2IO 



OKUiMURA ; CONTRIBUTIONS TO 



In the former case, I obtained 4 colonies of yeasts and 3 of mould 

 fungi on the plate, while in the latter 27 yeast colonies and 12 

 mould fungi were found. 



The spread out rice is again heaped up and covered w ith 2 

 or 3 layers of straw mats for about 14-17 hours. 



Then the mixture is distributed upon wooden trays which 

 arc now placed beside and above each other in the koji cellar. 

 When very cold weather sets in, these boxes are covered with 

 straw mats. After 7-10 hours the mass is carefully mixed and 

 heaped up again and at the same time the position of the boxes is 

 changed, the upper ones being placed now at the bottom and 

 vice versa, to procure an equal amount of heat for all the boxes. 

 For the next 7-8 hours the temperature rises considerably as the 

 de\'eIopment of the koji fungus proceeds, and the rice again 

 becomes covered with white mycelium. The heaping and 

 spreading and replacement of the trays are repeated from about 

 six to seven hours. The koji is finally spread out on mats to cool, 

 whereby any further development of the mycelium upon the 

 grains is checked. 



In the Toyohashi factory I have observed the following 

 temperatures in the trays : 



6 hours after infection 



34"C. 



34^C. 



34°C. 



12 ,, 



39 



40 



35 



18 ., 



46 ,. 



47 



44 



24 .1 



43 



43 



40 ., 



(3; The Moto Process. 



The principal object of this process is the development of tlie 

 yeast for the following or itioro?ni \ivoccss}^'' There arc only a few 

 yeast cells in koji us, I have observed by preparing a plate culture, 

 but I have seen also numerous smaller globules (besides Asper- 

 gillus spores) sometimes 2 or 3 surrounded by a membrane, u hich 



(I ) Besides tl-,e (.leveiopment of yeast and aU oholic fermentation there proceeds also 

 the faccharificatioii of il;c rice starch by the enzyme of the koji fungus, 'i'he 

 composition of koji was found by Kellner, Mori, and Kagaoka to l;e : 



