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

oiled soybeans, roasted soybeans, soybean fl our, soy
sauce, fermented soybean paste, fermented whole soybeans,
natto, fermented soybean curd. Experimental soybean
foods: Whole soybean foods, soybean paste, soy fl our, soy
beverage. Production and consumption.
8. Simple village process for processing whole
soybeans: Equipment, process, sanitation requirements,
quality of product, evaluation of product in formulas and
procedures for family and institutional use in developing
countries. NRRC village process. 9. Industrial production
and selling prices of edible soybean protein products.
10. Barriers to accepting and using soybeans in food:
Availability. Cultural and social factors. Texture. Flavor.
Nutrition and food safety. Technology development.
Technology transfer. Address: NRRC, Peoria, Illinois.
783. Toyo Shinpo (Soyfoods News).1979. Nattô senka: Nattô
no hozonshoku [Natto specialty products: Preservable types
of natto]. March 21. p. 13. [Jap]
• Summary: Many recipes for making natto are given.
Note: Dr. Teruo Ohta says that the Tohoku region of
Japan has the highest natto consumption at 200 gm per
person per month. Next comes the island of Hokkiado and
the Kanto region, each at 100-150 gm per person per month.
In the Kansai (Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe) and Kyushu regions
it is only about 50 gm per person per month. In 1968 there
were about 1,600 commercial natto makers in Japan and they
produced 80,000 tons of natto. In the old days, natto took 2-7
days to ferment.
784. Fukushima, D. 1979. Fermented vegetable (soybean)
protein and related foods of Japan and China. J. of the
American Oil Chemists’ Society 56(3):357-62. March. [10
ref]
• Summary: Contents: Abstract. Introduction. Soy Sauce:
Fermented soy sauce: Japanese and Chinese styles of soy
sauce and their characteristics. Manufacturing process.
Comparison of fermented soy sauce with chemical soy
sauce. Fermented soy paste. Chinese soybean cheese (sufu).
Fermented whole soybean (natto). New fermented soybean
products.
Tables show: (1) Types of fermented soy sauce (shoyu)
in Japan. The fi ve types are koikuchi [regular shoyu] (85.4%
of total; 1.050 million kiloliters a year), usukuchi [lightcolored
shoyu] (11.1%), tamari shoyu (2.2%), shiro [clear
shoyu] (0.4%), and saishikomi [twice-fermented shoyu]
(0.3%).
(2) Consumption of whole soybeans and defatted
soybeans in Japan, 1976 (one-third is for foods, especially
shoyu, and two thirds is for feed).
(3) Typical composition of soy sauces recognized by the
Japanese government. The fi ve types are the same as those
discussed in Table 1.
(4) Annual production of soy sauce by grade, as graded
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 260
by the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) in 1976. The 3
grades are special (53.4% of total), upper (26.0%), standard
(12.9%), non-JAS mark (7.7%). Total production is 1.226
million kiloliters.
(5) Chemical composition of major types of miso in
Japan. The fi ve types are rice miso (sweet, semisweet,
and salty), barley miso (semisweet), and soybean miso
(salty). For each is given the color, aging time, chemical
composition, and total tonnage produced.
Figures show: (1) Flow sheet for making koikuchi
(regular) shoyu. (2) Flow sheet for making tamari (regular)
shoyu.
(3) Two chromatograms comparing the organic acids of
fermented and chemical (HVP) soy sauce. Fermented soy
sauce has an abundance of lactic acid, whereas HVP soy
sauce has an abundance of formic acid.
(4) Flow sheet for making rice miso. (5) Flow sheet for
making sufu [fermented tofu]. (6) Flow sheet for making
natto. (7) Flow sheet for making fermented soy milk drink.
Concerning fermented whole soybean (natto): It is a
traditional fermented food that originated in the “northern
parts of Japan 1,000 years ago.” It is usually served with
shoyu and mustard.
A portrait photo shows Danji Fukushima. Address:
Kikkoman Foods, Inc., P.O. Box 69, Walworth, Wisconsin.
785. Sakaguchi, Y. 1979. Opening remarks–Vegetable
proteins in fermented foods and other products. J. of the
American Oil Chemists’ Society 56(3):356. March.
• Summary: “Miso, or soybean paste, one of the most
important fermented soybean foods, was originally made in
China. A missionary who was sent [from Japan] to China
learned its production and modifi ed it into a product suited to
the Japanese taste in the 7th century. About 185,000 tons of
soybeans are used for miso production annually.
“Another major fermented soybean food is soy sauce
which was originally developed by the Zen Monk Kakushin
in 1234. He also visited China and discovered that the liquid
portion from Miso was very delicious. This liquid became
the base for soy sauce, an essential ingredient in the Japanese
diet. Soy sauce required the annual use of nearly 175,000
tons of soybean meal, the equivalent of 222,000 tons of
soybeans.
“Natto, the third major fermented soybean product
of Japan, originated in our country. In 1087, a ruler in the
northern part of Japan discovered natto to be part of local
farmers’ diets. Today, nearly 60,000 tons of soybeans are
consumed in its production.
“As Japan continues to draw from its historic past for
a source of soy-based foods, we also are full participants
in the new era of sophisticated vegetable protein foods. To
promote utilization and production of this product, the Japan
Vegetable Protein Food Association was organized in 1975.”
A photo shows Dr. Yukio Sakaguchi. Address: Japan