History of Natto and Its Relatives (1405-2012 - SoyInfo Center

would be E-G, G-A, E-G. “Nato [sic, Natto], pronounced
nah-toe, is a bean [fermented soybeans] used in the morning
one-dish meal. When it is mashed, seasoned with raw egg
and fi nely chopped onions, and heated, the Japanese eat it
in quantity, washing it down with green tea.” They are now
ready for the day.
In the early after, the “tofu (bean curd) seller, also rides a
bicycle and makes a querulous wailing sound that apparently
has the appeal of the Pied Piper, for small children inevitably
follow his slow progress down the lanes.”
269. Salle, A.J.; Jann, Gregory J. 1945. Subtilin–An
antibiotic produced by Bacillus subtilis. I. Action on various
organisms. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental
Biology and Medicine 60(1):60-65. Oct. [13 ref]
• Summary: Bacillus subtilis secretes subtiline, an antibiotic
against Microbacterium tuberculosus. “In general, Gramnegative
organisms [which are often pathogenic] were not
appreciably affected by B. subtilis.”
Table 1 shows “Organisms susceptible to the action of
B. subtilis.” Table 2 shows “Organisms not susceptible to the
action of B. subtilis.” Address: Dep. of Bacteriology, Univ.
of California, Los Angeles.
270. Senryôki shuppanbutsu: Ryôri to eiyô. 15 vols.
[Publications of the occupation period; Food and nutrition.
15 vols.]. 1946-1951. Japan: 13-26 cm. [Jap]
• Summary: Chapter (or volume) 8 of this book is Nattô no
gôriteki seizôhô (Rational natto production), by Yamazaki
Momoji and Miura Jirô.
This is a collection of publications mostly from the
censorship collection of Allied Forces for occupation (1945-
1952); this group contains works on cooking and nutrition.
271. Inoue, N. 1946. [On the substance of so-called Bacillus
natto and utilization of the natto]. Eiyogaku Zasshi (Japanese
J. of Nutrition) 6:88-89. [Jap; eng]*
272. Taira, T. 1946. [Proteinase of Bacillus natto
(preliminary report)]. Oyo Kingaku (J. of Applied Mycology)
1:84-87. [Jap]*
273. Chevalier, Auguste. 1947. Cultures nouvelles et cultures
qui disparaissent en Afrique Occidentale [New crops
and crops which are disappearing in West Africa]. Revue
Internationale de Botanique Appliquee et d’Agriculture
Tropicale 27(293-294):134-38. March/April. [Fre]
• Summary: Soya is listed among the new crops. “Soya
(Le Soja; Soja max Piper = Glycine soja Zuccar.) in the
indigenous cultures of black Africa in some regions: Upper
Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, South Nigeria, and Cameroon. It is the
colonial administrations which have extolled the crop and
have distributed the seeds. Thirty years ago the soybean was
completely unknown in black Africa, even at the agricultural
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 134
experiment stations. The fi rst acclimatizations succeeded
poorly. It was necessary to introduce the root nodule bacteria
in pure cultures in order to have them sown on lands
where soya was cultivated for the fi rst time. Next, it was
necessary to investigate the varieties suited to the various
tropical climates. The crop was developed in West Africa
at the stations of Bingerville at Sérédou (French Guinea),
at Dschang (Cameroon), in Nigeria, etc. In Côte d’Ivoire it
is only from 1940 that this crop has been propagated and
spread among the indigenous people.
“Only 4 varieties have given good results: Haberland
[Haberlandt], an old European variety, Bingitt 27 and Bingitt
29, and Mocara black [Mocara noir], originally from Java
(Roland Portères). These varieties have spread among the
indigenous people of the high plateaus of Cameroon, to
the south of the Adamawa (l’Adamaoua), and in French
Guinea, the region of Macenta and in Upper Côte d’Ivoire,
near Bobo-Dioulasso, Banfora, Sikasso, etc. The indigenous
people have used them to make fermented pastes to replace
the Soumbara [also spelled “Soumbala” in later documents],
a condiment prepared with the seeds of Parkia. However the
plant does not seem to be able to contend with peanuts for
export. Meanwhile, according to Portères, soya has a certain
and promising future in the Mossi [in what is today central
Burkina Faso] and in certain mountainous regions of black
Africa.
Note 1. This is the earliest reliable document seen
(June 2004) concerning soybeans in Côte d’Ivoire, or the
cultivation of soybeans in Côte d’Ivoire.
Note 2. This is the earliest document seen (Jan.
2012) that mentions Soumbara (also called Soumbala or
dawadawa), a condiment made from soybeans instead of the
traditional Parkia seeds. Address: Professeur honorare au
Museum national d’Histoire naturelle de Paris, France; and
publisher of this journal.
274. Horvath, A.A. 1947. Produits fermentés et antibiotiques
au soja [Fermented products and antibiotics from the
soybean]. Revue Internationale du Soja 7(41-42):79. July/
Aug. Presented at the First European Soy Congress, 16
March 1947. [Fre]
Address: Professor, Princeton Univ., Princeton, New Jersey.
275. Osaki, J. 1947. [Antagonism of Bacillus natto to
pathogens]. Oyo Kingaku (J. of Applied Mycology) 2:47-52.
[Jap]*
276. Ozawa, J.; Takeda, A. 1947. [Fermentation of pectin.
II. Relation between pectin and processing of food]. Nogaku
Kenkyu (Agricultural Research) 37:52-53. (Chem. Abst.
44:7460). [Jap]*
277. Taira, T.; Itami, F. 1947. [Some properties of the
proteinase of natto]. Oyo Kingaku (J. of Applied Mycology)