01
Salt-free 0.0% to low-salt 0.3%
Custom design by use makes it suitable for medical and care foods such as baby food, post-surgery recovery meals and senior meals, and responds to the global low-salt trend.
05 / K-ECO BIO 10 · PIPELINE
Kimchi without salt,
drinks made of a daily metabolome
GRBM MFK is a medi-food kimchi redesigned on a salt-free, functional, bio-metabolic basis; GRBM MFB is a daily metabolic-balance drink made from the liquid metabolome fraction. They are the two lines that meet the mass market first.
In plain words
The heart of GRBM MFK is redefining kimchi, a Korean cultural asset, to the standards of the global health-food market. Traditional kimchi's high salt and strong flavour can limit its global consumer base. MFK eases the sodium burden and raises lactobacilli metabolites and plant bio-components, evolving into a new kimchi for patient meals, baby food, seniors and global wellness while keeping kimchi's own flavour and function.
GRBM MFB turns the liquid metabolome fraction of plant GRBM into a drink. Drinks are consumed often and repurchased readily, so this line can deliver the GRBM platform's mass-market validation fastest.
Both lines sit in the food domain, so commercialization can be relatively fast. Building on the record first proven by kimchi in the first-generation technology, GRBM extends kimchi into a bio-food and drinks into a metabolome platform.
0.0–0.3%Salt-free to low-salt (adjusted in 0.3% steps by use)
~30,000 peopleTastings and market research in 10 countries (2013–2018)
2.36×Consumers' willingness to pay vs. conventional kimchi
532×Maximum dilution of the MFB liquid fraction
GRBM MFK · METABOLIC FUNCTIONAL KIMCHI
Traditional kimchi
as a global medi-food
What consumers worldwide want are enhanced metabolic foods, gut-health bio-foods, low-salt low-burden foods and naturally derived functional foods. MFK answers all four with Korean food. If conventional kimchi used salt to keep harmful bacteria down, MFK is the Korean food of the future, in which VPMI-CM and activated Vital Probiotics lead lactic metabolism.
02
Ideal for kimchi drinks and cosmetic ingredients
0.0% salt-free kimchi needs no desalting step. Kimchi lactobacilli drinks can be made without losing metabolic nutrients, and cosmetic ingredients can skip desalting, avoiding pigmentation problems.
03
Ingredient extensibility
Unlike regular GRBM, which needs fresh young plants, Kimchi GRBM's broth-based metabolic design can use dried medicinal herbs, dried plants and seafood.
04
Fibre, lactobacilli and metabolites activated together
With no salting step, soluble fibre is not lost. Lactobacilli and insoluble and soluble fibre reach the gut alive together, creating favourable conditions for the recovery of gut-barrier cells.
05
"Low salt, high flavour" through taste-cell stimulation
Heightened responses of taste-bud cells make small amounts of flavour feel strongly salty, sweet and savoury, so flavour holds even in a low-salt diet.
MFK LINE-UP
From babies to fitness —
kimchi matched to age and health
| Product | Salt | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Salt-free kimchi for babies | Salt-free | Made without salt for a mild taste; safe ingredients the whole family can share |
| Low-salt kimchi for children | Low salt | A mild taste and balanced nutrition that support children's eating habits |
| Probiotic kimchi | Low salt | Lactic metabolism brings a refreshing, deep savoury taste — a premium kimchi |
| Salt-free salad kimchi for patients | Salt-free | Made without salt; a clean, light salad type |
| Low-salt probiotic kimchi for fitness | Low salt | Low-salt design and beneficial-bacteria metabolism support exercise and a balanced diet |
The flagship plant-lactobacilli salt-free kimchi 300g is made with unsalted cabbage, a seasoning paste based on a broth simmered from natural ingredients, and VPMI-CM. By company tests it contains more than 30 billion CFU of live plant lactobacilli, an insoluble-to-soluble fibre balance of about 10:1 and no detectable coliforms. Eat it lightly like a salad on an empty stomach in the morning, or freeze it as a smoothie ingredient.
- The standing of Korean foodElevates kimchi from a traditional food to a bio-based functional food
- Higher added valueCreates more industrial value than conventional kimchi on a low-salt, functional, bio-metabolic basis
- A wider consumer baseReaches every age and health condition without a salt burden, lowering the barrier to global markets
- A future model for Korean foodA new industrial model combining traditional kimchi with bio-metabolic technology
Proven first at the tables
of about 30,000 people in 10 countries
Trial sales and tastings in 2013–2018 recorded about 2.36 times the willingness to pay of conventional kimchi and a preference score about 20 points higher out of 100.
