The demand for omija (fruit of Schizandra chinensis) makkolli of the Sonhung Foodstuff Factory is on the rise.
In general, makkolli presents a refreshing taste for the good combination of sweet and sour tastes and it contains various nutritive ingredients.
As one of Korean national drinks, makkolli has undergone development in kind with its recipe getting varied in the long historical period.
“There has been a great endeavour to develop makkolli into functional drink on the domestic front since several years ago. And we have also added pharmacological action by putting omija into the traditional recipe,” said chief engineer Tu Song Hui.
Omija was named thus in the meaning that it has five tastes such as sweet, bitter, salty, hot and sour tastes.
Growing in sunny places near groves in the mountainous areas which are 200 to 1 600 metres high above sea level, the fruit of Schizandra chinensis contains protein, fat, glucide, minerals, vitamin C, amino acids, sugar, lignan compound, organic acid, essential oil, saponin resin, pectin and tannin.
The Korean people have long used omija as the raw material of Koryo medicine, jelly, liquor, juice or tea.
“We succeeded in the development of a new fermentation method with original fragrance in the course of repeating research and experiment to develop functional makkolli from omija,” said Yun Ryon Mi, chief of the technical preparation section.
The introduction of this method into production is said to have improved alcohol, sugar content, acidity and other quality indexes of omija makkolli.
Its alcohol content is less than 10 percent and sugar content is about 2 percent.
Omija makkolli, in which natural smell and taste are well harmonized with sweet and sour tastes of the traditional makkolli, is getting popular.
When one drinks omija makkolli in midsummer, it stops thirst and sweating and relieves the tight chest. Drinkers say that they quickly recover from physical and mental fatigue and it is efficacious for the treatment of such diseases as coughing, panting, diabetes, cardiac infarction and arteriosclerosis.
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