February 20, 2025
Keio University
A research team from Keio University, including Ken Ogasawara (a fourth-year student in the Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology), Ying Huang (a researcher at the Keio Leading-edge Laboratory of Science and Technology (KLL)), and Kenji Miyamoto (a professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology), in collaboration with the National Kiero Promotion Council, has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the microbiota in the substrate of Kiero composters collected from various parts of Japan, identifying the microorganisms involved in the decomposition of food waste. Furthermore, their analysis of the Kiero substrate revealed that it contains high concentrations of plant nutrients.
These findings are considered a significant achievement for scientifically understanding how food waste is decomposed in Kiero composters. Moreover, they provide crucial foundational information for enhancing the functionality of Kiero, namely, for the development of a "Super Kiero."
These results will be presented at the annual meeting of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry on March 8, 2025.
For the full press release, please see below.