木头制成的面条，你想吃吗

 　　Japan has created some interesting and innovated¹ products like selfie sticks, Bento lunchboxes and now, wood noodles.

　　日本创造出了不少奇趣产品，比如自拍杆、便当，还有如今的“木制面条”。

　　A textile company, that makes fibre rayon, is taking the term ‘going green’ to a new level by using cloth-making technology to turn tree pulp² into noodles.

　　一家生产人造纤维的纺织公司打算把做衣服的技术应用到食品上——用树浆做面条，达到了践行“绿色生活”的新高度。

　　Omikenshi, based in Osaka, is turning indigestible cellulose that’s mixed with konjac into fiber-rich flour, which the company calls ‘cell-eat’.

　　大阪的“Omikenshi”公司将把混合了魔芋的不易消化的纤维素，加入到富含纤维的面粉中，他们称之为“胞食”。

　　木头制成的面条，你想吃吗

　　Konjac,also known as ‘Devil’s Tongue’, is a yam-like plant grown in Japan, and is used in making other Japanese noodles like Shirataki noodles.

　　魔芋也叫“魔鬼之舌”，是一种生长在日本的植物，跟芋头很像，常被用来做芋丝面等日本面条。

　　Omikenshi’s cell-eat is fat and gluten-free, low-carb alternative.

　　Omikenshi的这种“胞食”不含脂肪和谷蛋白，碳水化合物含量也低，是很好的替代食品。

　　It has just 27 calories per pound, compared to 1,538 calories in a pound of wheat.

　　相比一磅小麦的1538卡路里，它每磅只有27卡路里的热量。

　　Omikenshi is betting on a health-food market worth 1.2 trillion yen³ in 2013, more than double the level two decades earlier according to Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency.

　　据日本消费者事务署统计，2013年Omikenshi在保健食品市场投资1.2万亿日元，是20年前的两倍多。

　　‘We’re entering the food business,’ said Takashi Asami, manager at Omikenshi’s strategic material development department in a recent interview.

　　Omikenshi战略物资发展部经理村上麻美在采访中说：“我们将进军食品行业。”

　　“Demand for diet food is strong and looks promising⁴, while the Japanese textile market is saturated⁵ and threatened by rising imports’.

　　“减肥食品的市场需求很强，这一市场很有前景，而日本纺织品市场已经饱和，且面临进口增加的威胁。”

　　Asami noted⁶, other noodles that use konjac aren't flying off shelves, but the wood pulp adds more flavor and texture⁷ that the other noodles are lacking.

　　麻美指出，目前市面上的魔芋面条不够畅销，但木浆面条为市场注入了新的风味和口感，而这正是其他同类产品欠缺的。

　　Omikensh plans to spend about 1 billion yen on manufacturing cell-eat in its textile plant.

　　Omikensh公司计划在“胞食”项目上投资10亿日元，在其纺织品工厂投入生产。

　　Production of the fiber-rich flour is set to begin next year at 30 tons a month.

　　富含纤维的面粉将于明年投产，计划每月产出30吨。

　　‘It can be used as a substitute for wheat in products ranging from ramen, pasta, and Chinese dumplings,’ Asami said.

　　麻美说：“它可以作为小麦的替代品，替代你饮食中的拉面、意大利面和中国饺子。”

　　‘We are discussing exporting it to China in the future as obesity⁸ is becoming a major problem for children there.’

　　“我们正在商讨未来将它出口到中国，因为肥胖在中国已经成为儿童的主要健康问题。”

　　Vocabulary

　　konjac：魔芋

　　fly off shelves：畅销

　　ramen：拉面

1 innovated   

v.改革，创新( innovate的过去式和过去分词 )；引入（新事物、思想或方法），

参考例句：

• He innovated a plan for increased efficiency. 他引进提高效率的（新）方案。 来自辞典例句
• We are using innovated metal detector which is imported from the U.K. 本工厂有先进的生产设备，拥有从英国进口的金属探测机。 来自互联网

2 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

3 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

8 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。