Food manufacturers play classical music to enhance products
By Kim Bo-eun
Sunyang, a soju manufacturer based in the central city of Daejeon, has seen a sharp rise in sales of its barley-based alcoholic beverage Mackiss in recent months. The drink, which serves as a base for cocktails, only started selling at discount chains and convenience stores nationwide in March but is rapidly gaining popularity. According to the company, 19,513 of its 333 milliliter bottles were sold in March, 54,516 in April and 66,000 in June.
“Consumers who’ve tried the drink probably wonder what differentiates Mackiss from similar alcoholic beverages of other companies,” said Im So-young of the production management team. According to Im, the answer lies in the fermentation process of the product.
“Sunyang has been playing classical music during the fermentation process since 2006. There definitely is a difference between products that have been exposed to music and those that have not,” she said.
Based on Japanese author Masaru Emoto’s claims that the molecular structure of water is affected by the resonance of the energy that is directed at it, the alcohol manufacturer started playing beautiful, serene music to enhance the quality of its alcohol product.
“Classical music enhances the refreshing quality of the alcoholic beverage, and purifies the color and smell of the drink,” Im said.
Daesun, a soju company based in Busan, obtained a patent in 2008 for its soju formula, which utilizes musical sound waves converted into vibrations.
At its factory, a transducer converts sound waves into physical vibration energy that breaks down the large clusters of water and alcohol molecules. The smaller particles create a smooth and mild-tasting diluted-style soju, which would conventionally require a much longer aging process, a company official said.
The use of music in manufacturing is not limited to alcoholic beverage makers.
Since 2004, confectioner Crown-Haitai has been playing music during the yeast fermenting process of its Ivy cracker, which has been a steady seller over the past decade.
Starting in 2000, the company attempted to apply music’s effects on activating organisms in biscuit products. Using 16 pieces of classical music that are commonly played for prenatal care and that are known to activate the human biorhythm it sought to enhance the environment for yeast fermentation. These pieces included “Spring” and “Autumn” of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song,” Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Handel’s “Largo.” The company converted these musical pieces into vibration modes.
As a result, the multiplication of the yeast and lactic acid bacteria in the dough grew by 2.5 to 8 times. Lactic acid, which enhances the taste and smell of the product, increased while propionic acid, which gives a bad sour taste, decreased.
“The activating effect of music on microorganisms, which was demonstrated by the Ivy cracker, surpassed our expectations,” said an official at Haitai’s research lab.
“We expect that the fermenting techniques of microorganisms through the use of music will make a significant contribution to the confectionery industry at a time when the domestic market has matured,” he said.
Jeju Samdasoo, Korea’s top-selling bottled water, has also been playing classical music in its production lines. It says music makes the water form beautiful hexagonal crystals that make it taste better.
Food maker Daesang plays music during the aging process of its food brand Chungjungone’s soy sauce product, made at its factory in Sunchang, North Jeolla Province. Studies have been published domestically that demonstrate the effect of music converted into vibrations on fermented food and suggest that the vibration fermentation formula is applicable to traditional Korean foods such as bean and red pepper paste, soy sauce and kimchi.
While most of the music played falls under the classical category, one company plays a different genre. Mango Six, a dessert cafe specializing in mango-based beverages, plays reggae music during the aging process of the mangos. According to the company, fruit exposed to music contains higher sugar content. Reggae music is part of the brand’s concept and is played at its stores across the nation.
Cost-effective strategy
The food and drink makers mentioned in this article, which play music during the manufacturing process of their products, either cited experiments they conducted or referred to studies that have been published on the topic.
While more research needs to be conducted in the field, existing studies around the world show that music has an effect on activating organisms. A livestock experiment by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries showed that exposing dairy cattle to music enhanced their milk production by 2 to 3 percent. Studies are also being conducted in Japan on music’s effect on plant husbandry and food product manufacturing, where music converted into vibrations is being widely used.
A number of companies also cited Masaru Emoto’s claims about external factors’ effects on water molecules. Emoto’s books have become bestsellers here with a children’s book version having been additionally published, but critics have dismissed his ideas as pseudoscience.
While the scientific grounds of Emoto’s claims remain questionable, and there is much room for further research on the topic, analysts say that food makers playing music in manufacturing their products does more good than harm.
A researcher at the Korea Food Research Institute said the strategy is a cost-effective way of improving the image of not only the product but also the company.