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Life in Japan > Food   print button email button  Sunday, Nov.
11, 2001   How mold grew to be so unique  There are two things
that make nihonshu unique among the world's alcoholic beverages.
One is the process known as heiko fukuhakko, or multiple
parallel fermentation. In short, this means that
saccharification and fermentation take place simultaneously in
the same vat, as opposed to sequentially, as in other fermented
beverages. The other thing making sake unique is the use of
koji.  Well, sort of. In fact, other beverages in Asia, most
noticeably shokoshu and baichu from China, use a form of this
marvelous mold. But the way it is done is a bit different.  As
readers may recall, koji is a mold that creates enzymes as it
grows. These enzymes break starch molecules down into sugar
molecules that can be fermented by yeast cells. Koji also breaks
proteins down into flavor-enhancing amino acids.  In Western
malt-based beverages, koji is not necessar