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

New soybean food materials and their industrial
production: New soybean food materials, usage of new
soybean food materials, future of new soybean foods, other
food uses of soybeans.
Natto and its industrial production: Process of natto
making, equipment for natto production, natto production as
an industry.
Miso and its industrial production: Varieties of miso,
Process of miso making, miso production as an industry,
industrialization of miso making, distribution of miso, future
prospect of demand for miso, mycotoxins and fermented
soybean foods.
Shoyu and its industrial production: Process of shoyu
making, shoyu production as an industry, nitrogen utilization
ratio in shoyu making, special shoyu.
Figures show: (1) Flow sheets of production of
traditional soybean foods in Japan: Tofu, kori-tofu, yuba,
kinako, natto, miso (with koji), shoyu. (2) NK-type soybean
cooker (by courtesy of Kikkoman Shoyu Co. Ltd.). (capacity:
1 metric ton of defatted soybean meal). (3) (3) Continuous
cooker of soybean meal (by courtesy of Yamasa Shoyu Co.
Ltd.). (capacity: 1 metric ton of defatted soybean meal per
hour).
Photos show: (1) Tofu soaked in water for sale. (2)
Large-scale tofu factory (by courtesy of Tokyo Tofu Co.,
Ltd.). (3) Continuous cooker of ground soybeans (by
courtesy of Masuko Sangyo Co., Ltd.). (4) Decanter, a
kind of continuous centrifuge (by courtesy of Kokusan
Seiko Co., Ltd). (capacity: 3,000 kg of ground soybeans
per hour). (5) Factory of packed tofu from spray-dried
soybean milk (by courtesy of Nippon Tanpaku Kogyo Co.,
Ltd.). (6) Continuous deep-fryer of aburage (by courtesy
of Iwase Tekkosho Co., Ltd). (capacity: 1,000 to 1,500
pieces per hour). (7). Daiya Kori-tofu (Left one in the dish
is swollen by hot water). (8) Bird’s-eye view of large scale
factory of kori-tofu (by courtesy of Misuzu Tofu Co., Ltd).
(capacity: 10 to 15 metric tons of soybeans per day). (9)
Soaking of large cake of tofu for precooling during making
of kori-tofu (by courtesy of Misuzu Tofu Co., Ltd). (10)
Continuous freezing equipment used in making of kori-tofu
(by courtesy of Misuzu Tofu Co., Ltd). (11) Continuous
thawing apparatus of frozen tofu (by courtesy of Misuzu
Tofu Co., Ltd). (capacity: 10,000 to 15,000 pieces per hour).
(12) Yuba plant (by courtesy of Ohara Co., Ltd). (13) Natto
mixed up by chopsticks. (14) Inside of fermentation room
for natto making (by courtesy of Suzuyo Kogyo Co., Ltd).
(15) Two brands and varieties of miso, both in plastic bag
and on dish. (16) Rotary cooker of soybean (by courtesy of
Hinode Miso Co., Ltd). (capacity: 1 metric ton of soybeans).
(17) Continuous rice cooker (by courtesy of Hinode Miso
Co., Ltd). (capacity: 1.5 metric tons of rice per hour). (18)
Rotary koji fermenter (by courtesy of Miyasaka Miso Co.,
Ltd). (capacity: 1.8 metric tons of rice in each fermenter).
(19) Pasteurizer of miso (by courtesy of Nagata Machinery
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 186
Co., Ltd). (capacity: 1 metric ton of miso per hour). (20)
Fermentation tank of moromi [mash] (by courtesy of
Kikkoman Shoyu Co., Ltd). (capacity: 1.5 metric tons of rice
per hour). (21) Shoyu in large glass bottle and smaller plastic
container. (22) (22) Large-scale koji fermenter (by courtesy
of Yamasa Shoyu Co., Ltd).
Concerning natto: The surface of each natto “soybean
is covered with a viscous sticky substance, which has the
property of forming long stringy threads when mixed up
(Photo 13). The longer the strings, the better the quality of
natto.” The texture of the cooked soybeans is softened by
the enzymes of Bacillus natto. About 50,000 metric tons
of soybeans are used each year to make natto. It is most
popular in northeastern Japan (Tohoku region). Natto is
fairly perishable, and excess ammonia will be produced by
overfermentation. There are about 1,300 plants that make
natto in Japan; the average plant consumes about 100 kg/day
of soybeans. Recently, however, large, mechanized factories
that consume 2-3 metric tons/day of soybeans have been
constructed. From 10 kg of whole dry soybeans about 18 kg
of natto can be made. One package of natto containing 100
gm costs 15-20 yen (about 4-6 cents U.S.).
Note: This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Jan. 2012) that uses the word “sticky” to describe
natto. Address: Food and Nutrition Div., Food Research Inst.,
Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry, Tokyo, Japan.
543. Hesseltine, C.W.; Wang, H.L. 1969. Fermented soybean
foods. In: Proceedings of the Third International Conference
on Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology. See p. 403-20.
Held 7-14 Dec. 1969 at Bombay, India. [11 ref]
• Summary: Contents: Introduction: The three fundamental
drives of man (food, shelter, reproduction), benefi ts of
soybean fermentation. Sufu. Hamanatto. Natto. Tempeh.
Magou (now made in South Africa on a modern industrial
scale from fermented corn and soybeans). Address: Northern
Utilization Research and Development Div., USDA, Peoria,
Illinois.
544. Fujita, Mitsuo; Yoshikawa, Yôzô. 1969. Nattô no
bitamin B-2 seisei to ryûsan ion no shôchô [Vitamin B-2
production and the rise and fall of sulfate ions in natto].
Mimasaka Joshi Daigaku Kiyo No. 2. p. 64-72. [Jap]*
545. Product Name: Natto.
Manufacturer’s Name: Iwamoto Natto Factory.
Manufacturer’s Address: 143-D Lower Paia, Paia, Maui,
Hawaii 96779.
Date of Introduction: 1969.
New Product–Documentation: Hawaii Directory of
Manufacturers. 1969. p. 17. “Fermented soybeans.”
546. Omata, S.; Murao, S.; Imamori, C.; Urakami, C.;
Tanaka, Y.; Jono, A.; Morito, H.; Ueno, T. 1969. Effects