Hello, I'm C-taka.
This time, I will talk about the ingredients of Japanese sake, which are indispensable for talking about Japanese sake.
The ingredients of sake are water, rice and malted rice. In sake brewing, saccharification and fermentation are done at the same time.
Various ingredients are used for sake, but the main ingredients are water, rice and malted rice. It's simple, isn't it?
Rice malt is a kind of mold called Aspergillus that is bred on steamed rice.
Alcohol is produced when yeast eats sugar and water, in other words, ferments it.
However, since rice does not contain sugar, it cannot be fermented as it is.
So we need to change starch in rice into sugar. This is where malted rice comes in handy. When Aspergillus oryzae spreads and propagates on steamed rice, saccharifying enzyme is generated.
Rice starch is broken down into sugar by this saccharifying enzyme.
In the tank where sake is made, saccharification and fermentation are done at the same time. This method is called parallel multiple fermentation and is known as a rare technology in the world.
①About water used in brewing
About 80% of the ingredients of sake are water.
In addition to the water that is actually used for brewing, it also needs water to wash and absorb the rice, water to be added to the unprocessed sake to adjust the alcohol content, and water to clean tools, bottles, and brewing facilities.
Many breweries use water drawn from their own wells. Every brewery cherishes their own water because it is essential for brewing sake.
②About rice as a raw material
First of all, the raw material of sake is rice. What kind of rice is used? Edible rice such as "Koshihikari" is used, but there is special rice called "rice suitable for brewing sake" which is made only for sake brewing.
There are many kinds of "'rice suitable for brewing sake" in various parts of Japan. Typical shuzo kotekimai are "Yamada-nishiki" "Gohyakumangoku" and "Omachi".
Compared to the rice we usually eat, "rice suitable for brewing sake" is characterized by its large and soft grains and a large cloudy white part called "Shinpaku (pearl of rice)" in the center of the rice.
The outside of rice contains a lot of protein and lipid, and it tends to become unpleasant taste when made into sake. Therefore, the outside of the rice is scraped off, leaving a central part called "Shinpaku (pearl of rice)" which is close to pure starch. We call this process rice polishing.
③About rice malt("koji") as raw material
This image from https://kawashima-ya.jp/contents/?p=459
Rice malt("koji") was explained briefly at the beginning. it is a kind of mold called "Aspergillus oryzae" grown on steamed rice.
The most important enzyme produced in koji is a saccharifying enzyme called glucoamylase. This is because glucoamylase breaks down rice starch to produce sugar, which is then consumed by yeast to produce alcohol.
Enzymes produced in koji include enzymes that dissolve rice and liquefy starch, and enzymes that break down proteins.
If rice is well dissolved in the fermentation process, the taste becomes more voluminous, and amino acids produced by the decomposition of protein can be used as a source of umami components and nutrition for yeast.
However, if the amount of amino acid is too much, it can cause unpleasant taste, so the flavor of sake produced will change depending on the balance of the enzyme of the koji produced.
④About other auxiliary raw materials
As I explained earlier, the main ingredients of sake are water, rice and malted rice.
However, in fact, sake often contains other ingredients. Most Japanese consumers don't understand, but sake often has additives that are not required to be labeled. Additives that are not required to be labeled are basically not labeled. It's a problem for sake fans, but the situation is that it's left unchecked.
Now that we have digressed a little, let me at least explain some of the important additives.
"brewer's alcohol"
If you look at the ingredients on the label of sake, in addition to rice and malted rice, there are some additives that are described as "brewer's alcohol".
"brewer's alcohol" refers to distilled alcohol produced by fermenting and distilling mainly sugarcane molasses and cereals.
"brewer's alcohol" is sometimes used to increase the volume of sake, but in recent years, it is often used to bring out the refreshing flavor, crispness and aroma by adding a small amount. It is added to Ginjoshu and Daiginjoshu mainly for that purpose.
saccharides and acidulants
For several years after the end of World War II, there was a shortage of rice as a staple food in Japan.
Naturally, there were not enough rice to be used for sake brewing, so it was allowed by the country to add brewer's alcohol in order to increase the amount of sake. However, if too much distilled alcohol is added to sake, its taste becomes pungent and thin. To adjust the taste, "saccharides" and "acidulant" are added.
The sake added with "saccharides" and "acidulant" is far from the original taste of sake. In recent years, when brewing techniques have been developed, the image of sake has improved somewhat, but I am disappointed that the image of unsavory sake after the war still remains.
