''Aspergillus awamori'' is the

scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

for what, until about 2013, was considered a type of black ''

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, Miche ...

'' (black ''kōji'') used to make '' awamori'' and ''

shōchū is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. Typ ...

''. Due to international research in 2013, the black ''kōji'' used to make ''awamori'' and ''shōchū'' is now commonly referred to by the scientific name ''

Aspergillus luchuensis ''Aspergillus luchuensis'' (previous names ''A. foetidus'' and ''A. acidus'') is a species of fungus in the genus ''Aspergillus''. It belongs to the group of black ''Aspergilli'' which are important industrial workhorses. The fungus has been used ...

''. The scientific name and classification of black ''Aspergillus'' (black ''kōji'') has been in a state of confusion for more than 100 years since 1901, when the ''kōji'' used in ''awamori'' was first described as ''Aspergillus luchuensis''. In 2013, many scientists, including Yamada from Japan, Hong from South Korea, Samson from the Netherlands, and others, confirmed that black ''kōji'' is an independent species, different from ''

Aspergillus niger ''Aspergillus niger'' is a mold classified within the ''Nigri'' section of the ''Aspergillus'' genus. The ''Aspergillus'' genus consists of common molds found throughout the environment within soil and water, on vegetation, in fecal matter, on de ...

'', and should be called ''Aspergillus luchuensis'' as a matter of priority. According to Yamada, the biggest cause of confusion over the scientific name of black ''kōji'' is that NRRL 4948, which is considered the

neotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...

of ''A. niger var. awamori'' (=''A. awamori''), is a strain similar to ''A. niger'' from Brazil, which has nothing to do with ''awamori''. In other words, the strains previously classified as ''A. awamori'' include not only ''A. luchuensis'' but also ''A. niger''. Therefore, the scientific name ''A. awamori'' was "doubtable" and the scientists suggested that it was better not to use this name to avoid taxonomic confusion. According to him, as of 2015, the internationally accepted scientific name for black ''kōji'' seems to be ''A. luchuensis'', after the historical name for

Okinawa Island , officially , is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five Japanese archipelago, main islands of Japan. The island is ...

, "Ryukyu".

References

awamori Fungus species {{Eurotiomycetes-stub

See also

References