In the late 20th century, high-quality straw was harder to come by, and it was often sold in Styrofoam or paper containers. Therefore, the modern way of making natto is to use steamed soybeans mixed with artificially cultivated natto mushrooms and put them directly in a container to ferment them, and some foods other than soybeans can also be made into natto.
Modern factory-made natto
Modern factory-made natto
In the case of sake brewing, if the rice used as raw material is inadvertently contaminated with the natto bacteria, the yeasts required for brewing are inhibited by their rapid reproduction. Natto must not be present in the sake brewing premises, but may be present in other fermented foods as well, so it is important to pay close attention to the process.
Natto bacteria are weakly acidic, and can hinder the production of lactic acid by lactobacilli. Technically, we have developed natto with a weaker odor, but the use of natto strains with lower viability can easily create room for other bacteria to proliferate. In addition, the natural enemy of the natto bacteria is the phage virus that parasitizes the bacteria. When the phage begins to act, it reduces the activity of the natto bacteria and may cause other bacteria to begin to multiply, so you should avoid consuming natto that has exceeded its shelf life.
How to eat
Traditionally, natto is mixed with soy sauce or wasabi (the boxed natto sold in department stores is usually made with light soy sauce and yellow wasabi) until a silky texture appears, and then eaten on top of white rice, which is called natto rice. Some people also mix natto with various ingredients such as raw eggs, green onions, minestrone, daikon radish, and shiba fish. In Hokkaido and Tohoku, natto is sometimes mixed with sugar. There is also a creative way to eat natto with mayonnaise. If you add the sauce without mixing it, it will become too watery and lose its consistency, while green onions and wasabi suppress the pungent odor of "natto ammonia". Those who are not used to eating natto think it is rotten boiled soybeans.
Nutrition Editor
Natto contains all the nutrients of soybeans and special nutrients added by fermentation, including saponins, isoflavones, unsaturated fatty acids, lecithin, folic acid, edible fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins, and a variety of amino acids and minerals, which make it suitable for long-term consumption and health maintenance.
Japanese medical doctors and physiologists have learned that the protein of soybeans is insoluble, and after making natto, it becomes soluble and produces amino acids, and various enzymes that do not exist in the raw materials are produced due to the natto bacteria and associated bacteria, which help the stomach and intestines to digest and absorb. The composition of natto is: 61.8% water, 19.26% crude protein, 8.17% crude fat, 6.09% carbohydrates, 2.2% crude fiber, 1.86% ash, and as a plant food, it is the richest in crude protein and fat. Natto system of high-protein nourishing food, natto contains enzymes, consumption can be excluded from the body part of the cholesterol, decomposition of the body's acidification type of lipid, so that abnormal blood pressure back to normal.
Edit of Natto made from soybeans and black beans
Soybeans and black beans are different in nutrient composition, so they are utilized differently by Natto bacteria. Natto produced from soybeans is golden, intact, soft, produces a lot of mucus, high amino acid content, and bitter taste, strong odor, which is related to the high amino acid content, and the number of live bacteria is much higher than black beans. Black beans produced natto is black, with a metallic luster, the grain is complete and hard, less mucus, amino acid content is low, the number of live bacteria contained is also less. When the ratio of soybean to black bean is 8:2, the amino acid content and bacterial count of natto produced by ***same fermentation are between the raw material of whole soybean and whole black bean. From the point of view of the mixed fermented beans, it is easy to distinguish that the soybean grains are golden, with metallic luster, more mucus content on the surface, and the grains are complete and softer, while the black bean grains have luster, less mucus covering the surface, and the grains are complete and harder. Soybeans are easily utilized by natto bacteria, and the natto produced is better than black beans.