Background
This experiment explores the saccharification of Bloody Butcher corn using wheat koji to create an amazake-style beverage. The goal is to determine how effectively the starches in nixtamalized maize can be converted into sugars using non-traditional koji substrates.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 part Nixtamalized Bloody Butcher Corn
1 part Wheat Koji
3 parts Water
Equipment
Glass Jar
Fermentation Chamber
Instructions
-
Combining
Combine equal parts of the nixtamalized Bloody Butcher corn and wheat koji in a glass jar. -
Hydrating
Add three parts water to the mixture and stir thoroughly to combine. -
Incubating
Place the jar in a fermentation chamber and hold at 140°F (60°C) to initiate saccharification.
Notes and Observations
- After being left at 140°F (60°C), the mixture did not saccharify as much as anticipated.
- Despite showing good growth during cultivation, the wheat koji may not have produced a sufficient amount of amylase enzymes.
- Alternatively, the starch within the nixtamal may not have been fully accessible for enzymatic breakdown.
- Further experimentation is required to determine if maize starch is viable for amazake applications, which theoretically it should be.
- A future control test will be conducted using rice koji to better analyze and isolate the issue.