Aspergillus oryzae

Aspergillus oryzae (Chinese: , , , pinyin: q me jn; Japanese: , kji, or , kji-kin, Korean: , nurukgyun or nuruk-gompang-i) is a filamentous fungus (a mold). It is used in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used to saccharify rice, other grains, and potatoes in the making of alcoholic beverages such as huangjiu, sake, makgeolli and shch. The domestication of A. oryzae occurred at least 2000 years ago.[2] A. oryzae is used for the production of rice vinegars. Dr. Eiji Ichishima of Tohoku University called the kji fungus a "national fungus" (kokkin) in the journal of the Brewing Society of Japan, because of its importance not only for making the koji for sake brewing, but also for making the koji for miso, soy sauce and a range of other traditional Japanese foods. His proposal was approved at the society's annual meeting in 2006. [3] "Red kji-kin " is a separate species, Monascus purpureus.

Contents History of koji

300 BCE A. oryzae (qu, pronounced "chew") is first mentioned in the Zhouli (Rites of the Zhou dynasty) in China. Its development is a milestone in Chinese food technology, for it provides the conceptual framework for three major fermented soy foods: soy sauce, jiang / miso, and fermented black soybeans, not to mention grain-based wines (including Japanese sake) and li (the Chinese forerunner of Japanese amazake).[4]

Properties desirable in sake brewing and testing

The following properties of A. oryzae strains are important in rice saccharification for sake brewing:[5]

Growth: rapid mycelial growth on and into the rice kernels Enzymes : strong secretion of amylases (-amylase and glucoamylase); some carboxypeptidase; low tyrosinase Aesthetics : pleasant fragrance; accumulation of flavoring compounds Color: low production of deferriferrichrome (a siderophore), flavins, and other colored substances

Genome
Initially kept secret, the A. oryzae genome was released by a consortium of Japanese biotechnology companies[6] in late 2005.[7] The eight chromosomes together comprise 37 million

base pairs and 12 thousand predicted genes. The genome of A. oryzae is thus one-third larger than that of two related Aspergillus species, the genetics model organism A. nidulans and the potentially dangerous A. fumigatus.[8] Many of the extra genes present in A. oryzae are predicted to be involved in secondary metabolism. The sequenced strain isolated in 1950 is called RIB40 or ATCC 42149; its morphology, growth, and enzyme production are typical of strains used for sake brewing.[2]

Use in biotechnology
Resveratrol can be produced from its glucoside piceid through the process of fermentation by A. oryzae.[9]

In fiction
A. oryzae is a supporting character (of sorts) in the manga series Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture and its anime adaptation.