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

enquiries. They haven’t decided the price for home use yet.
Their goals: (1) Tempeh production of 15,000 kg/month; (2)
Sales of 100 million yen from July–Dec. 1983; (3) In three
years their sales goal is 2,000 million yen.
1011. Hesseltine, C.W. 1984. Re: Three current projects at
the Fermentation Laboratory. Letter to William Shurtleff
at Soyfoods Center, Feb. 17. 1 p. Typed, with signature on
letterhead.
• Summary: They are: (1) A review of what is known about
natto. (2) Project on mixed culture fermentations and the
starter culture business in China and Indonesia. “We have
discovered that all the starter mold cultures in ragi, etc. are
capable of anaerobic growth which is not the situation in
nearly all other fungi.” (3) Dr. Hesseltine is preparing an
hour lecture on the history of research on fermented foods in
the USDA, and particularly at the Peoria laboratory. “I have
been honored by being selected to give the Annual Lecture of
the Mycological Society of America at their annual meeting
next August at Colorado State University.
“Professor Doyle at the Food Research Institute informs
me that he is now preparing a paper on his studies on the tofu
safety situation.” Address: Chief, Fermentation Lab., USDA/
NRRL, Peoria, Illinois.
1012. Hesseltine, C.W. 1984. Re: Research on natto. Interest
in letters of Frank N. Meyer concerning fermented foods and
soybeans. Letter to William Shurtleff at Soyfoods Center,
March 22. 1 p. Typed, with signature on letterhead.
• Summary: “It will be some time before we get a review of
natto published since our emphasis just now is to do as much
laboratory work as possible. Our interest currently is a study
of the genetic stability of Bacillus natto which, under many
conditions, runs down rapidly. Secondly, we are looking at
whether B. natto is a separate species from B. subtilis.
“Your comments on the letters of the USDA Plant
Explorer, Frank N. Meyer, are especially interesting. Where
can I see the letters that deal with fermented foods or even
soybeans? Next summer I am preparing a lecture on the
involvement of USDA in soybean fermented products. I
knew there was a man by the name of Meyer associated with
soybean exploration, but I was not aware of his description
of any soybean foods. I would like to mention these letters
since the fi rst scientifi c paper from USDA was a paper by
Church on angkak [red fermented rice] in 1920.
“Thank you also for the information on soy milk and
your proposed terminology and standard for tofu. This
should be circulated to people in the industry to get their
reaction and suggestions as to whether they can live with
the standards.” Address: Chief, Fermentation Lab., USDA/
NRRL, Peoria, Illinois.
1013. Vansickle, Janice. 1984. Bean worth weight in gold.
Windsor Star (Essex County, Ontario, Canada). March 26. p.
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 326
B1-B2.
• Summary: Soybeans are now Essex County’s major fi eld
crop and the third largest cash crop in Ontario province
(with a value of more than $203 million in 1982), but few
people know what happens to the golden nuggets after they
leave the farm. Most of the soybeans are crushed in Canada
to make soybean oil and meal. Last week the Ontario Soya-
Bean Growers’ Marketing Board held a symposium in
Toronto titled “Ontario soybeans–A journey into the next
century.” Sheldon Hauck, vice-president of the Soy Protein
Council in the USA and one of the speakers estimated that
soy protein is an ingredient in over 2,500 readily available
grocery store items. Contains a nice history of the soybean
in Canada. Ontario now exports soybeans to 20 countries,
“including major shipments to Japan, which buys only top
quality soybeans and turns them into soyamilk, soyafl our,
tofu, miso–a soyapaste for soup–and natto–a fermented
soybean used as an appetizer.” Speaker after speaker
confi rmed a bright future for soybean exports. Moreover, all
supermarkets in Windsor now carry tofu, a soya curd. Soy oil
is found in margarine and cooking oils. Soy protein appears
in soya sauce, simulated bacon bits, and infant formulas. The
H.J. Heinz Company in Leamington has been working with
the marketing board to develop a line of processed soybean
products for the retail market.
Ontario’s three soybean crushing plants are experiencing
hard times, in part due to competition from canola oil (which
enjoys subsidized freight rates); they are operating at 62% of
capacity and could be forced to shut down. Photos show: A
pair of cupped hands holding soybeans. Peter Epp, chairman
of the Ontario Soybean Growers Marketing Board.
Note: This is the earliest English-language document
seen (March 2009) that uses the term “soyapaste” to refer to
miso. Address: Star agriculture reporter.
1014. Epp, Peter H. 1984. The Ontario Soya-Bean Growers’
Marketing Board’s view of the next century. In: Ontario
Soya-Bean Growers’ Marketing Board. ed. 1984. Ontario
Soybean Symposium. Chatham, Ontario, Canada: OSGMB.
319 p. See p. 302-311.
• Summary: Discusses: Soybean pricing and the open tarifffree
border with the USA. The Oleomargarine Act. Minimum
Compensatory Rates (MCR’s) and why they have put the
Ontario soybean crushing industry in jeopardy (The program,
established by the Canadian Transport Commission,
originally encouraged the movement of raw rapeseed from
Western to Eastern Canada. The government has poured $3
million annually into the program, which ends up subsidizing
rapeseed oil in Ontario), the present status and potential
of soybean crushing in Ontario (in 1982-83 three Ontario
crushers crushed 1 million tonnes of soybeans). Market
development.
Tables and graphs show the following, related to
Canadian edible oil production, from 1973-1983: Margarine