The Power of Soy

Around 2011 or 2012, I had the opportunity to eat Taiwanese Buddhist cuisine, and that was the first time I encountered the ingredient known as soy meat. This event was the catalyst for my awakening to soy food, and now soy meat has become common enough to be found on supermarket shelves.

At the time, it was only available at specialty food stores for vegetarians, but for me, from the first time I ate it, I had an intuition that "this is going to be big."

So you felt some kind of new potential in soy meat.

That's right. I've always loved cooking and used to come up with healthy recipes using tofu. However, I started to take an interest in soy meat because it was even more interesting as an ingredient.

What I mean is that, depending on how you cook it, it's a presence that keeps you on your toes, making you think, "How can I make this taste delicious?"

I'm not a vegetarian, but after encountering soy meat, I studied it intensely. This was because I noticed my physical condition was improving significantly. My skin irritation and constipation disappeared, and my hay fever symptoms improved quite a bit. I felt the potential, thinking, "This might be the power of soybeans."

Gradually, I became captivated by soy food (dishes and food products made from soybeans). I think many Japanese people feel that soybeans are familiar and somehow good for the body. I was one of them.

As I learned about nutrition and other aspects, I felt it was a waste not to spread the word about such a wonderful ingredient, so I founded an organization called the Japan Soyfood Meister Association. Currently, I work every day to promote soy food. From a time when searching for "soy food" yielded no hits, I feel a great sense of accomplishment that it is now commonly understood.

Also, when people talk about soybeans, it was often perceived as a stereotype, like "that's why Japanese food is superior." Soybean foods were often used as a synonym for Japanese cuisine. Therefore, in today's food culture where it has become natural to eat many different types of meals, I thought it was a waste to keep soybeans confined to Japanese cuisine, so we deliberately call dishes using soybeans "soy food" in katakana as a general term.

Up until now, I have been sharing various information, including recipe development, and holding courses. Recently, I have also been collaborating with food manufacturers to develop products.

I serve as the president of two companies: Shikoku Kakoki, a machinery manufacturer, and its subsidiary, Satonoyuki Food, which manufactures and sells tofu. Shikoku Kakoki primarily makes machines that fill paper or plastic containers with dairy products like milk and yogurt. The reason that company started making tofu goes back about 50 years when the previous generation made a machine for filling tofu. At that time, the tofu industry was still dominated by handmade tofu shops and was still developing, so he decided to use this machine to modernize the tofu industry and established Satonoyuki Food.

This is a simple question, but by starting tofu production, did you not incur the displeasure of the dairy manufacturers who were the customers for your machinery?

At first glance, tofu manufacturers seem close to dairy manufacturers, but what they make is different. Therefore, we didn't have to compete with Shikoku Kakoki's client companies. Milk and soy milk have similar compositions, but they are different products, so no matter how much we make, the dairy manufacturers don't get angry.

Since then, Shikoku Kakoki has been doing BtoB business, and Satonoyuki Food has been doing BtoC business. A characteristic of our group is that while one side is dealing in large machinery worth hundreds of millions of yen with corporations, the other side is negotiating selling prices in units of 50 sen with mass retailers (laughs).

I studied at Rikkyo from junior high school through graduate school. In university, I went to the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science, and in graduate school, I majored in the genetics of natto bacteria. After obtaining my degree, I conducted research on Bacillus subtilis at the National Food Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Natto bacteria is a type of Bacillus subtilis.

Later, in 2001, when Keio opened the Institute for Advanced Biosciences in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, I was invited to join, and I have been continuing my research activities in Tsuruoka ever since. So far, eight venture companies have been born from the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, and Fermeetes Inc., where I serve as representative, is the eighth company, established in 2021.

At Fermeetes, we conduct research and development on "edible natto bacteria." As the term SDGs spread, I myself was thinking about whether I could create a new business while utilizing my expertise in microorganisms. Natto bacteria is, so to speak, a mass of protein, so no other research institution was looking into eating the bacteria itself. In that context, when I consulted with Masaru Tomita, the Director of the Institute for Advanced Biosciences at the time, he said, "That sounds interesting, let's do it," and we began research and development as a venture.

