What is an Oblate Disc?

Oblate discs, pouches and squares are all different forms of one product: Japanese edible film.

This is a very thin film made from potato starch. It’s used in candy-making, cooking, and for wrapping doses of powdered medicine.

In that respect, they’re similar to capsules but they perform much better.

Video example of how to use oblate films

That’s because oblates are made completely of gelatinized starch. So when they’re filled with powder and dropped in water, the starch turns back into gel.

The gel then acts as a barrier between the powder and your tastebuds, becoming slippery and soft.

It also forms to your throat, allowing you to swallow large amounts of powder while barely noticing it.

Where Did Oblate Paper Come From?

The first oblate discs were very hard pucks of bread or rice cracker, identical to the communion wafers you see today at a religious mass. These hard wafers were brought over to Japan by the Dutch sometime in the late 1800s.

The exact history before the 1900s is lost, but they became popular across the world as way to take medications by mouth without suffering the taste.

If you’re thinking, “how the heck did they use hard crackers to swallow medicine?” Then you’re not the only one.

The procedure went like this:

Pour water onto a plate or into a cup
Add a hard oblate cracker and let it soften in the water
Pour a little powdered medicine on the center once it’s soft
Fold the softened wafer over to cover the medicine
Swallow the wafer and water together

However, these hard oblate wafers were imported and expensive at the time.

Interesting Fact: an oblate is a person that’s dedicated themselves to God’s service.. meanwhile, oblate also describes the shape of a flattened sphere. So, the first communion wafer oblates likely got their name from similar meanings in their origin language.

The origin of the Flexible Oblate Disc

In 1902, a doctor named Masataro Kobayashi from Mie Prefecture in Japan commercialized the “flexible wafer” when he developed a method for producing softer oblates from starch and agar. Supposedly the invention happened by mistake while cooking with agar for the New Year, when he spilled some on a hot iron kettle.

This flexible oblate paper won the gold medal at the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition, spreading all over the world at once. At the time, he used a liquid softener to make it flexible. By 1922 they had developed a dryer production method, more similar to how it is produced today.

How Oblate Discs are Made Today

Today’s production is much more technical, and each manufacturer closely protects their trade-secrets.

But generally, a starch-water mixture is combined together and rapidly dried to a moisture level between 10% to 15%.

Here, the gelatinized starch can easily stay fresh for more than 5 years.

Some brands add oil and soy lecithin to improve strength and make it easier to remove from the drying racks.. but this can have a detrimental effect on powder absorption.

Starches take longer to digest in the body than other foods, so unless an oblate breaks open in the stomach, it may actually delay and hinder absorption of the powder! So an oblate film needs to be made just right.

That’s why we only produce the thinnest, starch-only films that always break open within seconds of consumption.

Likewise, the thickness must be changed depending on what it’s used for. For confectionaries and candy such as the Japanese Dagaishi (“penny candies”), the thickness is around 40 μm.

If being used for medicine or powder consumption, the thickness varies between 10 and 20 μm.

Blate Papes are the thinnest edible film at just 10 microns.

There are very few companies left today that produce oblates. This is likely due to the modernization of capsule-making equipment used by drug companies and manufacturers.

It’s no secret that hard capsules and pills can better withstand the transportation of consumer drugs.

However, in every other aspect, especially filling and swallowing, oblates are king.

With advancements in oblate production and shipping, they’ve been becoming more popular. This can be attributed to a healthier, more natural mindset, the first USA-based oblate film brand, and the rise of a popular imported pain-relief herb known as Kratom.

The Rise of Oblates: Kratom

Kratom is a leaf from the Mitrygina Speciosa tree, which grows wild across Indonesia. These leaves are dried and ground into a very fine powder and imported in mass to be resold in the US.

To produce effects, it requires the user to consume quantities typically ranging between 2 and 6 grams. Because of this, oblate discs are a very popular method for consuming kratom.

More About Kratom

There is a lot of misinformation floating around the internet about kratom and its effects.

Kratom is a partial opioid agonist, meaning that it partially affects the same receptors as our natural endorphins and prescription painkillers do.

But unlike prescription painkillers, kratom has an immensely lower abuse potential. The leaf can only be ingested orally, and must be done in quantities greater than 2 grams.

