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

Lecithin.
Concerning tofu: Tofu made in the regular way “is called
‘Fresh Tofu.’ It does not keep long, even under refrigeration,
unless it is further processed. For this purpose it may be
canned, frozen, fried, smoked, or fermented.”
Note: This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Aug. 2011) that contains the term “soycheese”; it uses
this term to refer to regular tofu.
613. Taira, Harue. 1973. Heat destruction of amino acids
in soybean products. JARQ (Japan Agricultural Research
Quarterly) 7(4):267-73. Oct. [11 ref]
• Summary: Traditional, processed soybean foods that are
widely used in homes in Japan include “Shoyu (fermented
soy sauce), Miso (fermented soybean paste), Natto
(fermented soybeans), Tofu (bean curd), Aburaage (fried
bean curd), Kori-tofu (dried Tofu) and Kinako (roasted
soybean fl our).”
One of the steps in making each of these foods is
heating, which denatures the protein (making it more
digestible), eliminates the peculiar soybean fl avor, and
develops colored substances (which “can prevent oxidation
of the unsaturated fatty acid contained abundantly in
soybeans during the fermentation process of miso as an
example”). Heating also eliminates antinutritional factors.
“But overheating causes excessive denaturation of
soybean protein and destruction of amino acids.”
Tables show: (1) Amino acid composition of 7 soybean
products, including Mamemiso [soybean miso, such as
Hatcho miso] and yuba. (2) Change of amino acid after three
steps in the process of making Mame-miso: Soaking the
soybeans, heating the soybeans, the fi nal product. (3) Change
of amino acid after two steps in the process of making natto:
Heating the soybeans, fi nal product. After heating at a rather
high temperature for a short time (120ºC for 30 minutes),
there was no decrease in any amino acids except arginine,
which decreased by 17.8%, and decreased by 29.1% in the
fi nal product. Some essential amino acids increased during
the natto process. Methionine increased from 0.9 gm per
17 gm of nitrogen to 1.1 gm, an increase of 22.2%. Cystine
remained unchanged at 1.0. (4) Change of amino acid after
three steps in the process of making Tofu: Soaking the
soybeans, heating the soybeans, the fi nal product. No amino
acids are reduced by heating, and some (such as methionine)
increase. Of the 18 amino acids measured, 5 are unchanged,
10 increase, and 3 decrease slightly: Glutamic acid 19.6 >
19.3. Tryptophan 1.5 > 1.4. Serine 6.6 > 6.4.
One of the products which is heated by dry heat only
(without soaking in water) is kinako. It is heated at 160ºC for
10 minutes, then ground. This heating reduced lysine from
5.1 to 4.8.
Figures (graphs) show: (1) The heat destruction of lysine
in defatted soybean fl our at 4 different temperatures (from
100ºC to 126ºC) for 4 different times (from 30 minutes to 4
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 211
hours). The higher the temperature and the longer the time,
the greater the destruction of lysine.
(2) The heat destruction of cystine in defatted soybean
fl our. Same 4 temperatures and times; roughly same results.
(3) The infl uence of water on the heat destruction of
lysine in defatted soybean fl our. Same 4 temperatures and
times. Adding water reduces the destruction of lysine.
(4) The infl uence of water on the heat destruction of
cystine in defatted soybean fl our. Same 4 temperatures and
times. Adding water reduces the destruction of cystine.
(5) Heat destruction of total and available lysine in
defatted soybean fl our. Same 4 temperatures and times.
(6) Enzyme treatment and total liberated amino acids.
Address: Food Analysis and Nutrition Div., National Food
Research Inst., Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry, Koto-ku,
Tokyo.
614. Product Name: Natto.
Manufacturer’s Name: Aloha Tofu Factory Inc.
Manufacturer’s Address: 961 Akepo Lane, Honolulu,
Oahu, Hawaii.
Date of Introduction: 1973.
New Product–Documentation: Hawaii Directory of
Manufacturers. 1973. p. 10. Aloha Tofu Factory Inc., 1020
Auahi St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96814. The company makes
tofu, aburage, natto, and konnyaku.
Oda. 1983. Hawaii Herald. Oct. 7. p. 5. “Tofu enjoys
increasing popularity.” Ad in Hawaii Herald. 1983. Oct. 7.
p. 20. “Make your favorite recipe even better with the best
in soy bean products. Tofu, natto, aburage, konnyaku, okara,
yakidofu.”
615. Azumaya, Naoki. 1973. Nattô-kin ni yoru bitamin B-2
seisan ni kansuru kenkyû. I. Nika oyobi sankatetsu ion no
eikyô [Study on vitamin B-2 production by natto bacteria.
I. The effect of divalent and trivalent ions]. Kumamoto
Joshi Daigaku Gakujutsu Kiyo (J. of Kumamoto Women’s
University) 25(1):45-52. [Jap]*
616. Lee, Kap Sang; Chung, Dong Hyo. 1973. [Effect of
Bacillus natto on Korean soybean paste]. Hanguk Sikp’um
Kwahakhoe Chi (Korean J. of Food Science and Technology)
5(3):163-68. [Kor; eng]
• Summary: Discusses Bacillus subtilis.
617. Cowan, J.C. 1973. Processing and products [soybeans].
In: B.E. Caldwell, ed. 1973. Soybeans: Improvement,
Production, and Uses. Madison, Wisconsin: American
Society of Agronomy. xviii + 681 p. See p. 619-64. Chap. 20.
[52 ref]
• Summary: Contents. 1. Introduction. 2. Processing for
oil and meal: Preparation of fl akes, solvents, extraction,
desolventizer-toaster, degumming. 3. Conversion to
edible oil products: Refi ning, bleaching, deodorization,