COMPOSITION, AND PROPERTIES OF KOJI. 
25 
portion of them was less soluble in water, but soluble in 
boiling alcohol. This deportment also coincides with our 
above result, according to which the sugars consist of maltose 
and glucose. 
As the ferment of koji also converts maltose into dextrose, 
a protracted action of a large amount of the ferment on com¬ 
paratively small proportions of starch will probably result in 
a complete conversion of the maltose formed in the beginning, 
and dextrose may be the final product. 
Previewing the results arrived at by the preceding researches 
we see that the ferment of koji has strong diastatic properties : 
It converts cane sugar with great ease into dextrose and 
lœvulose, maltose into dextrose, and gelatinized starch into 
dextrin, medtose and dextrose, whereas it does not act on milk 
sugar or inidin. Now it is known that another fungus, like¬ 
wise applied in fermenting industries, viz. beer yeast, also 
contains a soluble ferment which vigorously inverts cane sugar 
and resembles in this respect and also in regard to its des¬ 
truction by a comparatively low heat the ferment of koji 0 . 
Other carbohydrates appear, however, not to be altered by 
the yeast ferment ; at least M. J. Kjeldahl 6 7 reports that lie 
observed no action on dextrin and maltose, and Kiliani 8 none 
on inulin. 
Although we desired to systematically compare these two 
ferments we unfortunately could not procure absolutely 
pure-bred bottom yeast, obtainable at present only in Europe 
but had to take our material from a well conducted brewery 
at Yokohama. Microscopic examinations, however, showed 
that only minute quantities of cells of other yeast were pre¬ 
sent in it. About 300 grms. of this yeast were triturated 
with granular pieces of glass, extracted with water and filter¬ 
ed through asbestos. The extract amounted to about 500 c c. 
and was slightly opalescent. It served, immediately after 
6 Atkinson (1. c. p. 33) found the koji extracts become completely ineit at a 
temperature between 60 u and 70° C. 
1 Biedermann’s Centralblatt für Agricnlturchemie, vol. 11, 1882, p. 791. 
8 Obern. Centralblatt, 1882, p. 414. 