Until then, I had been at Human Metabolome Technologies, another venture company started within the institute, for about 17 years, but when I started Fermeetes, I was able to get investment from that company as well.

Mr. Ohashi, were you not originally researching natto itself?

Yes, I am strictly a researcher of natto bacteria, not a researcher of natto. So, rather than a love for soybeans, it's more accurate to say I love the natto bacteria that loves soybeans (laughs).

About 18 years ago at Satonoyuki Food, we tried inoculating okara (soy pulp) with natto bacteria and feeding it to chickens as feed. We were trying to raise chickens without giving them antibiotics. When we sold the eggs laid by those chickens, they were very well received, and we continued it for a while.

Are you not doing it now?

We aren't doing it anymore. We tried to sell them as high-end eggs, but the market conditions wouldn't allow it. I hope to try it again someday.

However, we also found that there is a synergistic effect by combining the components in okara with natto bacteria. In human terms, it's an intestinal regulating effect. Also, while antibiotics are mixed into feed to increase the survival rate of chickens, we were able to lower the mortality rate by mixing natto bacteria okara into the feed.

That's amazing.

I think this is the power of natto. Although it was incredibly smelly feed (laughs).

But since natto bacteria is a mass of protein, I think animals would eat it too.

Actually, natto bacteria produces antibiotics. About five different types, in fact. That's the reason why other bacteria don't grow on natto. However, while it works against bacteria, it doesn't work against mold, so mold can still grow.

It's interesting that combining okara and natto bacteria, both of which are familiar to Japanese people, creates a new power.

It is interesting, isn't it? We are also conducting research on culturing natto bacteria using okara. We convert it into natto bacteria until the okara is almost gone.

To make one kilogram of tofu, one kilogram of okara is produced. The drawback is that this okara is treated as "industrial waste."

That was an issue in the past, wasn't it?

Yes. There was a court case over "what is okara?" As a result, it was designated as industrial waste. That's why okara is a nuisance for tofu manufacturers.

What do you do with the okara at Satonoyuki Food?

We sell dried okara at mass retailers as a product called "okara powder." However, that alone isn't enough to use it all up, so the reality is that we use it as livestock feed or dispose of it. It costs money to dispose of it, so I think it's a waste.

People have approached us as well, asking if something can be done.

If things that are being disposed of could be utilized effectively, I feel that would truly lead to the SDGs.

If products using okara or natto bacteria become popular, we might end up talking about a shortage of natto bacteria next (laughs).

Natto bacteria reproduces a lot, so it'll be fine.

We were saying as a joke when we started using it as feed: "If we have to make okara for the sake of the natto bacteria, we'll have too much tofu."

But okara is interesting. I think it holds great potential, but how can we make it delicious to eat?

It's common, but perhaps adding ingredients to make unohana or shira-ae. In some regions, it's also called "kirazu." Okara used to be sold at local tofu shops. It's that delicious of a product.

As you may know, okara is the pulp left over from making soy milk, and it also contains the part that corresponds to the "germ" of the soybean. Okara is high in nutritional value, containing many isoflavones and such, but we are throwing away something that good.

That's true. We will also do our best to make it delicious through natto bacteria conversion.

As poverty becomes a problem worldwide, I believe soybeans have great potential to solve it. After all, they can be cultivated almost anywhere in the world and mass production is possible. However, in reality, more than 90% of the soybeans cultivated worldwide are not for so-called food use, but for oil extraction.

Japanese people have a food culture of eating soybeans deliciously, but unfortunately, in other countries, they are sometimes not even considered an ingredient. Even in regions with food cultures where bean dishes are popular, soybeans are not eaten. Red beans or chickpeas are used in chili con carne or chili beans, but soybeans are almost never used as an ingredient.

I see.