MARKET · VALIDATION
From hospital meals to vegan tables —
K-Metabolome medi-food
MFK went through trial sales for market research from 2013 to 2018. Tastings combined with market research were held for about 30,000 people in Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, the United Kingdom, Russia, Türkiye and Australia, confirming about 2.36 times the willingness to pay of conventional kimchi and a preference score about 20 points higher out of 100. The social validation record of salt-free and low-salt kimchi is at www.gimchi.biz.
Estimating from the world's main kimchi markets, the company sees room for a market of around USD 3 billion. A major advantage is easy customs clearance even in markets with high trade barriers on foods containing coliforms or with stricter salt standards.
01
Hospital and patient meals
Recovery diets and care foods
02
Senior care and nursing meals
Low-burden metabolic foods for older adults
03
Postpartum and infant nutrition
Growth-stage diets without a salt burden
04
Global vegan and traditional foods
Globalizing plant-based K-Food
05
Functional foods and drinks
Extending into kimchi lactobacilli drinks
06
Bio-cosmetic ingredients
Metabolic ingredients with no desalting step
GRBM MFB · METABOLOME FRACTION BEVERAGE
A daily
metabolic-balance drink
The formal name of GRBM MFB is Green Red BIO Liquid Metabolome Fraction. It is a water-soluble metabolome containing water-soluble organic acids, water-soluble bioactive substances, water-soluble genetic material and plant nutrients, with pH about 3 and acidity around 10%. At its core is a lactic + acetic compound organic acid, joined by a variety of solubilized phytochemicals and plant metabolites. It is designed as a daily medi-food drink aimed at circulation and metabolic balance.
| Item | Standard |
|---|---|
| Dilution | Up to 532×; recommended within 50× |
| Product options | Carbonation, oligosaccharide blending |
| Distribution and storage | Frozen distribution recommended; drink after thawing naturally for about 6 hours below 32 °C |
| Example intake | 50 ml of concentrate as is, or 50 ml of concentrate + 200 ml of water |
The flagship GRBM MFB GINSENG 250ml is made of 97% liquid fraction of the ginseng metabolome (ginseng, VPMI-CM, water) and 3% oligosaccharide. Because saponins create natural sparkle, it was designed in an aluminium can, with no artificial carbonation. Stored chilled at 0 °C, it is proposed as one can to close the day, much as a shower closes it.
- High-frequency consumptionA category with frequent consumption and strong repurchase
- Fast market validationConsumer response, repurchase, cost structure, channel sales and functional-perception data within a short time
- Tens of thousands of variationsMany plant GRBMs make tens of thousands of drinks possible in practice
- Premium useGinseng liquid-metabolome drinks serve daily health care, care food and premium medi-food drinks
Read moreCloseMFB market insight — bio-functional drinks after kombucha
Market overview
According to market estimates cited in company materials, the global kombucha market was about USD 2–3 billion in 2023–2024 and is expected to grow 19–22% a year through around 2030. Interest in gut health and the microbiome, the shift to low-sugar and low-calorie drinks, the mainstreaming of functional drinks, demand for healthy sparkling and alternative sodas, and the spread of subscription distribution are driving this trend. It has already opened a market window for metabolic-balance drinks like MFB.
| Conventional kombucha | GRBM MFB | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Tea, sugar, SCOBY | GRBM liquid metabolome fraction |
| Key components | Gut health, probiotic, low sugar, natural, vegan | Water-soluble organic acids (lactic + acetic), phytochemicals, plant metabolites, nutrients |
| Positioning | Gut-health-centred | A daily medi-food drink centred on whole-body metabolism and circulation |
Opportunities
- Riding a high-growth category with the distinct edge of metabolic balance
- Building a brand on the K-Metabolome and K-Bio story
- Entry into hospital, senior-care, rehabilitation and wellness-centre channels
- Validating the platform through subscription models and data
Challenges and responses
| Challenge | Detail | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer understanding | The idea of a "metabolome" may be unfamiliar | Translate it into simple messages |
| Taste and preference | Acidity at pH 3 and about 10% may divide opinion | Adjust with carbonation, fruit, herbs and oligosaccharides |
| Regulation and labelling | Country-specific functional-labelling strategy is needed | Minimize medical wording and label country by country |
Strategic proposals
- PositioningDaily Metabolic Balance Beverage — a daily circulation and metabolic-balance drink based on plant metabolomes
- Early targetsHealth-drink consumers in their 20s–40s, wellness, yoga, Pilates and healthcare communities, hospital, clinic and care-food channels
- Product structureAfter kombucha: a next-generation bio-drink based on the metabolome
- Data strategyRepurchase rate, intake frequency, felt reviews, survey-based functional perception
Market figures are external estimates cited in company materials; tasting results and product specifications are company records. Example intakes are product-use examples, not medical treatment guidance.
PARTNERSHIP · INVESTMENT
The world's first true eco-bio platform technology —
we are looking for the one partner
After signing an NDA you can review the materials, then verify the original records and the process in person during on-site due diligence in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.