Current location:entertainment >>
VOX POPULI: Molds can make food colorful and tasty but they can also be lethal
entertainment23People have gathered around
IntroductionKoji malted grain, which enhances the aroma and umami flavor of traditional Japanese condiments such ...
Koji malted grain, which enhances the aroma and umami flavor of traditional Japanese condiments such as miso and shoyu, is made by adding kojikabi (koji mold) to steamed rice or barley.
Indispensable to the production of fermented foods that are basic to Japanese cuisine, koji mold is called “kokkin” (literally, “the national fungus”).
In the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), there were already koji merchant systems in place for the imperial court or the shogunate to control the distribution of koji.
Characters in the Japanese manga series “Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture” include cute microbes that make people laugh with their tag line, “kamosu zo,” which translates literally as “we’ll brew you.”
The protagonist, Tadayasu Sawaki, comes from a family of mold-starter makers. A first-year student at an agricultural university in Tokyo, Sawaki has the unique ability to see and communicate with microorganisms.
One day, he peers into a container of miso at the university lab and finds yellow koji that used to be at his family’s factory.
Named A. oryzae, the microbe is delighted to be reunited with Sawaki.
He soon discovers more microbes from back home: A. awamori, a black koji, and A. sojae, which becomes unstoppable once it starts talking about umami.
From this manga, I learned that koji comes in many kinds.
At the moment, a different kind of koji, called benikoji, has been attracting attention. Because it turns red when fermented, this koji has been widely used as a dye and more recently as an ingredient in dietary supplements.
It has come to light that two people have died and many others have been hospitalized after taking benikoji supplements made by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.
The pharma company had claimed that the supplements could help lower “bad” cholesterol.
The exact cause of the deaths and health damage has yet to be determined, but the company explained that an “unknown substance” was present in some of the red koji ingredients.
I wonder if a new, hard-to-trace substance was somehow generated.
There is still a lot we don’t understand about molds, even the ones we humans have known for a long time.
Research continues on how we can live longer and healthier, but what should we understand about living safely? I am left deep in thought.
--The Asahi Shimbun, March 28
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Earth Essence news portal”。http://mauritania.vip-soft.net/article-16c199976.html
Related articles
Hospital operator Steward Health Care files for bankruptcy protection
entertainmentBOSTON (AP) — Hospital operator Steward Health Care filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday mor ...
Read moreSound relations built on 70 years of friendship
entertainmentNorwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, who paid an official visit to China from Mon ...
Read moreChina, Brazil agree on multiple
entertainmentChina and Brazil agreed to grant 10-year visa treatment for their nationals for business, leisure tr ...
Read more
Popular articles
Latest articles
LINKS
- Pic Story: Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hemp Weaving in Ningxia
- Branded 'English pigs', rumours of devil
- Foreign Ministry gets new spokesman
- Ceramist to Promote Heritage Projects
- GLOBALink
- Giving Children in Mountains More Chances to Excel in Life
- Rose in the Desert: Breathing Clean Air a Human Right
- Village Official Leads Farmers in Promoting Rural Revitalization
- Knitting Teacher Casts off Gloom
- Foreign Ministry gets new spokesman