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| This image is of the fermentation process cacao goes through with koji yeast before becoming chocolate picture by: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/15528014.2024.2447663?scroll=top&needAccess=true |
Koji is a mold spore that is commonly used in fermentation. This article will cover how the use of mold spores is being implemented to enhance flavors. Koji is an often found in some Japanese cuisines such as miso and sake, but this mold sore has grown in popularity due to being named the “powerhouse of enzymes” due to its high concentration of amylase and proteases. In this experiment Koji is being used in the fermentation of cacao, conventional chocolate relies on bacteria that is acid producing along with yeast to make cacao into the chocolate. The koji fermentation process relies on the fungus being directly introduced to the cacaos pulp by being sprinkled onto the beans and left to ferment with banana leaves until made into chocolate. Koji fermented coffee which in India was the starting point with a few experiments until the thought of koji covered cacao was brought up, it was the perfect blend of Japan and India being able to connect. Although the introduction to the public was a shaky one with koji being an unfamiliar term and mold, it was also known as the “a magical microbe” giving the final product of koji chocolate its wonderful flavor profile. Koji though a mold lives up to its magical microbe name as it has elevated tastes, helped reduce waste in other products such as mayo, and have even helped with not only cultural-economic relations but human-microbe relations as well just through their enzymatic work in chocolate alone.
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