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

In the Far East, the soybean is consumed in the form of
fermented and non-fermented foods. Fermented foods
include shoyu, miso, mato [sic, natto], and tempeh, while
non-fermented foods include soymilk (la leche de soya),
tofu, yuba (juba), and kinako. 12. The cultivation of soya in
Honduras (history).
In 1972, the Ministry of Natural Resources (Ministerio
de Recursos Naturales) reported the initiation of commercial
soybean production on a small scale in various departments
of the country (Olancho, El Paraíso and Comayagua).
Three varieties were used at that time: Biloxi, Hardee and
Jupiter. However, before these reports were made, at the
Panamerican Agricultural School (la Escuela Agrícola
Panamerican (EAP)), some hectares had already been
planted with the varieties Jupiter and Pelican. Discusses
additional developments in 1974, 1982, 1986, 1987, and
1988. Address: 1. PhD; 2. PhD.
1491. Nikkei (Tokyo).1995. Natto producers relying on health
claims, milder varieties to attract converts. Jan. 2. [Eng]
1492. Mindell, Earl. 1995. Earl Mindell’s soy miracle. New
York, NY: Simon & Schuster. A Fireside Book. 256 p. Index.
22 cm. [97 ref]
• Summary: Contents. Part I: Soy–The miracle food. 1. The
soy story: explaining the miracle. 2. Soy by any other name.
3. Does soy prevent cancer? 4. Heart and soy. Part II: Soy
for special needs. 5. Just for women: Rx for menopause and
osteoporosis. 6. Just for men: Rx for prostate problems. 7.
Kids, cancer, and heart disease. 8. Tips for vegetarians. Part
III: Not by soy alone. 9. Thirty-seven miracle foods from the
Pacifi c Rim. Earl’s pearls: A guide to vitamins and minerals.
Part IV: Get more soy in your life. 11. Savvy substitutions.
12. Cooking with soy. 13. Breakfast the soy way. Part V:
Seventy super soy recipes (p. 149-230). Glossary. Resources.
Selected bibliography.
Pages 12-13 note that soybeans are an abundant source
of many different types of phytochemicals, including
isofl avones, genistein, protease inhibitors, and phytic acids.
Chapter 2 describes the different types of soy foods.
Traditional soy foods: Soy milk, tofu (fi rm tofu, silken tofu,
yakidofu, koyodofu [sic, koya-dofu]), okara, natto, tempeh,
miso, soy sauce, kinnoko [sic, kinnako] fl our. Soy protein
products: Soy protein concentrates, soy protein isolate,
soy fl our, texturized soy protein, meat analogs. Other soy
products: Soy fi ber, soybean oil, lecithin. Questions about
soy foods. Page 33 asks the question: “If phytochemicals
in soybeans are so healthy, why can’t they be extracted
from food and made into a pill like a vitamin?” Answer:
Researchers are not yet certain which phytochemicals are
the most important. “There may even be other benefi cial
compounds in soy that have yet to be identifi ed. Your best
bet is to eat the real food.” A section titled “Soy’s top ten
benefi ts” (p. 36-38) discusses: 1. Antioxidant. 2. Breast
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 459
cancer. 3. Cholesterol lowering. 4. Colon cancer. 5. Hip
fracture. 6. Hot fl ashes. 7. Immunity. 8. Kidney disease. 9.
Lung cancer. 10. Prostate cancer.
Chapter 3, titled “Does soy prevent cancer?” discusses
six compounds which cancer researchers believe may
be effective in cancer prevention: Isofl avones, genistein,
daidzein, protease inhibitors, phytic acid, and saponins. A
long section later in the chapter discusses each of these, with
special emphasis on genistein.
Note: The author has also written Earl Mindell’s
Herb Bible and Earl Mindell’s Food as Medicine. He is a
newcomer to this fi eld. This book may appeal to those who
are looking for miracles from the foods they eat. Most of the
information contained in this book can be found in Mark and
Virginia Messina’s outstanding The Simple Soybean and Your
Health (1994), and the First International Symposium on
the Role of Soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease:
Proceedings from a symposium held in Mesa, Arizona, on
February 20-23, 1994, published in full in The Journal of
Nutrition Vol. 125, No. 3S, March 1995 Supplement. It was
from this symposium and the outline published before the
symposium that Mindell got his idea for this popular book.
Dr. Mindell is an R.Ph. (Registered Pharmacist) with a
PhD in Nutrition from Pacifi c Western College in Renton,
Washington.
According to a review of Earl Mindell’s New and
Revised Vitamin Bible, by James A. Lowell, PhD. (Nutrition
Forum, June 1986) “Mindell claims to hold valid credentials
in nutrition. Although he does have a bachelor’s degree in
pharmacy from the University of North Dakota, his Ph.D.
is from the University of Beverly Hills, an unaccredited
school which lacks a campus or laboratory facilities.”
Mindell helped to found the Great Earth chain of vitamin and
health food stores, numbering about 200 in 1986, America’s
second largest such chain. Address: R.Ph, PhD, registered
pharmacist and Prof. of Nutrition at Pacifi c Western Univ. in
Los Angeles. He lives in Beverly Hills, California.
1493. Ham, P. Marc. 1995. The work of Semences Prograin
Inc. (Micronisation Canada Inc.) in Quebec (Interview).
SoyaScan Notes. Feb. 1. Conducted by William Shurtleff of
Soyfoods Center.
• Summary: This company was established in 1980 and
is now a leader in Canada in the fi eld of value added soy
products. About two-thirds of their business is making fullfat
micronized soybeans for use in animal feeds (mainly
dairy cows, plus hogs and poultry), and one-third is in
breeding and growing soybean seed (they presently grow
about 2,000 acres year for use as soybean seed). They now
have two micronizing plants which produce the Micro
Flake, the Micro Milled product and the Micro Elite (made
from higher protein soybeans, with high bypass). Mark
believes that a micronized product makes better feed than
that produced on a low cost extrusion cooker. Extrusion may