{"id":12498,"date":"2021-10-25T17:52:11","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T08:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/?p=12498"},"modified":"2026-08-03T17:17:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:17:50","slug":"natto-hakase-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/en\/natto-hakase\/natto-hakase-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Water purification and skincare. The applications of natto bacteria are incredible!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The stickiness of natto hides a myriad of secrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason for natto’s peculiar stickiness is its high concentration of poly-\u03b3-Glutamic Acid or PGA. Poly means “a lot,” PGA means “a lof glutamic acids connected.” PGA is a natural viscous substance produced by Bacillus natto during natto’s fermentation. Its peculiar properties allow a wide range of applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\uff081) Water purification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
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PGA can turn stagnant water into clear water. By adding PGA to dirty water, its viscosity entwines the small dirt particles and settles them into large lumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dirt trapped with natto bacteria precipitates to the bottom. Eventually, the natto bacteria decompose it purifying the water. This water purification method is used in Japan and overseas.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\uff082) <\/strong>Water retention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\u7d0d\u8c46\u306f\u4fdd\u6c34\u5264\u3068\u3057\u3066\u4f7f\u7528\u3055\u308c\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\"<\/figure>
\n

PGA can store up to 5000 times its weight of water. Its applications include water-retaining material for desert greening and water-absorbing material in diapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another popular application is as a moisturizer in skincare and hair care products.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\uff083) Biodegradable plastic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
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At a glance, biodegradable plastics are similar to ordinary plastics. However, the most significant difference is a harmless re-incorporation into nature, resulting from a fast decomposition into water and carbon dioxide by the action of microorganisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PGA can be used for manufacturing bio-degradable resin with a reduced negative impact on the environment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\uff084) Healthy food<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\u7d0d\u8c46\u306f\u5065\u5eb7\u98df\u54c1\u3068\u3057\u3066\u5229\u7528\u3055\u308c\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\"<\/figure>
\n

PGA is used as a raw material for health foods applications such as mineral absorption, promoting materials, and oral moisturizers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The most exciting fact is that 50-80% of the PGA produced by Bacillus natto is D-glutamic acid. Two types of amino acids exist in nature, L-type, and D-type. They have a three-dimensional structure that is reversed left and right as reflected in a mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L-type amino acids are common components of most living things, including humans. However, D-type amino acids are rarely present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unusually high production of D-type glutamic acid by Bacillus subtilis is a mystery. Research on D-type amino acids can lead to striking discoveries of the development and evolution of life. It is also a good standing point for researching the existence of extraterrestrial life forms.
Undoubtedly, natto is still full of wonders.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\u5c0f\u7b20\u539f\u3000\u548c\u4e5f\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Kazuya Ogasawara<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Academic Advisor to sonomoto Inc. \/ Former Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Kyushu University Graduate School<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Ogasawara graduated from Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Education. He actively researches and develops functional raw materials such as nattokinase. His professional experience as a researcher over more than 39 years includes microbiology, fermentation, enzymology, and bacterium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The stickiness of natto hides a myriad of secrets. The reason for natto’s peculiar stickiness is its hig […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":12936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/?p=10434","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[58,139],"tags":[270,260],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12498"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12498"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12938,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12498\/revisions\/12938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}