Conversely, I wondered why Japanese people have gone to such lengths to find ways to eat soybeans, which take so much time to process. There are various foods made from soybeans, such as tofu, soy milk, okara, and yuba, but water is essential for both soaking and boiling. I think the fact that Japan had clean water was a big factor.

Previously, when I spoke with someone doing support activities in a developing country, they told me, "If you soak soybeans in water overnight, it will become a disaster with bacteria." Initially, I thought soybeans were the best protein source that could be stored at room temperature and would be useful for food crises, but it certainly takes time and effort to make them delicious to eat. I realized that further ingenuity is needed to solve social issues.

Clean water and a hygienic environment are essential for foods using soybeans.

Exactly. By the way, what I wanted to talk with you all about today is what is called soy protein. The powdered form, which is further concentrated defatted soybeans produced when oil is extracted, has been bought from the United States since shortly after the war and used as a binder for various processed foods.

Among processed foods such as meatball, chicken nuggets, and hamburgers, this is generally included in products that can be obtained relatively reasonably. The purpose varies—it's not so much for taste as it is for increasing nutritional value, adding bulk, or moisture retention.

Recently, with the movement to promote the SDGs, demand for plant-based foods has increased, and this kind of soy protein has begun to be actively utilized. It is being re-evaluated even in regions like the EU and the US that do not have a culture of eating soybeans deliciously. However, the current situation is that it remains at the level of thinking about protein utilization. The idea of meat alternatives is also part of that movement.

So it's not a movement that can be called a food culture yet.

That's right. I don't think the idea of meat alternatives is bad, but even in Japan, which has a culture of eating soybeans deliciously, there is a tendency to follow that movement. I wonder about that. Rather, I think we should spread Japanese wisdom for eating plant-based foods deliciously more widely throughout the world.

At the Japan Soyfood Meister Association, where I serve as representative director, we are also involved in food development from the perspective of eating plant-based foods deliciously. For example, we recently commercialized an evolved version of ganmodoki called "Gyammo." Currently, I am also involved in the development of a slightly elastic tofu that would go well in sandwiches.

We are also very interested in the development of soybean-based foods. Major manufacturers are also putting effort into the product development of soy meat and soy hamburgers. At convenience stores, a product called the tofu bar, which can be easily eaten with one hand, is currently popular.

While there is such expansion, the tofu industry has shrunk significantly over the past 10 years or so. The number of tofu shops has gone from 15,000 to less than 5,000 today. Now, if you ask if the market has decreased accordingly, it hasn't.

There are various ways to look at it, but the tofu market is said to be worth about 300 billion yen. I think a factor in the decline of tofu shops is the problem of a lack of successors, but the biggest reason is that it's difficult to add value to tofu itself. That's why we arrive at new ideas like tofu bars and soy milk yogurt.

In this context, Satonoyuki Food also began exporting tofu filled in paper cartons more than 20 years ago. This has had quite a response, but sadly, people in foreign countries don't eat it as hiyayakko (chilled tofu). Since our company aims for tofu that is delicious when eaten as hiyayakko, this situation is regrettable.

To which countries are you exporting?

We are selling to Europe, the US, and Asia. I think our tofu in paper cartons that can be distributed at room temperature is delicious, if I do say so myself, but in foreign countries, they end up cooking the tofu with heat, so it doesn't lead to an experience of tasting the flavor itself.

As Ms. Ikegami says, soy meat is positioned strictly as a substitute for meat, so basically, it's not very delicious, is it?

Of course, there is delicious soy meat. But it's true that there are also those that are not. As long as we call it a meat alternative, I think it will be difficult to surpass meat. Therefore, I want to proudly proclaim that it is a "soybean food."

I think it's wonderful for Japanese food to spread, but each country has its own food culture, and what Japanese people "like" won't necessarily be accepted in its entirety. For example, Japanese people tend to like smooth or fluffy textures, but those aren't necessarily popular overseas. In Japan, it's natural to eat hiyayakko with soy sauce, but there might be regions where people want to eat it with chili sauce.

