352 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Dec 



used in early times, its true nature was not understood. 



In the manufacture of sake, rice is steamed and then 

 mixed with some rice which is covered with the mould, 

 or else the rice is sown with the spores. The spores ger- 

 minate in the moist and warm air,forming a much-branch- 

 ed mycelium which penetrates to all parts of the grains. 

 The mycelium in developing secretes a diastatic ferment, 

 which acts on the starch, first liquefying it,then changing 

 the liquefied starch to sugar. The formation of spores is 

 avoided by adding quantities of fresh grain from time to 

 time, and mixing the fresh grain with that which has been 

 inoculated. The addition of fresh grain is repeated sev- 

 eral times, the mass thus formed of grains and mould 

 being given the name "taka koji." The koji is mashed 

 with about three times its volume of fresh steamed rice 

 and four times its volume of water, and then allowed to 

 stand at a temperature between 20° and 30° C. After some 

 days the mash clears, from the saccharification of the 

 starch, and a spontaneous fermentation sets in. This fer- 

 mentation is due, however, to a different organism from 

 A. oryzsB. It is presumably on account of this fermenta- 

 tion that the mould has been erroneously called Japanese 

 yeast. The fermentation goes on for two or three weeks, 

 and at the end of that time the liquid is filtered. The re- 

 sulting liquor is clear, pale yellow, and contains about thir- 

 teen per cent of alcohol. 



The mould has not been well-known in this country un- 

 til recently, though it has been known in Europe,and has 

 received considerable attention from European botanists 

 for about twenty years. In later years very enthusias- 

 tic claims have been made in regard to its physiological 

 action, it being claimed that in the growth of the mould, 

 "crystals" of diastase were formed in the filaments, that 

 it was also so active and certain in its action as an alco- 

 holic ferment, that in time it would entirely supersede 

 yeast in the fermentation industries. 



