What is
UMAMI &
KOJI?

Around the world,
umami has become synonymous with delicious food.

Enhancing a dish's umami, also known as the "fifth taste," can make any meal taste better, no matter how health conscious.

In other words, the healthy choice can taste as good as you want it to.

Still, despite its ubiquity, umami remains a mystery to many people outside of Japan.

Introducing Japanese KOJI, the key to unlocking UMAMI.

For centuries, koji has played a major role in Japan’s fermentation culture alongside Japan’s most beloved fermented seasonings like soy sauce, miso, mirin, and rice vinegar — all known for expanding the umami flavors found in all types of delicious dishes.

Enjoy the seasonal dishes of Japan and surprise your tastebuds with authentic umami flavors.

Unlock UMAMI and live deliciously healthy with Japanese KOJI.

Japanese
Fermented
Seasonings

×

Japanese
Ingredients

＝ Unlock UMAMI

Healthy cuisine
packed with UMAMI

Miso-Grilled Scallops

Scallops are in season during summer and winter, and are delicious when grilled and served with miso.

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a dish packed with seasonal ingredients that is particularly delicious during winter.

Buri (Yellowtail) Teriyaki

Buri (yellowtail) is in season during winter, and this classic Japanese dish is prepared using Japanese fermented seasonings.

Temari Sushi

Made using seasonal ingredients, temari sushi can be enjoyed in any season.

Koji
is the secret
behind
the delicious
flavors
of healthy
Japanese
cuisine.

Koji is used to produce various world-class Japanese fermented foods and seasonings,

including miso, soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar.
In Japan, fermented seasonings that use koji have been around since ancient times and remain popular today.

It has been said that consuming a diet with these Japanese fermented seasonings provides a better dining experience for the body, mind, and soul.
Keep reading to discover what secrets koji offers and unravel its relationship to umami.

Live Deliciously Healthy
with Japanese KOJI

Fermented Seasonings
Born from Koji

Fermented seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, mirin,
and rice vinegar made from koji add depth and rich flavor,

the Japanese concept of umami, to food.
Learn more about the history and culture of these seasonings directly from their producers.

MISO

See More

SOY
SAUCE

See More

MIRIN SWEET
SEASONING

See More

RICE
VINEGAR

See More

Koji Fungus

The creator of Japanese
fermented foods
Examples: miso,
soy sauce, mirin, etc.

Koji is grown on grains such as rice, wheat, or soybean by sprinkling Koji Fungus on them. Koji is the necessary element in creating essential fermented seasonings in Japanese cuisine like miso and soy sauce. Enzymes produced by Koji Fungus create nutrients that can be easily absorbed by the human body, such as vitamins and amino acids. Amino acids also alter taste and aroma, and are the foundation of “Umami,” the essence of deliciousness.

Lactic Acid Bacteria

The Creator of Yogurt,
Cheese, etc.

Lactic acid bacteria change sugar in milk to lactic acid, creating familiar products like yogurt and cheese. The same concept and process applies to pickled vegetables, with its complex and nuanced flavor.

Yeast

The Creator of Beer,
Bread, etc.

Yeast breaks down sugar and create carbon dioxide and alcohol. The fermentation process produces various fragrant aromas. In bread, for example, the yeast makes carbon dioxide that expands the dough and gives it a pleasant scent. Beer is made by using yeast to ferment the sugars in malt, resulting in alcohol and delicious foamy carbonated beverage.

Miso

Miso contains a wide variety of nutrients such as carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Fermentation of soybeans, the primary ingredient of miso, increases amino acids and vitamins within soybeans themselves, and produces peptides, a substance attracting academic attention for traditional claims of efficacy in reducing blood pressure and improving liver function.

Soy sauce

Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans and wheat by adding Koji Fungus to steamed soybeans and crushed roasted wheat, which is then mixed with brine and left to ferment for six months to a few years. Traditionally, it is believed to contain many beneficial components. Glutamic acid in soy sauce is thought to help regulate body mass and influence intestinal tract activity. Researchers have also found that soybean isoflavone may work to (i) reduce LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in the bloodstream, (ii) help prevent arterial sclerosis, and (iii) build healthy complexion by mimicking the female hormone estrogen.

Mirin sweet
seasoning

Mirin sweet seasoning is comprised of many nutrients such as sugars and amino acids. The main type of sugar in Mirin other than glucose is oligosaccharide. With rice, malted rice, and shochu (or other alcohol) as its ingredients, Mirin undergoes saccharification and maturation for 40 to 60 days. Koji Fungus enzymes act to produce sugars and amino acids by breaking down starch and proteins, giving Mirin its distinctive unique flavor.