In addition, it has a ceiling effect. So taking more won’t produce a stronger effect for the user. This also makes it a highly effective tool in fighting opioid addiction.

In terms of natural, legal pain relief, you won’t find a better substitute.

For more information on kratom, it’s effects, and how to purchase it, we recommend visiting our close friends over at Otie’s Botanicals. They’re high atop the list of most trusted kratom distributors in the USA.

The Rise of Oblates: Fitness Supplements

Because of their ability to hold more than multiple capsules, their very high ease of use, and being more pleasant to swallow, oblate films have risen in the health and fitness sector.

This also has to do with holistic, herbal remedies becoming popular. There are many herbs that people take daily for general health that go better in oblate films.

Examples include turmeric, matcha, maca, camucamu, reishi mushroom, ashwagandha, wheatgrass and spirulina.

Compared to pre-made capsules and drink mixes, single-ingredient powders are cheaper and healthier. There are no added artificial sweeteners, flavors, nor colors, and no unnecessary fillers, calories, nor carcinogens.

Few people realize that their “health and fitness” supplements contain cancer-causing ingredients. Some examples are Saccharin, Apartame, Red #3, Red #40 and Yellow #6.

Who Uses Oblate Paper?

Oblate films serve many needs, but currently they’re only known within certain niches.
The most common are:

Kratom Users - Because of the nature of the herb and the quantity it’s consumed in, kratom users are the prevailing oblate paper consumers. In 2018, the estimated amount of kratom users in the USA alone was 0.8% of the population, or about 3 million people. This number has already grown substantially.
Fitness and Gym-goers - In 2019, it was reported that there were 64.19 million gym memberships in the USA alone. This represents another high percentage of the US population that can appreciate the health and savings benefits oblates propose for pre-workout products, BCAAs, EAAs, Creatine, etc.
Health Conscientious Consumers - At the prices paid for typical health products, oblate films are the better choice in terms of saving money and dodging the food additives/carcinogens. In 2017, it was estimated that a staggering 170 million Americans take dietary supplements.
Those with Trouble Swallowing Pills - Just as kratom users avoid that unpleasant taste of their powder, those with trouble swallowing hard capsules and tablets see a huge benefit in using oblates. Many bariatric surgeons recommend their patients permanently switch to using Blate Papes to avoid difficulties ingesting.
Chinese Herb Users - Chinese herbs are also consumed in quantities that benefit from oblate films. Hollistic medications, herbs, teas, etc. are all popular uses.

Different Types of Oblate Products

Oblate paper comes in a variety of shapes and forms, each with their advantages.

Oblate Discs

Oblate Disc, Takikawa Oblate — Oblate Disc,
Takikawa Oblate

Oblate discs are the most widely-known oblate type. This is likely because the shape comes from the original hard oblate rounds over a century ago.

Today you’ll most commonly find them in packs of 200 sheets.

Oblate Squares

Oblate squares are thin and flat like discs, but with a square shape.

The biggest difference between the two is that squares can hold more. This is because squares naturally have a larger surface area than circles, given the same cross-section (diameter).

This makes oblate squares the better choice in terms of versatility, usability and capacity.

Oblate Pouches

The most convenient type is the oblate pouch.

It comes in a miniature ice-cream cone shape, typically accompanied by a small stand to hold the open end upward, allowing them to be easily filled.

Our oblate pouches come with more per pack, two stands and a wooden spoon to fill your powders.

Oblate Cups

Oblate cups are similar to oblate bags in terms of convenience, but they tend to be much more expensive. Some come in the shape of a tiny cupcake-paper mold, so they stand upright and can be easier to close.

Overall though, their capacity is less than that of the pouches. So when paired with the price, they aren’t nearly as popular.

Oblate Jelly - Colored and Flavored

You may be wondering.. “wait… whaaat?” Well, you read that right. Oblate jelly is a thing in Japan. It’s most popular for use with children, in that it helps make taking bitter medicine “fun.” It comes in a pack similar to a Capri-Sun, and is usually fruit-flavored to make it more pleasant.

Ingredients also vary a lot from the starch found in typical oblate films, with the most popular brand sporting Erthyritol and a host of other artificial additives.

