Photo/Illutration A new food source called “Kin-pun” is fashioned from natto bacterium cultivated and ground into large volumes of powder. (Provided by Fermecutes Inc.)

A start-up firm affiliated with Keio University developed a new food source made of a powdered form of a bacterium used for natto fermented soybeans.

The bacterium can be mixed into bread and noodles to add a chewy texture and a deep flavor.

“I was concerned about the possibility of the bacterium’s powder creating a disgusting odor since it turns soybeans into natto, though we don’t use actual natto,” said Yoshiaki Ohashi, 52, president of Fermecutes Inc., an entrepreneurial spinoff from Keio University’s Institute for Advanced Biosciences in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture. “It, therefore, astonished me that the bacterium actually makes food even tastier.”

The bacterium’s cells also hold a considerable amount of protein necessary for cell division, with protein reportedly accounting for 70 percent of the microorganism’s total composition.

Taking full advantage of this, the product, called “Kin-pun,” was perfected by drying and grinding the bacterium.

As climate change and emerging countries’ population explosions are predicted to lead to a global food and protein crisis, Ohashi anticipates that the powder may be of use to many.

“The foodstuff will help people ingest more protein without bringing on more of an environmental burden,” he said.

Fermecutes is looking to start the powder’s production under original equipment manufacturer (OEM) contracts with a major bread maker and a processed food company by the end of this year.

Ohashi pinpointed the optimum environment indispensable to culturing the natto bacterium, then teamed with the local National Institute of Technology, Tsuruoka College, to develop a range of food products with the powder.

The natto bacterium’s stunning ability to proliferate enables the microorganism to double in volume in 60 minutes.

This means one gram of the bacterium can grow to 16 tons over the course of 24 hours.

The aim of the powder is to replace only some of the medium-strength flour used in bread and noodles that weighs the same as the bacterium but contains one-eighth the protein.

Fermecutes made careful adjustments to achieve such a usage.

BETTER EATING

Ohashi specialized in enzyme chemistry during his student days. He received a Ph.D. for his genetic studies on the natto bacterium.

He secured a post at what is currently the food study division of the farm ministry-affiliated National Agriculture and Food Research Organization and became one of the first members of Keio University’s Institute for Advanced Biosciences at the time of its founding in 2001.

Ohashi set up Fermecutes in 2021.

Speaking about the natto bacterium’s ability to improve the aroma of food, Ohashi said he “initially did not project this kind of thing to happen” and that the “detailed mechanism has yet to be identified in many respects.”

With such characteristics in mind, Masayuki Okuda, chef at the local high-end Italian restaurant Al che-cciano, gave his full endorsement to Ohashi’s invention.

Ohashi said Okuda told him that kneading the powder with dough helps enhance its texture and odor, while butter seemed to blend in better with the bread.

Adding the bacterium can also apparently make rice cakes easier to chew.

Such an attribute is expected to have various applications, such as in meals for consumers in need of nursing care.

Fermecutes said the bacterium’s production costs per unit weight can be dramatically slashed if it successfully ties up with a business with large manufacturing facilities under the OEM supply framework.

“It could become available for as cheap as several thousand yen per kilogram,” Ohashi said while declining to disclose specific plans.

Fermecutes is considering installing a plant to mass-produce the powdered bacterium in Indonesia or India as well.

Related News