Therefore, I feel that we also need to be creative in ways that suit various food cultures, without being bound by the fixed idea of Japanese cuisine. For example, it's like the way Japanese people enjoy cod roe spaghetti topped with natto or shiso leaves.

Are things like ganmodoki not liked in foreign countries?

Speaking of Ganmodoki (fried tofu fritters), they are characterized by that fluffy texture, but some people might not like that. However, preferences vary from person to person, so it's hard to generalize. More fundamentally, there seems to be a question of, "Wait, you eat soybeans?"

Ohashi: I see. In foreign countries, soybeans often have a strong image of being livestock feed.

Exactly. That image is particularly deep-rooted in the United States.

That's why I think we first need to start by changing that perception. The food culture of processing and eating soybeans is a field where Japan can lead, so it would be great if we could provide more of that food culture, processing technology, ideas, and manufacturing machinery.

If people in China started eating Hiyayakko (chilled tofu), I think consumption would increase dramatically. They eat sushi and sashimi normally now, so there should be no reason why they wouldn't eat raw tofu. The important thing for that is, after all, making delicious tofu. Yudofu (boiled tofu) is also delicious, but to spread the way of eating it, we have to get them to change their eating habits.

In the US, pre-processed tofu is distributed, but soy milk is also increasing. As for so-called plant-based milks, there are others like almond milk, right?

There is also oat milk made from oats.

That's true. So, I think the awareness that soybeans are something livestock eat is gradually changing.

I think that trend is a big opportunity for Japan. Natto bacteria also holds great potential. By the way, did you know that the "Natto Challenge" has been popular lately?

What is that?

Videos of people "trying to eat natto" are spreading on social media. Along with the hashtag "#NattoChallenge," people from abroad are trying various ways to eat it.

I also think natto has potential. For example, there is room for improvement in the packaging. Natto containers are usually made of Styrofoam. To me, that looks somewhat cheap. I'm currently going through a lot of trial and error, thinking there might be a shape that people abroad would find more appealing.

By the way, I wanted to ask Mr. Ohashi, putting natto in Styrofoam containers is to ensure breathability, right? When inoculating soybeans with natto bacteria, will it not ferment when placed in the fermentation room if there is no breathability?

That's right. Natto bacteria are aerobic bacteria, meaning they can grow in the presence of air, so breathability is necessary.

So, if you use a plastic container and block out the air, it won't ferment. The reason I ask is that I don't find the three-stacked Styrofoam containers in supermarkets very appetizing. I want to change that first, but I'm pondering how to ensure breathability while making a container that people abroad would want to eat from.

That's certainly true. Returning to the earlier point about soybean acceptance overseas, Japan has a highly developed culture of fermenting and eating soybeans, and natto, miso, and soy sauce are one answer. Fermentation makes the soybean protein itself very easy to eat.

Soybeans originally contain about 30% protein, and there are no other grains that contain that much. In that sense, I want people to eat them as a protein source, but in places like the US, they don't see it that way. Rather than a protein source, it's more like, "I decided not to eat meat, so maybe I'll try a little."

We Japanese get about 8% of our daily protein intake from soybeans. On the other hand, in the US, even vegetarians like vegans only get about 2% of their protein from beans. For meat-eaters, the protein they get from soybeans is about 0.1%. They are barely consuming any.

I've been wondering for years why even vegans don't look toward soybeans, and I think one reason is that the technology to process them well—like tofu, natto, miso, and soy sauce—hasn't taken root in the US or Europe.

That's true. Looking at history, Japan's soybean processing culture had already developed after the Kamakura period. The technology advanced around the time meat-eating was prohibited in Buddhism and took root over a long period. It's quite mysterious how people back then knew that soybeans contained protein that could replace meat and fish.

Since Japan is hot and humid, the fact that there was a need to convert food into something that wouldn't rot as much as possible was likely a big factor. I think that's also why fish were made into dried products.

Soybeans are also a crop that is resistant to storage when dry, but they inevitably become prone to rotting when rehydrated. However, if you ferment them with natto bacteria, other bacteria won't come near, and they last longer.

