The Chemistry of Soja Sauce Manufacture. 



BY 



Y. iJishimura, Ndgakuski. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The manufacture of soja sauce forms one of the important 

 industries of Japan and the export of the article increasing from 

 year to year.''- The production in 1893 was 2,307,844 hectolitres 

 (=1,279,238 koku). The number of brewers is now nearly 

 10,000. 



One of the factories in Tokio alone emi:>loys 250 workmen 

 and manufactures annually 45,000 hectolitres. 



Soja sauce is a dark brown liquid with an agreeable smell 

 resembling that of toast. /. Miirai^-'^ investigated the composi- 

 tion of 40 different samples, of which we mention the following 

 two analyses : — 



Specific gravity 1.1850 1.2300 



Dry matter 37-6o7 39.923 



Total nitrogen 1.484 1.086 



Glucose 2.696 3-334 



Dextrin 0.688 i.ioo 



Acidity (as lactic) 1.183 0.801 



Inorganic matter 10.476 25.254 



/Sodium chloride 16.032 23.0I2\ 



VPhosphoric anhydride 0.530 0.389/ 



N. Nagai ajid I. Murai^^^ in addition to Tahara and Kitao'^^^ 

 obtained the following results : — 



(1) Every Japanese uses daily in place of common salt from 50 cc. to 80 cc. of this 

 sauce as a food condiment. 



(2) Tokio Eiseisiken Iho. Vol. 8, p. 35,1897. 



(3) Konig. Menschliche Nahrungs- und Genussmittel, 1884. 



(4) Yakugakuzasshi, Vol. 61 (1887), and Revue Internationale des falsifications, 

 1889. Bd. II, 159. 



Isotio (Journal of the Tokio Chemical Society, Vol II. i, 1882), compared also the 

 composition of soja sauce in three stages of preparation, but the samples taken were not 

 from the same original materials. 



