Foodex Japan 2026, held in Tokyo from 10/3 to 13/3, brought together businesses from 74 countries and attracted over 80,000 professional visitors. Amid global supply chain demands for stringent preservation standards, processing technology solutions from Vietnam emerged as a highlight at this year's event.

At the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition area, Sasaki Smart Technology's booth continuously welcomed partners from Japan, Europe, and the US. The company, with 25 years of experience, showcased its technology ecosystem, which focuses on preserving nutritional content and food aesthetics.

Sasaki expert explains dryer features to customers at the exhibition. Photo: Sasaki

Sasaki expert explains dryer features to customers at the exhibition. Photo: Sasaki

The core technology attracting significant interest was closed-loop cold drying. Unlike traditional thermal methods, this system operates in a low-temperature environment with independent dehumidification, helping agricultural and aquatic products retain their color and aroma. Additionally, a two-stage deep freezing solution helps preserve the cellular structure of raw materials before drying, preventing product deformation or quality degradation.

Notably, the system integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT with thousands of automatic drying programs. This enables businesses to optimize processes for specific raw material types, reducing reliance on manual operation and ensuring consistency for industrial-scale batches.

At the booth, visitors directly experienced high-value nuts such as: macadamia, coffee, Riti ancient chrysanthemum, organic arrowroot powder, and many other specialty agricultural products. The dried spice powders, turmeric starch, and arrowroot starch achieved high fineness, retaining their natural color and original essential oil content.

Flower teas and medicinal herbs were also showcased at the booth. Chrysanthemums, in particular, retained their shape, minimized crushing, and preserved their aroma thanks to the closed-loop cold drying technology.

Processed Vietnamese agricultural products were showcased at the event. Photo: Sasaki

Processed Vietnamese agricultural products were showcased at the event. Photo: Sasaki

According to food industry experts, mastering drying technology is the key for Vietnamese agricultural products to move beyond raw export segments. Deeply processed products have high economic value, meeting stringent technical barriers to enter global retail systems.

Throughout the fair, many international F&B businesses from Japan, Asia, Europe, and the US discussed cooperation to apply this technology in areas such as: processing valuable medicinal herbs to optimize active ingredients, producing instant seafood according to Japanese standards, and supplying industrial food ingredients.

Sasaki connected with many international businesses and partners at the event. Photo: Sasaki

Sasaki connected with many international businesses and partners at the event. Photo: Sasaki

A Sasaki representative stated that the combination of precision mechanical thinking and digital technology helps Vietnamese products meet the demands of partners who value strategic aspects, such as Japan. "When combining quality raw materials and appropriate processing technology, Vietnamese agricultural products can fully conquer the most demanding markets," the representative emphasized.

(Source: Sasaki)