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

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• Summary: On the cover is written: “This wonder bean
can help fi ght cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood sugar,
cancer, ease menstrual and menopause symptoms, and keep
a colon healthy. Includes a cookbook of 50 soy recipes from
New York’s Natural Gourmet Cookery School.”
Contents: Introduction: The Cinderella bean. 1. How soy
protects the heart and blood vessels: Full of fi ber, the Eskimo
secret omega-3 fatty acids, lecithin and vitamin E, preventing
strokes, magnifi cent magnesium, soy and the Mediterranean
diet, foam to wash out cholesterol?, cholesterol competitors–
phytosterols, is it thyroid hormone [when thyroxine levels
rise, cholesterol falls]?, amino acid at work?, could it be
the B’s?, is it the fl avonoids?, the bean and obesity, high
blood pressure and the bean, could it be just avoiding meat
and dairy products?, summing it up. 2. How soy protects
against cancer: Protease inhibitors, trypsin inhibitors, plant
estrogens, polyphenols, terpenes–antioxidants, fi ghting
phytates, maybe it’s due to low-count amino acid, saponins,
inositol–the cancer-fi ghting phytic acid, which soy products
have the most anticancer potential?, potential adverse effects
of soybeans. 3. How soy helps ease digestive problems:
Promoting regularity, calcium and soybeans. 4. How soy is
benefi cial in diabetic diets. 5. How soy is proving benefi cial
to women: The soy and the cycle, other hormonal benefi ts,
magnesium, PMS and pregnancy, contraceptive or fertility
inducer?, so “B” it, the bones need it, magnesium and
bones, boron and bones, it could be the phytates. 6. Soy and
men: Soy and sex, protein power. 7. Soy products and their
nutritional value: Soybeans, edamame, soybean sprouts,
tofu (also known as bean curd and dou fu-tofu), tempeh, soy
milk, yuba, soy cheese, okara, soy yogurt, soy sauce, soy oil,
soybean lecithin, soy nuts, miso, natto, soy fl our, soy powder,
soy protein isolates, concentrates and grits, texturized soy
protein, convenience of soy foods. 8. Easy ways to add
soy to your diet: Some other easy ways to add soy to your
diet, sensible soybean use. 9. Recipes: Appetizers, soups,
salads, main dishes/entrées, side dishes/breakfast, sauces/
dips, desserts. Glossary. Where to get more information.
References. Address: M.S., Health and science writer, Short
Hills, New Jersey.
1566. Blazek, Zdenek. 1997. Re: G.B.Z. is preparing soy
products in the Czech Republic. Letter to William Shurtleff
at Soyfoods Center, Jan. 13. 2 p. Handwritten, with
signature. [Eng]
• Summary: His company is making soy products in
the Czech Republic. They have the book titled Tempeh
Production by Shurtleff & Aoyagi. Now they would like to
introduce some new products such as seitan, amazake, koji,
soy yogurt, natto, and cheese alternatives.
Talk with a company representative who speaks
German. 1997. Feb. 3. The company now makes tempeh
and natto. They introduced each product about 18 months
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 485
ago. They would like to introduce tofu and seitan as soon as
possible. Address: G.B.Z. s.r.o., 68606 Uherske Hradiste,
Czech Republic. Phone: +42 632 636 16.
1567. Hartz, Chris. 1997. The early history of Jacob Hartz
Seed Co. (Interview). SoyaScan Notes. Jan. 13. Conducted
by William Shurtleff of Soyfoods Center.
• Summary: Chris’ father is Jake Hartz, Jr. His grandfather,
Jacob Hartz, Sr., founded the Jacob Hartz Seed Co. (JHSC),
which Monsanto purchased on 21 April 1983. Chris had a
3-year contract, so he stopped working for the company in
April 1986. He now runs a wholesale nursery, and does a
little seed brokering.
When Jake, Jr., left the company, he left all his fi les and
company history documents at the company; he took nothing
with him. Chris did likewise. Chris called Keith Thompson
and he said he would be glad to help in any way he could to
get early historical documents. Keith said that Terry Hicks
in the accounting department is the keeper of the early
fi les. Terry is now in Kalamazoo involved with the Asgrow
purchase. When the company was sold to Monsanto in 1983,
the biggest story would have been in the Arkansas Gazette in
Little Rock; it has since merged with the Arkansas Democrat
to become the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. One interesting
historical document was published by Monsanto on the 50th
anniversary, probably in 1992. Chris has never seen any
early seed catalogs. Chris and his father now share the same
building, but Jake is seldom in the offi ce.
When did JHSC fi rst start to sell soybeans? Chris does
not know. But if Jacob Hartz, Sr. fi rst brought in 25 bushels
of Laredo soybeans in 1926, it would probably have taken
the company several years to develop enough seedstock to be
able to sell some and keep the rest for seed multiplication.
Chris was responsible for focusing the company
on breeding soybeans for food uses, starting in the late
1970s. It all started in about 1975-77 when a Japanese
natto manufacturer, Mr. Yaichiro Mogi of Asahi Shokuhin,
contacted JHSC and explained that he needed a soybean that
was uniform in size and quality to run through his automated
factory (that made only natto) to give a uniform product that
he could sell as premium natto. He was getting soybeans
from China, IOM, and Canada and he couldn’t set up his
cookers and fermenters to accommodate all the different
soybeans he was getting. He was one of two automated
natto manufacturers in Japan at the time. He gave Chris
specifi cations for the natto beans he wanted. Chris happened
to have 9 pounds of small-seeded soybeans with a brown
hilum that Dr. Hartwig had sent him free of charge. It was a
plant introduction with a PI number. The diameter was 5 mm
or less. Hartz crossed that small-seeded soybean with Pickett
to get rid of the high rate of shattering. They registered the
resulting variety as Hartz 936–their fi rst natto soybean.
Hartz’s breeding program got into high gear in 1976, when
they hired Dr. Curtis Williams; that year they put in their