A revolution to promote global health through hot springs
ONSOH RG92

‘RG92’, a new species of algae discovered in 2011 in the Beppu Hot Springs of Oita Prefecture. A type of ‘extreme environment microorganism’ capable of surviving in harsh conditions such as ultra-high temperatures and strong acidity, this algae possesses the remarkable ability to promote immune system normalisation. Following 16 years of medical research on humans, this technology is now set to be applied at the forefront of the aquaculture industry, starting with Nishikigoi.From improved survival rates and weight gain to stress reduction, all eyes are on this new challenge where biotechnology and koi farming techniques converge. We spoke to Shigeru Hamada, Chairman of SARABiO Hot Spring Microbial Research Institute Co., Ltd., who discovered RG92 and has conducted research on it for many years, and Eisuke Nishimura, Representative Director of Takara Kogyo Co., Ltd., the product’s distributor.

—RG92 has recently come into use among producers and is attracting a great deal of attention. Could you tell us what exactly it is?
Hamada: RG92 belongs to the same family of algae as kelp, wakame and mozuku in the sea, and Euglena, Spirulina and Chlorella in freshwater. It is a type of algae we discovered in the hot springs of Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, where our company is based.
—I imagine there are many types of algae, but was it specifically the algae known as RG92 that proved to be the most effective?
Hamada: That’s correct.As there are a wide variety of microorganisms present in hot springs, we spent two and a half years collecting samples from hundreds of different hot springs, examining them under a microscope and analysing over 200 types of hot spring microorganisms. RG92 stood out for its safety and efficacy, and we named it ‘RG92’ after ‘Regeneration Gateway 92’, which signifies ‘the 92nd path to regeneration we discovered’.

Mr Kiichiro Hamano (left) of Takara Kogyo Co., Ltd., the distributor for the RG92, and
Mr Eisuke Nishimura, the company’s representative (right). Mr Shigeru Hamada (centre), Chairman of SARABiO Co., Ltd. Hot Spring Microbiology Research Institute, who discovered the RG92 and has been conducting research on it for many years.