Note On Nu kam iso . 
BY 
M. Inouye, Nugakushi. 
Nukamiso is rice-bran in a state of lactic fermentation, and 
is used for softening certain vegetables, sucb as the fruit of the 
egg-plant and the radish, which are rendered palatable and 
-easily digestible, when left in a large quantit}/ of nukamiso for 
about 24 hours. (l) 
Nukamiso is prepared by mixing rice-bran with about four 
times its amount of hot water and adding 6-10 per cent of salt 
to the mixture. A small quantity of old nukamiso is added 
in order to give the fermentation an early start. Very 
frequently also some fish broth is added, whereby the fer¬ 
mentation is considerably enhanced. The mixture acquires 
gradually a strong acid taste and peculiar smell, and has to be 
stirred from time to time to avoid the growth of mould fungi on 
the surface, which would no doubt use up the lactic acid and, 
by thus rendering the mass gradually neutral, would allow of the 
growth of putrefactive bacteria, which would spoil the product, 
more especially if enough salt had not been added. Comparative 
experiments with one per cent solution of peptone have shown 
that if the quantity of sodium chloride sinks below 5 per cent, 
putrefaction can easily set in, (2) while lactic fermentation of a 
sugar-peptone-solution is not prevented by even 10 per cent 
of sodium chloride, although it is much retarded. 
(1) The nukamiso is not eaten, but is carefully washed off from the articles that 
have been treated with it. 
(2) An addition of 5 per cent sodium chloride to a peptone-solution will retard 
the putrefaction to such a degree that after about two weeks the amount of ammonia 
formed is only about I that of the control case without sodium chloride. This 
amount of ammonia would be still less, if some lactic acid were present, as in nuka- 
miso ; moreover, I may mention that, although an addition of even 8 o/ 0 of sodium 
chloride to the diluted peptone-solution will not prevent bacterial growth, putrid 
fermentation is very much retared, if not entirely stopped, by that addition, especi¬ 
ally if 0.5 ojo of lactic acid is still present. 
