Are You Eating Real Wasabi or Just Coloured Horseradish?

Vancouver Island, BC (November, 2012) - Most North American sushi lovers have never tasted real wasabi (wasabia japonica). The spicy green paste that you have with your sushi is most likely a mixture of horseradish, starch, mustard, and food colouring. The fact is, real wasabi is rare, expensive and has remarkable healing qualities you may not be aware of.

Pharmaceutical research has identified naturally occurring compounds in wasabi that show promise in treating a wide variety of ailments such as allergies, eczema, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease – a $200 billion dollar Biomedical market (Journal of Neurochemistry, 2008, 107, 1248-1260).

However, the demand for authentic wasabi in the biomedical and culinary industries exceeds supply. Aside from the challenge of producing enough wasabi within its limited Japanese ecosystem, elevated radiation levels in the wake of Japan’s 2011 nuclear accident continue to impact the quality of harvest, reducing the number of plants for sale (http://www.good.is/posts/feast-your-eyes-radioactive-wasabi). The ability to grow wasabi in a greenhouse is the solution to providing contaminant free, commercial quantities to fulfill market demand.

Dr. Brian Oates, PhD Botanist, Scientist/Wasabi Expert

But can it be done? Historically grown in shade-covered streams, wasabi has been notoriously difficult to grow outside of its natural environment – until now. Backed by decades of research and development, government relations with the USDA, EPA, Health Canada and AAFC, wasabi is no longer limited to the streams of Japan. Successfully growing for six years on multiple sites, PhD Botanist Dr. Brian Oates of Pacific Coast Wasabi Ltd. has replicated a natural environment where conditions are carefully controlled - a proven “recipe” for producing high-grade wasabi in a greenhouse.

This proprietary technology has placed the industry at the precipice of an innovative transition from small-scale farms to successful mid-scale commercial production. Savvy investors are recognizing this commercial growing system as an environmentally sustainable breakthrough for the wasabi production industry.

For information about participating in the Vancouver Island commercial production site, contact:

c/o Pacific Coast Wasabi Ltd
Michael Naprawa
250-751-7917
michael@viwasabi.com
www.wasabia.com