Aspergillus oryzae is a mold used in East Asia to saccharify rice, sweet potato, and barley in the making of alcoholic beverages such as sake and shōchū, and also to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and miso. It is one of the different koji molds used for food fermentation.

Koji-kin in Japanese and sometimes called ‘koji spores’, is a non-pathogenic filamentous type of fungus used to make koji. Packed in a powdery state and is further called koji starters with 3 kinds: yellow koji starter, white koji starter, and black koji starter.

To make koji, koji starter culture are seeded into a food source. Traditionally, rice or barley is used as a substrate for the spores. Koji spores + grains + incubation = koji. If the conditions are right, the spores can develop and colonize the grains, forming a thick coat of mycelium.

Aug 31, 2019 · What Is Koji? Koji is a traditional Japanese ingredient used to enhance the flavor of many common dishes. Also known as Aspergillus oryzae, this uncommon ingredient is actually a type of fungus used in the process of fermentation. Rice koji, or koji rice, is made of cooked rice that has been cultured with Aspergillus oryzae.

Jul 28, 2021 · To make koji at home, you need the Aspergillus oryzae spores (called tane koji or koji-kin), and an incubating system that can maintain the right temperature and humidity levels for up to 48 hours. You can order tane koji online (GEM cultures is very reputable, and sells great starters from Japan.) There are generally two ways you will find ...

We now offer Koji Spores (Tane Koji) from Bio'c (a.k.a. Kojiya Sanzaemon) Make your own Koji at home! We have four different kinds of Koji Spores to make Rice Koji (Kome Koji), Barley Koji (Mugi Koji) , Soybean koji (Mame Koji), Shoyu Koji, Black Koji and White Koji.

Nov 22, 2023 · Koji production involves steaming grains such as rice or barley, followed by inoculation with the spores of Aspergillus oryzae. The koji is then incubated under controlled temperature and humidity conditions, allowing the mold to grow and produce various enzymes.

In the manga—a Japanese comic—called Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture, one of the main characters is a perky golf ball–size talking koji spore. Koji, or Aspergillus oryzae, flourishes in a hot, humid environment, as befits a mold that evolved in the Asian tropics.

Nov 4, 2024 · Tane-koji: 種麹 – Think of this like koji’s “seeds,” or spores. Just as basil seeds sprout into a plant, these spores grow into koji when sprinkled onto a starchy base like rice, barley, or beans.

Koji Spores. To start the culture, you need koji spores. In Japanese, these are known as koji-kin, 麹菌 or tane-koji, 種麹. Add the spores to steamed grains like soybeans, barley, or rice (in a process called inoculation). Then, leave the grain and koji …