COMPOSITION, AND PROPERTIES OF KOJI. 23 
The coincidence between tlie rotatory powers actually 
observed and calculated on the above assumption indeed 
renders it very likely that the syrup contained among the 
reducing substances only maltose and some dextrin. As 
the rotatory powers found before and after inversion differed 
by the same amount (0.8 —0.9°) from the rotations calcu¬ 
lated, it appears that a small amount of an optically active 
substance other than maltose and dextrin was present, 
which was not altered by the inverting reagent. Glucose 
was not present in the syrup, but appears to have been 
separated from it by the extraction with strong alcohol. 
The experiment just described though pointing with great 
probability to the presence of maltose among the products 
obtainable from gelatinized starch under influence of the 
ferment of koji, does not yield a proof as decisive as desirable, 
probably because the extract of koji applied contained some 
substances other than maltose that could not be removed 
from the syrup by our method of purification. We therefore 
tried the following way : 500 grms. of koji was digested for 
24 hours in glycerin, the extract precipitated with absolute 
alcohol containing some ether, the flocculent greyish pre¬ 
cipitate dissolved in a little water and again thrown down by 
absolute alcohol. The white mass thus obtained, included 
much of the ferment of koji, as after dissolution in water it 
exhibited a strong saccharifying power when allowed to act 
on gelatinized starch. Thereupon 250 grms. of starch were 
converted into paste with about 4 litres of water and, after 
cooling to 40-45° C. the gelatinous mass was w r ell mixed with 
the aquous solution of the ferment likewise gradually warmed 
to that temperature. The mixture was kept in warm water 
at 40-45° C. for three hours and then allowed to stand at 
ordinary temperature until the next day. It was then eva¬ 
porated to a syrup and mixed while still warm with a ninefold 
volume of absolute alcohol, filtered and still repeatedly ex¬ 
tracted with warm alcohol of the same strength. The extracts 
were united, freed from tbe alcohol by distillation, evapo- 
