"LB Bulgaricum" and "Meiji" create a joint world-class research laboratory in Bulgaria

At an official ceremony in the presence of the Minister of Economy and Industry Dr. Petko Nikolov and the Ambassador of Japan to our country H.E. Hisashi Michigami signed a contract creating a world-class joint research laboratory in our country between LB Bulgaricum and Meiji.

The main goal of the laboratory will be the additional research of the beneficial ingredients of Bulgarian sourdough and to look for new scientific evidence for the healthy properties of Bulgarian yogurt.

The executive director of the Bulgarian state milk processing company "LB Bulgaricum" Zhivko Zhivkov and the managing executive director for scientific and development activities and a member of the board of the Japanese corporation "Meiji" Shigeru Taniguchi signed a 10-year contract for a strategic partnership and the creation of the first joint research laboratory in the field of lactic acid bacteria. The agreement foresees that in the new scientific center, which will be located in Sofia, joint research and development activities will be carried out by scientific research teams of the two countries.

One of the main focuses of the research will be the bacterial species Lactobacilus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilius, which are of Bulgarian origin, isolated on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and are its exclusive property. The new scientific center will provide work with the most modern high-tech equipment and the most modern methods for discovering new health benefits from the use of Bulgarian yogurt, as a product that is a national treasure.

"Today is an important day for bilateral Bulgarian-Japanese relations. We are creating something that will go down in history," said Minister Nikolov during the contract signing ceremony. "We expect that the joint scientific center of "LB Bulgaricum" and "Meiji" will become a basis for creating extremely valuable innovations for human health", commented the Minister of Economy. He emphasized that the signed contract will build on the fruitful cooperation achieved so far between companies and will continue in the future.

"This is a significant step forward not only for our company, but also for the Bulgarian dairy industry, which will continue to establish itself on international markets. I thank our partners from "Meiji" for the constructive dialogue - together we look in one direction, dedicated to the mission of popularizing Bulgarian yogurt around the world", said the executive director of "LB Bulgaricum" Zhivko Zhivkov.

For his part, the executive director of research and development and a member of the board of the Japanese corporation "Meiji" Shigeru Taniguchi indicated that the best Japanese researchers will be sent to our country.

LB Bulgaricum and Meiji have more than 50 years of established traditions and partnership. Thanks to them, yogurt with Bulgarian sourdough, made under the license of our national milk processing company, has been produced in Japan for decades. The signing of the contract for the joint research laboratory is accepted by both parties as a confirmation and continuation of the successful partnership so far. The official ceremony, which was held at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Dr. David Sukalinski, representatives of DCK and the Japanese corporation.