Sapporo Introduces Zero – Worlds First Purine-Free Beer

TOKYO (Nikkei)–Sapporo Breweries Ltd. plans to begin sales June 19 of what it bills as the world’s first beer free of purines, a family of compounds that cause gout. 

Targeting health-conscious consumers, the Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (2501)subsidiary employed unique technology to reduce the amount of purines to 0.00mg per 100ml by mixing water-soluble fiber into the malt and hops. The product also contains less than 0.5 gram of sugars per 100ml. 

The beer has an alcohol content of 4% and comes in 350ml and 500ml cans. It carries no suggested retail price, but the 350ml can is expected to go for around 140 yen in stores. Sapporo Breweries plans to sell 2.2 million cases this year.
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