Rice vinegar

Rice vinegar is made by fermenting rice with Koji and then adding acetic acid bacteria for further fermentation. The refreshing sour taste of rice vinegar stimulates the sense of smell and taste and promotes the secretion of saliva and gastric fluid. Japanese food is suited to a well-balanced and healthy diet. Sushi is one common example, comprised of vinegared rice (containing a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar) topped with raw fish.

Miso

Effective Use of Miso in Cooking
Example: Tofu and Wakame Seaweed Miso Soup

In addition to seasoning ingredients, miso’s unique characteristics enhance rich flavor of food and make dishes more appealing. Since miso contains enzymes that break down proteins, coating meat or fish with miso softens them so they don’t become tough even when heated. It can also eliminate the unpleasant odor of fish. Saikyoyaki, a style of grilled fish from Kyoto, is a dish that takes advantage of this effect. In addition, when enzymes break down the proteins in the soybeans used in miso, the proteins change into glutamic acid, an umami constituent. The combined taste of miso umami and the umami from other constituent ingredients, such as the world-famous Japanese broth, dashi, create the flavor of miso soup, an essential part of Japanese home cooking.

Soy sauce

Effective Use of Soy Sauce in Cooking
Example: Japanese Wagyu with Wasabi and Soy Sauce

Applying soy sauce alters or eliminates strong smells inherent in foods, and improves tastiness. Furthermore, the lactic acid and salt in soy sauce, as well as alcohol and other ingredients, help prevent bacterial growth, so it has been a long-standing custom in Japan to preserve and prepare meat and fish by soaking them in soy sauce. Also, applying heat to soy sauce causes amino acids and the sugars to produce a mouthwatering aroma. This effect, for example, draws out the delicious taste of high-quality Japanese wagyu, enabling the full enjoyment of the meat’s sumptuous flavors.

Mirin sweet
seasoning

Effective Use of Mirin Sweet Seasoning in Cooking
Example: Buri(yellowtail) Teriyaki

Mirin sweet seasoning brings together the complex combination of sugars and umami constituents, like amino acids and peptides, creating a rich umami flavor. When applying Mirin, amino acids expand the umami and savoriness, organic acids add a tinge of acidic flavor, and the sugars imbue the ingredients with a sophisticated sweetness. Additionally, the alcohol quickly soaks into the food, allowing the food to absorb the umami constituents. Then, applying heat causes the alcohol to evaporate and carry away the strong smells that may be in the fish or meat. This is why fish and meat teriyaki are standard dishes in Japan.

Rice vinegar

Effective Use of Rice Vinegar in Cooking
Example: Buri(yellowtail) Sushi

Rice vinegar is an effective natural preservative and eliminate unwanted strong smells. Sushi is one common example, comprised of vinegared rice (containing a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar) topped with raw fish. The rice vinegar takes away the strong smell, while the sugar helps prevent the starch in the rice from aging so that the rice does not become hard when cooled.

Functionality of ingredients produced by fermentation

For example, miso’s fermentation process increases amino acids and vitamins through fermentation, and you can consume YEAST and LACTIC ACID BACTERIA, which are not originally contained in soybeans, can be ingested, while rice vinegar is rich in organic acids, which can be taken together with sugar as a source of energy when you feel tired from exercise to help relieve fatigue.

Health-promoting components produced by koji fungus

Recent research has shown that ceramide produced by Koji fungus is broken down in the intestines and acts in the liver to lower liver cholesterol, and that a component called peptide, produced by the breakdown of proteins by koji fungus, can be expected to lower blood pressure, among other effects.

Since many fermented seasonings using Koji are used in Japanese food, koji is thought to play a significant role as one of the health functions of Japanese food.

Umami helps decrease sugar and salt consumption

The consumption of sugar and salt can be reduced by making good use of fermented seasonings, such as miso, soy sauce, mirin sweet seasoning, rice vinegar, and DASHI (Japanese soup stock), which are rich in umami ingredients, to create complex flavors, the consumption of sugar and salt can be reduced.

Diverse food intake and healthy cooking methods

Simple cooking methods such as "simmering," "steaming," "raw," "boiling," and "grilling" are more satisfying than "frying" and "stir-frying," which require a lot of oil, due to the umami of fermented seasonings.

In addition, the concept of "one soup, three dishes" [staple food (rice), soup, main dish, and two side dishes] allows you to consume a variety of foods such as soy products, seafood, vegetables, and seaweed.