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Natto was produced by fermenting local soybeans Bacillus subtilis S.N.U. 816. The changes of chemical composition, enzyme activity and texture of NATTO during the fermentation were investigated. The amount of amino type and watr soluble nitrogens were increased as the fermentation progressed, although the former seemed to reach a plateau at about 20 hours of the fermentation, of the protease activity were increased until 16 hours of fermentation at which time they tended to reach plateaus. Among the inspected free sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose), remarkable increases in the levels of fructose and glucose were observe3 after 4 hours of the fermentation. Since then their contents, however, were reduced very low as the processing went on, and sucrose contents dropped drastically to about 10% level and stayed low thereafter. Free amino acid contents of natto during 20 hours of the fermentation were or 2 times greater than those of the unfermented steamed soybean, the 24 hours ferment, respectively. Sensory evaluation revealed that 20 hours of fermentation produced the best quality products based on taste, odor, and color, considering all the data, it seems possible to conclude that the optimum of time for fermentation of natto at 42℃ is 20 hours.
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