• Mycobiology
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.269-276
• /
• 2016

Aspergillus luchuensis is known as an industrially important fungal species used for making fermented foods such as awamori and shochu in Japan, makgeolli and Meju in Korea, and Pu-erh tea in China. Nonetheless, this species has not yet been widely studied regarding mating-type genes. In this study, we examined the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 gene ratio in black koji molds (A. luchuensis, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus tubingensis) and in Aspergillus welwitschiae isolated from Meju, a fermented soybean starting material for traditional soy sauce and soybean paste in Korea. The number of strains with the MAT1-1 locus was 2 of 23 (A. luchuensis), 6 of 13 (A. tubingensis), 21 of 28 (A. niger), and 5 of 10 (A. welwitschiae). Fungal species A. tubingensis and A. welwitschiae showed a 1 : 1 ratio of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 mating-type loci. In contrast, A. luchuensis revealed predominance of MAT1-2 (91.3%) and A. niger of MAT1-1 (75%). We isolated and identified 2 A. luchuensis MAT1-1 strains from Meju, although all strains for making shochu in Japan are of the MAT1-2 type. These strains may be a good resource for breeding of A. luchuensis to be used in the Asian fermented-food industry.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.670-676
• /
• 2016

In this study, we analyzed the utensils, covers and mats that were used for making meju, the shape of meju, and the heating method used for making meju from the 225 ways of preparing jang mentioned in the 32 volumes of the ancient cook books from 530 AD to 1950. The heating method of traditional meju bean and starch included 57 kinds of steaming, 59 of boiling, 21 of roasting + boiling, and 2 of cooking. The shape of meju included 41 kinds of egg, 27 of ball, 22 of lump, a kind of doughnut, 8 kinds of hilt, 6 of flat, 4 of chip, and a kind of square. Among the 72 gochoojang meju, the heating method of bean included 9 kinds of boiling, and 6 kinds of steaming; whereas the heating method of starch included 19 kinds of steaming of dough, 11 of rice cooking, and 5 of boiling of dough. The utensils for molding of bean meju were 49 kinds of straw sack, 14 of round straw container, 11 of heating bed, 7 of large straw bowl or Japanese-snailseed, 5 of jar, 4 of ditch, 3 of straw bowls, 2 of pottery steamer of dough, 2 of gourd, and a kind of long round bamboo bowl and sack of straw. The cover and the mat used for molding of meju included 36 kinds of straw, 17 kinds of paper mulberry leaf, 15 of wide straw seat, 14 of mugwort, 11 of pine tree leaf, 10 of soybean leaf, 6 of cocklebur leaf, 6 of sumac leaf, 6 of barley straw, 6 of mulberry leaf, 5 of fallen leaf, 5 of cogon grass, 4 of reed seat, 3 of scrap of cloth, 2 of Indian bean tree leaf, a kind of reed. There were only 5 kinds of hanging.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.441-448
• /
• 2023

Penicillium spp. are frequently found in meju, a Korean traditional fermented soybean brick. We isolated and identified 96 Penicillium spp. from 22 traditional meju, and their β-tubulin genes were sequenced for the genetic and taxonomic study. Penicillium Section Viridicata was the most commonly isolated group. Notably, we also isolated and identified Penicillium roqueforti, a crucial industrial strain employed in the fermentation of blue cheese. Additionally, certain strains exhibited relatively high protease and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activities, suggesting that they might contribute to the development of kokumi flavor during meju fermentation. Interestingly, all eight Penicillium spp., including P. roqueforti, were found to possess both types of MAT1 genes. This intriguing finding suggests the feasibility of strain improvement through mating, thereby offering opportunities for industrial applications. Therefore, these studies pave the way for a deeper exploration of Penicillium's role in meju fermentation, potentially leading to the development of starters for producing plant-based cheese-flavored condiments.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.835-848
• /
• 2015

In the past, Korea had many kinds of jeupjang (succulent jang), a rapidly maturing original Korean jang (fermented soybean paste) of which there is no record in Chinese cookbooks. However, this local delicacy has almost been forgotten. Therefore, we looked for information about jeupjang in cookbooks written prior to the Joseon Dynasty in Korea (1392~1910) and in the 1950s. Among the recipes, there were 34 jeupjangs prepared with vegetables, such as eggplant and cucumber, and 9 without. The main ingredients of jeupjang are soybean, bran (wheat crust), and barley, and wild wheat is also used. Jeupjang is made in small portions to expedite its rapid maturation, but the most common form is egg-shaped, and there is also a flat or round, hilt-shaped version. In most cases, jeupjang consists of a mixture of meju powder (moldy soybean), water, and salt. Other ingredients can include nuruk (moldy bran), bran, wheat flour, an alcoholic beverage, maljang (dried fermented soybeans), ganjang (liquid soy sauce), malt, and takju (Korean murky wine). Jeupjang meju can be fermented in a vessel, most widely in baskets made of straw (sum and dungumi) or willow or interwoven twigs (chirung), but jars can also be used. The leaves of the paper mulberry are generally used for the mat and cover, but straw or leaves of the sumac, mulberry, or pine tree, soy, and fallen leaves are also used. Unlike other jangs, jeupjang is matured at $60^{\circ}C$ to $65^{\circ}C$, using heat emitted from the decomposition of horse dung, haystacks, or manure. Jeupjang became defunct or was transformed into jeomjang, jiraejang, mujang, paggeumjang, makjang, jipjang, and tojang. These jangs differ from jeupjang in that they use rice, malt, or hot pepper powder.