The same goes for Koji mold. By adding a lot of salt, other miscellaneous bacteria can't enter. Fermentation technology has been built up in that way.

The culture of fermentation really has a very long history.

Yes. I think that history is a history of the struggle with preservation.

The question of "Why don't they eat soybeans?" is something that can't be fully understood without tracing back through history. Even in Japan, we now use olive oil as a matter of course, but when I was a child, it wasn't on the shelves that much. Things might change significantly given the right trigger.

That's true. However, people in the West don't easily eat soybeans...

The other day, when I exchanged opinions with people from Austria about each other's food cultures, they said that "flexitarians" are increasing. It seems more people are focusing on plant-based meals and not actively eating meat or fish. They said demand for plant-based foods is rising among those flexitarians.

If that's the case, for example, Koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu) is light and not bulky, so it could become a standard souvenir. But the package has "Koya-dofu" written in a brush-stroke design. Although a photo of a simmered dish is printed on it, it probably doesn't convey to people abroad that it's made from soybeans.

In supermarkets all over Japan, tofu, Atsu-age (deep-fried tofu), and natto are lined up. It's really amazing to have such a wide variety of plant-based foods available. But for Japanese people, it's so normal that they don't think to innovate with it.

In Tsuruoka City, where I live, there is a specialty called "Dadacha-mame." I think that is the king of edamame. All the guests from abroad are happy to eat it, saying it's delicious.

Edamame is also popular with tourists from abroad. It's becoming a culture where "edamame" is understood as is. Even if they aren't vegan, Japanese people order delicious edamame or Agedashi-dofu as a matter of course. Such a food culture is rare even from a global perspective. I think this is an important part that should be emphasized.

When people from abroad tell me edamame is delicious, I think Japan should produce more soybeans. The countries supplying them in large quantities are Brazil and others, right? It would be good if Japan could be self-sufficient in delicious soybeans, just like rice.

That's true. The US, Brazil, and Argentina account for 70% of soybean production. The reason soybeans are genetically modified in large quantities in the US is that oil extraction is the primary purpose. They are made to increase oleic acid or to be resistant to herbicides and pests, never to pursue deliciousness.

Of course, that's not everything; delicious tofu and soy milk are also made with US-grown soybeans. They must be carefully selecting varieties and importing suitable soybeans.

Ohashi: Does Satonoyuki Foods mostly use domestic soybeans?

It's about half and half. However, I think our company uses relatively more domestic soybeans compared to other tofu manufacturers.

Is it difficult to procure domestic soybeans?

It is difficult. They are mainly from Hokkaido and Kyushu. However, sadly, even if we put effort into procuring materials, tofu itself lacks brand power. Therefore, we have to resort to slogans like "Using Hokkaido brand soybeans."

This has become a challenge for us as a manufacturer; plain tofu only sells for about 98 yen at most. Our products are sold for 188 yen, and I think people can tell the difference in taste, but even so, the large price difference for the same "tofu" is troubling. This is a difficult problem.

Is the soybean itself the key to increasing added value?

When I became president 27 years ago, I told the employees, "I want you to make the most delicious tofu in Japan." And also, "Let's research the history of tofu for our studies." Foods with a long history like cheese and other dairy products usually have literature, right? But for tofu, despite having a 1,000-year history, there is no old literature.

So, we started research from scratch to make the most delicious tofu in Japan. Tofu is, so to speak, a combination of soybeans, water, nigari (bittern), and packaging. We divided into four teams and researched for a year and a half.

As a result, we found that what determines the deliciousness of soybeans is their preservability. Tofu is most delicious when it's freshly made, without a doubt. Maintaining that is the most important factor in determining the taste of tofu.

And what's important for making freshly made, delicious tofu is the soybeans. In other words, the material itself.

