''Aspergillus sojae'' is a species of fungus in the genus ''

Aspergillus ' () is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide. ''Aspergillus'' was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli. Viewing the fungi under a microscope, Mic ...

''. In Japan, it is used to make the ferment ( ''kōji'') of soy sauce,

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

mirin is a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. The sugar content is a complex carbohydrate that forms naturally during the fermentation pro ...

, and other lacto-fermented condiments such as ''

tsukemono are Japanese preserved vegetables (usually pickled in salt, brine, or a bed of rice bran). They are served with rice as an ''okazu'' (side dish), with drinks as an '' otsumami'' (snack), as an accompaniment to or garnish for meals, and as a ...

''. Soy sauce condiment is produced by fermenting soybeans with ''A. sojae'', along with water and salt.

Glyceollin Glyceollins are a family of prenylated pterocarpans found in ineffective types of nodule in soybean in response to symbiotic infection. It possesses two chiral centers and can be asymmetrically synthesized chemically at a gram level scale. Mol ...

s, molecules belonging to the pterocarpans, are found in the soybean (''

Glycine max Glycine (symbol Gly or G; ) is an amino acid that has a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. It is the simplest stable amino acid (carbamic acid is unstable), with the chemical formula NH2‐ CH2‐ COOH. Glycine is one of the proteinog ...

'') and have been found to have an antifungal activity against ''A. sojae''. ''Aspergillus sojae'' contains 10 glutaminase genes. The glutaminase enzyme in ''A. sojae'' is important to the taste of the soy sauce that it produces. An experiment was conducted using the genome sequencing of ''A. sojae.'' Strain NBRC 4239 had been isolated from the ''koji'' used to prepare Japanese soy sauce. The sequencing technology was used to investigate the genome with respect to enzymes and secondary metabolites in comparison with other ''Aspergillus'' species sequenced. The ''A. sojae'' NBRC4239 genome data will be useful to characterize functional features of the ''koji'' molds used in Japanese industries.

References

sojae Fungi described in 1971 Molds used in food production {{Eurotiomycetes-stub

See also

References