Thank you for sharing your wild koji adventure. If you still have the 1st batch saved some where, perhaps you can try this and I sure would like to see the end results. After you steam your rice and let cool, try to soak it into some alkalized solution (potash + water) for a minute or two. Then, drain and dry your steam rice before applying your wild koji starter. The reason is simply most bacterias that usually thrive in a more acidic environment will not be able to survive in a more alkalized environment. They will just die and probably be consumed by the aspergillus oryzae fungus found in your wild koji kin. As such, you will get a more clean wild koji kin. You may need to repeat this process several time until the final results to your like. I strongly recommend that you mix in sterilized rice flour (3 parts) to your wild koji spores (1 part) before applying it to your alkalized steam rice. Good luck
I think you are in a similar (Mediterranean) climate as I am here. If winter is your wet season, perhaps try to capture the spores then! That is what I am going to do again. Good luck!
More likely these are Aspergillus strains, but I'm sure it's a grab bag of microbes. Trichoderma seem to thrive in more moist climates, not our desert dry climate. I'll try again in our next wet season.
I have a microscope, but didn't try to examine this stuff. Just by the colors I could tell it was a microbial jungle! With most optical microscopes, you can tell the difference between most bacteria (rod shaped, for example), and yeast cells (which are bigger, ovoid or egg shaped); but I wouldn't be able to differentiate mold species from one another with the home 'scope. Aspergillus is a large genus, so it is a bit of a gamble with it.
Thank you for sharing your wild koji adventure. If you still have the 1st batch saved some where, perhaps you can try this and I sure would like to see the end results. After you steam your rice and let cool, try to soak it into some alkalized solution (potash + water) for a minute or two. Then, drain and dry your steam rice before applying your wild koji starter. The reason is simply most bacterias that usually thrive in a more acidic environment will not be able to survive in a more alkalized environment. They will just die and probably be consumed by the aspergillus oryzae fungus found in your wild koji kin. As such, you will get a more clean wild koji kin. You may need to repeat this process several time until the final results to your like. I strongly recommend that you mix in sterilized rice flour (3 parts) to your wild koji spores (1 part) before applying it to your alkalized steam rice. Good luck
Austin it was great getting to meet you in the coffee! Can't wait to check out your videos bro
Thanks for your prompt reply. I must try it next summer as now it is winter in jordan . I appreciate your efforts
I think you are in a similar (Mediterranean) climate as I am here. If winter is your wet season, perhaps try to capture the spores then! That is what I am going to do again. Good luck!
If I’m not mistaken what you made in this video is called Trichoderma mold not Koji.
More likely these are Aspergillus strains, but I'm sure it's a grab bag of microbes. Trichoderma seem to thrive in more moist climates, not our desert dry climate. I'll try again in our next wet season.
So you have a microscope? I'm just trying to figure out how to determine if the mold you've captured is Koji. Like I don't know what I'm looking for.
I have a microscope, but didn't try to examine this stuff. Just by the colors I could tell it was a microbial jungle! With most optical microscopes, you can tell the difference between most bacteria (rod shaped, for example), and yeast cells (which are bigger, ovoid or egg shaped); but I wouldn't be able to differentiate mold species from one another with the home 'scope. Aspergillus is a large genus, so it is a bit of a gamble with it.