To make tofu, you solidify soy milk, and we found that the secret lies in the balance of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins contained in the soybeans. You might think more sugar makes it tastier, but when solidified with nigari, this can turn into an unpleasant harshness. Therefore, it's important to choose soybeans with a good balance of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Of course, water and nigari are also important, but there are soybeans suitable for tofu. And it's interesting that the deliciousness of the soybean itself doesn't necessarily match the deliciousness when made into tofu.

I understand. Even if you make tofu with soy milk that you think is delicious, it's not necessarily delicious, is it?

By the way, if you put natto bacteria powder into soy milk, stir it, and drink it, it becomes delicious.

Is that so! Doesn't natto bacteria powder have a natto-like smell?

Natto bacteria itself hardly smells like natto. When you mix natto bacteria powder into soy milk, a cream-like aroma arises, and the richness increases, making it delicious.

Do natto bacteria, like lactic acid bacteria, die when heated?

They do die.

There are over-the-counter intestinal regulators that claim to create an intestinal regulating effect through the power of lactic acid bacteria. Those must kill the lactic acid bacteria during the manufacturing process, but the intestinal regulating effect is not lost. Does natto bacteria have that kind of effect too?

The reason dead lactic acid bacteria have an intestinal regulating effect is that the living lactic acid bacteria in the gut eat the part called the "cell wall" on the surface of the bacteria. It is said that eating the cell wall increases the lactic acid bacteria in the body.

So, does that mean an intestinal regulator can be made from natto bacteria too?

Exactly. We have a patent for that with Fermecutes. Drinkable natto bacteria in capsule form has also been commercialized.

There are also supplements where you can intake nattokinase derived from natto bacteria. I heard that Fermecutes is working on the research and development of natto bacteria powder with an eye on the food crisis problem, but how far has it progressed in terms of actual application?

What we are making now is natto bacteria powder that can be put into bread. Natto bacteria powder absorbs moisture well, so the bread becomes chewy. Furthermore, it adds a bit of weight and richness, making it very delicious.

That sounds delicious. And the protein content increases too, right? Does natto bacteria increase in deliciousness or nutritional value by being mixed into something rather than being consumed alone?

Yes. Since natto bacteria is a major protein source, rather than making processed foods like meat alternatives, for example, when making pizza, you can put it in the dough, or in the sauce and cheese. We aim to make meals high in protein in total that way.

The reason we made natto bacteria into a powder is that there are various food cultures around the world. The method of having it mixed into the food and dishes of that region to make them even more delicious is probably the most logical way.

Of course, making something like a "protein natto bacteria bar" and finding a sales channel overseas is one way. But rather than that, I think it's healthier to have it naturally incorporated into local food cultures, so I'm working on research and development with that in mind.

So it's more rational to have it as an ingredient that supports from the background as a protein source, rather than bringing it to the forefront as a prepared dish like "something using natto bacteria."

Exactly. It can be put in bread, pizza, naan, or pasta. By making it into a form that can be used like that, I think it will be easier to spread in terms of quantity. Since the food crisis is a global issue, it won't be a story that contributes to solving the problem unless it spreads on a scale of hundreds of thousands or millions of tons.

The food industry certainly has the difficulty of having to develop with an eye toward quantitative expansion, doesn't it?

In that regard as well, okara is an excellent ingredient. If we can get okara supplied by manufacturers, we can cultivate Bacillus subtilis natto on our end.

We would absolutely love to ask you to do that (laughs).

I believe the future of fermentation will change as we look at it in connection with soybeans. We refer to Bacillus subtilis natto as a "fermented protein," and we can see various possibilities for it as a protein source. If we can produce Bacillus subtilis natto products with various flavors, the possibilities should expand even further.

From a broader perspective of fermentation, koji mold can also serve as a protein source. Koji is another technology that Japanese people have built up since ancient times through practices like soy sauce brewing.

Hearing your talk has made me like soybeans even more. I was able to learn about the potential for Bacillus subtilis natto to assist in the development of foods other than natto, and once again, I felt the great potential of Japan's soybean food culture and the fermentation culture that is essential to it. I realized once more what an interesting ingredient it is.