Koiwai Kirin Plus-i Cheese Cubes are fortified with ornithine, an amino acid, which allegedly helps the liver to recover after a night of drinking. One 30g package of cheese cubes contains 400mg of ornithine.
Tom Vierhile, innovation insights director, Datamonitor Consumer, said: “It is very unusual to see a specific snack designated for consumption with alcoholic beverages that also has properties that aid in alcoholic beverage recovery.
“Ornithine is rarely used to fortify foods or drinks outside of Japan, where it has popped up in a few functional non-alcoholic beverages as well as ramen noodle and soup products.”
The cheese product was developed by Koiwai Dairy Products and Kirin Brewery, an affiliate of the Mitsubishi Group. It comes in a ginger and soy sauce flavor.