Overview of Products, Technologies, and Services

Industrialization technology of solid state fermentation is the technology that selectively draws out the potential of microorganisms to stably produce large quantities of targeted valuable substances such as enzymes and organic acids. Koji making is a uniquely Japanese solid state fermentation technique in which microorganisms called koji molds are grown directly on solid grain materials such as rice, barley and soy beans and it is an important process that determines the quality and productivity of traditional Japanese fermented products such as soy sauce, miso, sake and shochu.

Product Features

• 【Solid State Fermentation technology】
  This technology selectively draws out the potential of microorganisms to produce the targeted valuable substances such as enzymes, organic acids, etc. It is used in the fermented food industry for the production of koji.
  By using solid state fermentation technology for plant materials of previously low value, it can be expected that the growth of microorganisms will result in higher value-added and more functional raw materials.
• 【Equipment composition】
  This is the unit equipped with the product temperature control, turning and data measurement which are necessary for solid state fermentation. It can be operated anywhere by simply connecting the utilities (water, air, electricity) and is automatically controlled according to set conditions, allowing unmanned fermentation. In addition, as this machine performs solid state fermentation in the same way as actual large equipment, it can perform solid state fermentation with high reproducibility assuming industrialization (fermentation on a large scale).
• 【Sectors with potential for industrialization of solid state fermentation】
  Expansion of solid state fermentation technology into the food, feed, energy sectors and bioplastics is expected. All of these sectors are necessary for the establishment of a recycling-oriented society, and the demand is expected to grow if effective production of materials and high value-added raw materials are achieved.
• 【For commercialization】
  If a method of producing valuable substances by solid state fermentation is established with this machine, mass production can be achieved by scaling up the equipment. Production volumes can range from several hundred kilograms to the tens of tons.