Wakayama
Industry Promotion Foundation
Hisaji Taniguchi
Born in Hashimoto, Wakayama prefecture in 1947.
Graduated from the Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University.
PhD in Engineering from the Organic Chemistry Course of, the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University.
Wakayama Prefectural Industrial Research Institute (now Industrial Technology Center of Wakayama Prefecture)
Regional Core Organizer, Advanced Regional Research, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Chemical Engineering Director, Industrial Technology Center of Wakayama Prefecture
Research Administration, Development of Cooperative Research between Industry, Academia and Government, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology at the Wakayama Industry Promotion Foundation
Visiting Professor, Osaka Prefecture University and Wakayama University
I was born in the northeastern part of Wakayama Prefecture and lived in Kouyaguchi-Town near the Kino River over which supplies used to be carried by boat to Mt. Koya and Yoshino. My father worked in the dye industry. At the factory near our home there were deadly chemicals like dyes and bleaching powder within arms reach. In my childhood days, I thought playing with chemicals (making ink erasers, etc.) was fun. I was a very curios child that sought adventure and was often exploring.
I went to university and started on a path of theoretical organic chemistry. After graduating from graduate school, I went to work at a prefectural test lab instead of an academic school for various reasons. About 19 years ago when I took the secretariat position of a pan-industry social program that Wakayama Prefecture was sponsoring, I met people from the local food industry. I was asked if there was anything effective material that could be done with byproducts from rice bran oil refining and consequently got involved with that. While doing detailed analyses, I successfully developed the world’s first method for producing large quantities of highly pure ferulic acid at low cost. Ferulic acid is drawing worldwide attention today: it is permitted as a nonchemically synthesized food additive and cosmetic ingredient for absorbing UV rays, and is applied to the development and use of industrial plastics and food ingredients. Rice, which is the theme of this symposium, was the key to developing ferulic acid and, by using the same basic framework that linked the molecules of this ferulic acid, we may be able to make synthetic compounds for IT and other industries from plants around the world and possibly ease our dependence on coal and oil that are blamed for air pollution and global warming with just resources found locally.
I myself understood the importance of health when kidney dialysis became necessary for me. Themes that use rice for health and disease prevention point to the prospects of using the power of chemicals to deal with the planet’ s worsening conditions (increasing CO2 levels, etc.). I am hoping that this symposium will bring some answers to the future of mankind as we discuss the theme of “rice and disease prevention.”
| Hobbies: | I recently started painting. I also play go and shogi, which I learned to play while I was hospitalized. |
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| In Wakayama: | Because I am local here, I would like to take everyone to Mt. Koya and get them to try sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves. |