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

the tofu came from abroad, but according to Fred, some of
the Japanese rice growers, whose heyday in rice farming was
around the time of World War I [1914-1918] in the Colusa
region, grew soybeans as a sideline. He mentioned that the
Koda rice farms in South Los Baños may have had some
acreage in this crop.
“I have a section in my book (Planted in Good Soil: A
History of the Issei in United States Agriculture. New York:
Peter Lang Publishing, 1992) on the Koda farms, utilizing
information from interviews and the Keisaburo Koda
biography in Japanese (Koda Keisaburo Den, 1965), but
found no mention of soybean production. You might contact
Edward Koda (P.O. Box 6, South Dos Palos, California
93665), the son of the founder, about this. I believe the
operation is now in the hands of Ross, the third generation
heir.
Fred Harada can be contacted at 637 North 6th Street,
Montebello, CA 90640. Phone: 213-721-8455. Best to
contact him after 7:00 p.m.
Update: Letter from Dr. Iwata. 1996. Dec. 6. “Most
likely the Chinese who arrived in California around the time
of the Gold Rush of 1849 introduced soybeans from China.”
Address: PhD, 879 North Vail Ave., Montebello, California
90640. Phone: 213-723-4389.
1512. Muramatsu, Kanako; Kanai, Yukiko; Kimura, Noriko;
Miura, N.; Yoshida, K.; Kiuchi, Kan. 1995. [Production of
natto with high elastase activity]. Nippon Shokuhin Kagaku
Kogaku Kaishi (J. of the Japanese Society for Food Science
and Technology) 42(8):575-82. [20 ref. Jap; eng]
Address: Kyoritsu Women’s Univ., 2-2-1 Hitotsubashi,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101, Japan.
1513. Orthoefer, Frank T.; Liu, Keshun. 1995. Soybeans
for food uses. International Food Marketing & Technology
(Germany) 9(4):4-8. Aug. [5 ref]
• Summary: Contents: Introduction. Traditional soy foods:
Soy milk, tofu, toasted whole soybeans and full-fat soy
fl our, soybean sprouts, yuba, soy sauce, tempeh, natto,
miso. Soy protein ingredients: Soy grits and fl our, soy
protein concentrates, soy protein isolates. Soy nutrition: Soy
protein, fat and calories, phytochemicals. Food bean market.
Summary.
Two “different types of soybeans have emerged: oil
beans and food beans. This is particularly true in the US soy
market...”
Of the fourteen phytochemicals, seven are present in
soybeans. These seven are phytates, isofl avones, carotenoids,
coumarins, triterpenes, lignans, and phenolic acids.
Phytochemicals have been shown to affect human health
as much as vitamins and minerals, and many of them have
anti-cancer properties. The discovery of phytochemicals may
change how the nutritional value of food is assessed.
The world market for soybeans for food use is estimated
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 470
at about 1 million metric tons (tonnes). In Japan alone
about 830,000 tonnes are made into soyfoods as shown in
a pie chart as follows: Tofu (552,000 tonnes, 63.4%), miso
(180,000 tonnes, 21.5%), natto (90,000 tonnes, 10.7%),
soymilk (10,000 tonnes, 1.2%), soy sauce (5,000 tonnes,
0.6%), and others (22,000 tonnes, 2.6%). In the USA the
food bean market is estimated at 50,000 tonnes. Other
major markets for food beans are in Korea, China, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Foodgrade
soybeans can be sold by the growers at a premium
of 5-20% above the base price. The demand for food beans
is increasing steadily. Address: 1. Vice President, R&D,
Riceland Foods, Stuttgart, Arkansas; 2. Project Leader, Soy
Food Lab., Jacob Hartz Seed Co., Stuttgart, Arkansas.
1514. Stevens, Jane Ade; Stevens, Roger. ed. and comp.
1995. U.S. soyfoods directory. Lebanon, Indiana: Indiana
Soybean Development Council. 31 p. 28 cm.
• Summary: This fi rst edition of the directory contains more
than 270 company listings. The cover is checkerboard red
and white. Contents: Forward [sic, Foreword]. How to use
the Soyfoods Directory (incl. Internet access). Soyfood
descriptions (alphabetical): Edamame (Sweet beans),
food use soybeans (whole soybeans), organically grown
soybeans, isolated soy proteins, lecithins, meat analogs (meat
alternatives), miso, natto, nondairy (soy) frozen desserts,
okara, soy cheese & yogurt, soy fl our & grits, soy grits, soy
meal & fl akes, soynuts, soyoil, soy protein concentrates, soy
sauces (tamari, shoyu, teriyaki), soymilk, tempeh, textured
soy proteins, tofu & products. Composition and nutrient
content of soyfoods (large table, p. 7). Soybean products
chart: From whole soybeans, from soybean meal, from soyoil
and lecithin. Soyfood companies by product (products listed
alphabetically).
Soyfood companies (alphabetical by company name;
Each listing contains address, contact, phone, soy products,
product names, distribution, to locate product, classifi cation).
Soyfood companies by state (alphabetical by state; California
has by far the most). Professional associations and industry
information resources. U.S. soybean facts. Soyfoods
directory survey.
This directory’s address on Internet’s World Wide
Web is http://www.in.net/soy. For more information or
suggestions, call 1-800-275-7679. Address: Stevens &
Associates, 4816 North Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis,
Indiana 46205. Phone: 1-800-275-7679.
1515. Tamang, Jyoti P. 1995. Role of microorganisms in
traditional food fermentation technology in the Himalayan
regions. In: Proceeding Abstract of the Tenth International
Conference on Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology,
Elsinor, Denmark. See p. 61. Held 6-12 Aug. 1995. *
• Summary: Includes a discussion of kinema, a fermented
food made from soybeans. Address: Dep. of Botany, Univ.