Design of microbial processes and manufactures based on the specialities and traditions of a region: A Kumamoto case

Abstract

Efforts have been made to produce two types of ancient and/or novel alcoholic beverages as follows. (i) Sprouting-rice wine, a legendary and mysterious alcoholic beverage that dates back to antiquity in Japan, was successfully reproduced using sprouting rice as a saccharifying agent. (ii) Red-rice wine, a novel alcoholic beverage, was made from red-rice by ethanol fermentation without cooking. Attempts were also made to utilize by-products of the brewing process and from food industries as starting materials for new products. (i) Shochu distillery waste was successfully used for production of various alcoholic beverages with red-rice bran and chrysanthemum flowers ( Higo-giku) and for semicontinuous ethanol fermentation. (ii) Soybean cooked-syrup, discharged from a natto factory, was successfully used for production of a cheese-like food and a yogurt-like drink. Characteristic alcoholic beverages and foods closely related to the brewing and food industries in Kumamoto Prefecture were produced from an example of cooperation of bioindustry, public research institution and educational institution. Attempts were also made to utilize industrial by-products and waste as materials for new products with the intent of developing regional biorecycling systems for the brewing and food industries.