90% lactosucrose. Consequently, the sweetness this high purity milk oligosaccharide is about 1/10 that of sucrose, and when added to Kirea Water, the total sweetness is equal to approximately 1/10 the amount of the smallest sugar packet added to 500ml of water. When drinking Kirea Water, you are barely aware of any sweetness. 

Lactosucrose is not broken down by digestive enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, but passes through to the large intestine, where it can be utilized by Lactobacillus bifidus. Meanwhile, harmful bacteria such as the Welch bacillus cannot make use of it.

Lactosucrose provides a better environment than other oligosaccharides for promoting the growth of helpful Lactobacillus bifidus bacteria, and the increase in this bacteria improves the gastrointestinal condition, while suppressing the production of toxic substances inside the intestines by harmful bacteria.

First functional water to be approved as a designated health food
Because designated health foods (known as tokuho for short in Japanese) are useful in reducing the risks caused by lifestyle diseases and other problems, it is possible to display the health services they provide in maintaining the body, etc.
「Kirea Water is the first functional water to be approved as a designated health food.」