Amid scorching heat, ガリレイHD’s technology for producing drinkable ice in a slush-like form is drawing attention again for the first time in 28 years. In 1998, the company developed a dedicated refrigerator that chilled sake into a slush-like consistency for drinking.
As “drinkable ice,” a sherbet-like mixture of ice and liquid, draws attention amid increasingly hot summers in recent years, commercial refrigeration equipment maker ガリレイホールディングス developed a dedicated refrigerator in 1998 that chilled sake into a slush-like consistency for drinking. At the time, the company did not envision using it to help prevent heatstroke.
The technology is now being reassessed in light of the effects of today’s heat. Sueda Susumu (末田進), the only engineer at the company who was involved when the technology was developed, recalls that he never imagined it would serve a useful purpose in society, while saying that its usefulness is now being recognized anew.
This reassessment highlights the history and background of the equipment that creates slush-like drinkable ice, and suggests that the connection between ガリレイHD’s accumulated expertise in commercial refrigeration and the demand for beverages during periods of extreme heat is being reconsidered.