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

1821. Gandhi, A.P. 2006. The ‘greater bean’: Scientists
continue to fi nd new food and industrial uses for soybeans.
World Grain 24(2):59-62. Feb.
• Summary: About 70% of world soybean production is
crushed to make oil and meal, 20% is used directly for
food, and the rest for seeds. Soybean meal used for human
food “must be devoid of residual solvents that may cause
various psychological disorders in humans. The International
Standard Organization (ISO) recommends a maximum level
of 50 parts per million (ppm) of residual hexane, which is
used in the solvent extraction process.”
A pie chart shows world soybean production in 2004.
1822. Nihon Keizai Shinbun. 2006. Honda Trading to launch
diet supplement business on natto-based product (News
release). Japan. 1 p. March 1.
• Summary: Honda Trading Corp. “said Tuesday it
was launching a dietary supplement business based on
nattokinase, an enzyme synthesized by the bacteria used to
make natto, a fermented soybean food.
“Studies have shown that nattokinase has the effect of
dissolving blood clots that might otherwise lead to heart
attack or stroke.
“Honda Trading has been working with the discoverer
of nattokinase, Hiroyuki Sumi, a professor at the Kurashiki
University of Science and the Arts, to develop a way to refi ne
nattokinase” so that it has high purity.
The company plans to sell the refi ned nattokinase in
powdered form as a supplement to makers of food and
medicine starting this spring.
Two pills a day would provide the same amount of
nattokinase as eating a typical 50-gram package of natto.
Address: Japan.
1823. Azokpota, P.; Hounhouigan, D.J.; Nago, M.C.
2006. Microbiological and chemical changes during the
fermentation of African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) to
produce afi tin, iru, and sonru, three traditional condiments
produced in Benin. International J. of Food Microbiology
107(3):304-09. April 1. [36 ref]
Address: Département de Nutrition et Sciences Alimentaires,
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Univ. d’Abomey Calavi
(UAC), 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin.
1824. McNatt, Linda. 2006. These soybeans smell rotten,
taste cheesy and sell like crazy. Virginian Pilot (Norfolk,
Virginia). May 18.
• Summary: “Isle of Wight County–If Americans ever
develop a hankering for specialty soybeans that smell
slightly rotten and taste like strong cheese, Bill Taliaferro and
his brothers at Montague Farms Inc. will be overwhelmed.
“As it is, the family farm operation in Essex County
on the Middle Peninsula [of Virginia], has more than it can
handle supplying the Japanese market with the specialty
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 557
bean called natto. The Japanese eat them for breakfast, in a
sandwich spread and in soups.
“The company shipped more than 10,000 tons of
the beans last year, so Montague Farms is expanding its
operation into Isle of Wight County.”
“Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a new
variety of the natto bean that grows particularly well in the
mid-Atlantic region, from Maryland to North Carolina. They
call it the vanatto.” “On the existing market, farmers get
$2.25 a bushel more for the food-grade soybeans than regular
soybeans, used for oil and animal food, said Rachel Morris,
rural economic development manager in Isle of Wight.”
1825. Ikeda, Yukihiro; Iki, M.; Morita, A.; Kajita, E.;
Kagamimori, S.; Kagawa, Y.; Yoneshima, H. 2006. Intake of
fermented soybeans, natto, is associated with reduced bone
loss in postmenopausal women: Japanese Population-Based
Osteoporosis (JPOS) Study. J. of Nutrition 136(5):1323-28.
[35 ref]
• Summary: Japanese fermented soybeans (natto), which
contain a large amount of menaquinone-7, may help
prevent the development of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Bioavailable isofl avones may also contribute to the effect.
“The incidence of hip fracture in Japan is lower than in
European countries and the United States. The reasons for
this difference are unknown,” but they are thought to be due
to differences in dietary and lifestyle factors. Address: JPOS
Study Group, Dep. of Public Health, Kinki Univ. School
of Medicine, 377-2 Oono-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka,
Japan.
1826. Tai, M.W.; Sweet, B.V. 2006. Nattokinase for
prevention of thrombosis. American J. of Health-System
Pharmacy 63(12):1121-23. June 15. *
Address: Univ. of Michigan College of Pharmacy, Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
1827. Pais, E.; Alexy, T.; Holsworth. R.E., Jr.; Meiselman,
H.J. 2006. Effects of nattokinase, a pro-fi brinolytic enzyme,
on red blood cell aggregation and whole blood viscosity.
Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation 35(1-2):139-
42.
• Summary: “A fi brinolytic enzyme, termed nattokinase,
can be extracted from natto; the enzyme is a subtilisin-like
serine protease composed of 275 amino acid residues and has
a molecular weight of 27.7 kDa. In vitro and in vivo studies
have consistently demonstrated the potent pro-fi brinolytic
effect of the enzyme.”
“Our in vitro results showed a signifi cant, dosedependent
decrease of RBC aggregation and lowshear
viscosity, with these benefi cial effects evident at
concentrations similar to those achieved in previous in vivo
animal trials. Our preliminary data thus indicate positive in
vitro hemorheological effects of nattokinase, and suggest