These can be convenient to help a child take their meds when they’re a tough sell, but other than that purpose, it’s hard to justify the high prices for what’s basically a packet of mushy Jell-O.

Oblate Powder

“Oblate powder” is actually a common food ingredient in Japan, which shows how engrained oblate paper is into their culture.

It comes in large bags of the gelatinized edible film ground down into small shavings. This ends up looking like a shiny fairy-dust.

Apparently it produces a texture that natives swear by when added to confectionaries and snacks.

As for flavor, don’t expect much.. oblates are tasteless by design.

Oblate Disc Imposters – “Glutinous Rice Paper”

People sometimes generalize Japanese edible film by calling it “rice paper,” or they mistake “glutinous rice paper” for oblate paper. But this is not the case.. oblate films are not Chinese rice paper.

Glutinous rice paper is not a natural product, and it’s not produced in an environment necessary for food production and packaging.
This rice paper can’t function the same as oblate film because it’s too thick, it’s cut too small, and it’s made with improper and unverifiable ingredients.

Additionally, all glutinous rice paper comes from the same factory with no food quality controls, no FDA involvement, no certification bodies’ approval, no quality management systems in place, and within very poor, unsanitary environments.

We recommend avoiding anything labeled as rice paper and/or glutinous rice paper. At the very least, always ask questions about where the product comes from, the actual ingredients, and who produced it.

Note: Glutinous rice paper isn’t the same as the rice paper you see at some grocery stores. Those are much thicker and used for wrapping foods such as spring rolls and dumplings.

Other Uses for Oblate Film

Molecular Gastronomy (Scientific Cooking)

Japanese edible film can be used in other awe-inspiring ways when cooking. Molecular Gastronomy is a scientific approach to cooking and nutrition, taking into account how cooking at certain temperatures affects the food in various ways.

In 2009 at el Bulli, a restaurant in Catalonia, Spain, Chef Ferran Adrià made famous a recipe called “Disappearing Raviolis” which consisted of 3 oblate film raviolis stuffed and sealed with pine nut praline and pine cone oil.

This became an icon of the restaurant and caused a resurgence in oblate film’s popularity among culinary professionals and restaurants worldwide. This recipe requires oblate squares like ours to be stuffed and heat-sealed shut.

This is possible because although oblate films dissolve in water, they withstand oils, fats, and other low-moisture content foods.

Where Can I Find Oblate Paper Today?

Online

Most oblate paper is bought and sold in Japan. In fact, all companies that sell authentic oblates must first import them to be sold here in the US.

Blate Papes are custom-produced to our own specifications by the most trusted manufacturer in Japan. This ensures a unique, quality product unmatched by the standard generics sold today.

However, you can find these generic discs via popular online marketplaces such as Amazon, ebay, Walmart, etc. If going this route, we personally recommend only the BOC brand of generic oblates. These are the same product and manufacturer as the better-known PIP brand, but they cost less.

(click here for their Amazon product page).

For oblates in the USA, oblatepapers.com (which is this website) and Amazon generally have the best prices. But ebay has unique varieties sometimes.

For countries such as the UK, Australia, Germany, France, currently our shop and ebay are the only available options.

In terms of English instructions, labeling, media content, etc., Blate Papes is the only brand available. For more information on how they compare to the generic brands, you can read our product description pages in the Blate Papes online store.

Local

If you’d like to find them locally, it’s very likely that there’s a retailer near you that carries our films. Blate Papes are sold at many nutrition stores that sell health supplements, herbs and powders, as well as local kratom retailers (also called hookah, cbd, smoke, and tobacco shops) all over the USA.

Call, message, or visit your local supplement store or smoke shop to see whether or not they carry our films!

The Future of Oblate Film

It is our opinion that oblate paper is still very early in its adoption cycle. Although it’s been around since the 1800s, it hasn’t seen widespread adoption over the world like it has in Japan. We strongly believe that’s because most people don’t know they exist.

But with the holistic, natural-first approach to “healthy” becoming more prevalent, consumers will continue to rethink their own diets and search for healthier alternatives. We’re going to ensure that when they do, they’ll find our oblate films ready for them.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Oblate Discs

What is an Oblate Disc?

Where Did Oblate Paper Come From?

The origin of the Flexible Oblate Disc

How Oblate Discs are Made Today