Koji Starter Culture (Tane Koji) - 80g

What is a Koji Kin Starter?

Also Known as "Tane-koji" (Seed Koji)

Tane-koji refers to the "spores" of the koji mold fungus, which serve as the foundation for making koji.
Fermented foods like miso and amazake are produced using koji as the primary ingredient. Without tane-koji, the creation of koji would not be possible.

Within the brewing industry, tane-koji is commonly referred to as "moyashi" (beansprouts).
The appearance of the koji mold fungus as it sprouts and extends its white-colored mycelium is strikingly similar to the look of edible "moyashi" beansprouts. This resemblance to the budding of trees is the reason behind the "moyashi" nomenclature.

What is this Koji starter suitable for?

this strain is called Chōhaku-kin (Long White Koji).
The ideal seed koji for making white koji. Perfect for home-based koji production.

The key characteristics of Chōhaku-kin are its long mycelium growth and low degree of browning.
It maintains a vibrant white color with minimal discoloration, making it an excellent choice for creating ingredients that require a bright, pure white appearance, such as rice koji, amazake, and white miso.

Just 80g of this seed koji can be used to produce koji from 160kg of uncooked rice.
This koji mold (seed koji) is optimally suited for those who wish to make their own koji at home.

What is Koji?

Koji is produced by inoculating steamed grains (such as rice, barley, or beans) with koji mold spores (tane-koji), and then cultivating the koji mold under carefully controlled temperature conditions that are optimal for its proliferation.

Koji is often described as a "treasure trove of enzymes" because it contains an abundance of a wide variety of enzymes. These enzymes play a critical role in breaking down the grain components.

Moreover, koji itself is a highly nutritious food, as it becomes imbued with sugars, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals during the growth of the koji mold.

Koji serves as the foundation for the production of many traditional Japanese fermented foods and beverages, including sake, shochu, mirin, miso, soy sauce, vinegar, and amazake.

How to Store Seed Koji?

The recommended storage methods for seed koji (tane-koji ) are as follows:

• Store the sealed container in the refrigerator's vegetable compartment and use it up within around 6 months.
• Alternatively, you can store the seed koji in the freezer for up to 1 year. However, if the seed koji gets old, you may need to add more tane koji for your koji production.

Proper storage in the refrigerator is crucial to maintaining the viability and quality of the precious seed koji over an extended period.

How to make Koji?

Join our Koji making class or read this blog!

Are you scared to ferment?

We have classes where we teach how to make miso, amazake and also how to serve it!

Ingredients: Aspergillus oryzae spores
Weight: 80g, which can inoculate kg of rice (before adding water).
Origin: Kyoto, Japan
* Please keep in the refrigerator for 6 months. 
If you keep the spores in the freezer, you can extend the shelf life to 1 year. If the spores a re old, please use more spores in your koji recipe.