140  Diastatic  Fungi.  {Amii£&!$&m' 
steadily  increase  as  the  growth  advances,  and  it  will  be  found  that 
within  from  forty  to  fifty  hours  the  diastatic  power  reaches  its  maxi- 
mum, after  which  the  mass  is  taken  out  of  the  growing  room  and 
cooled  down  to  ordinary  temperature  to  check  the  further  growth 
of  the  plant.  The  mass  thus  obtained  is  called  Taka-Koji,  and  can 
be  used  as  it  is  in  the  green  state,  or  it  can  be  dried  for  preserva- 
tion. As  the  diastase  generated  in  Taka-Koji  is  readily  soluble  in 
water,  the  mass  may  be  percolated  with  cold  water  and  the  extract 
thus  obtained  can  be  used  as  a  diastatic  agent,  or,  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, it  may  be  mixed  with  the  extract  of  ungerminated  cereals, 
which  have  the  singular  property  of  augmenting  the  diastatic  power 
of  Taka-Koji. 
This  extract,  for  the  purpose  of  preservation,  may  be  evaporated 
under  a  vacuum  to  a  thick,  syrupy  condition.  In  this  condition  its 
diastatic  power  is  from  eight  to  ten  times  stronger  than  that  of  malt 
extract  of  similar  consistency.  It  can  be  applied  to  all  such  indus- 
tries as  the  manufacture  of  alcohol,  beer,  vinegar,  etc.,  where  the 
diastase  performs  the  important  function  of  converting  starch  into 
sugars. 
The  aqueous  extract  of  Taka-Koji  can  still  be  further  purified  by 
precipitating  the  diastatic  principle  of  the  extract  by  the  addition 
of  alcohol.  For  this  purpose  an  extract  containing  about  20  per 
cent,  of  solid  matter  is  mixed  with  four  to  five  times  its  own  volume 
of  strong  alcohol.  By  this  means  the  diastase,  together  with  some 
other  albuminoids,  is  precipitated,  while  the  sugars  and  other 
impurities  remain  in  solution.  The  precipitate  is  now  separated 
from  the  mother  liquor  by  decantation  and  centrifugal  force ;  it  is 
then  pressed  and  air-dried.  The  product  thus  obtained  is  called 
Taka-Diastase.  It  is  a  yellowish-white  odorless  powder,  possessing 
a  nutty  taste.  It  is  readily  soluble  in  water,  yet  it  is  non-hygro- 
scopic. It  is  perfectly  stable  in  its  diastatic  power.  It  converts  in 
ten  minutes  over  100  times  its  own  weight  of  starch,  according  to 
the  modified  Junk's  test.  It  has  remarkable  starch-liquifying  prop- 
erty besides  starch-saccharifying  property,  the  former  being  three 
or  four  times  stronger  than  that  of  purified  malt.  It  is  strong 
enough  for  all  practical  purposes.  It  can  be,  however,  further  puri- 
fied to  wonderful  strength  by  re-precipitation  or  otherwise. 
The  applications  of  Taka-Diastase  are  varied  and  extensive. 
From  the  remarkable  stability  of  its  diastatic  power  it  can  be  used 
