Pulmuone Obtains Patent for Natto Fermentation Room Optimized for Korean Climate... "Producing the Highest Quality"

Optimal Natto Fermentation Conditions Based on Over 14 Years of Korean Peninsula Climate Data
"Proud to Pioneer the Domestic Natto Market, Striving to Develop High-Quality and Delicious Natto"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Pulmuone announced on the 23rd that it has obtained a patent for a technology that reduces temperature variations within the fermentation room, thereby improving the quality of natto regardless of the distinct four-season climate characteristics in Korea.

The patent, titled “Design of a Fermentation Room with Reduced Temperature Variation (Registration Number 10-2098206),” is Pulmuone’s first patent related to natto.

The CAS fermentation room (Controlled Air-Stream Fermentation Room), completed through the “Design of a Fermentation Room with Reduced Temperature Variation,” is equipped with a wall interference device (3-stage) that directs airflow to blind spots and a screen door that reduces the step difference in the entrance door wall to eliminate vortices.

As a result, the airflow inside the fermentation room has improved significantly, reducing temperature variations, which enables the production of uniformly fermented natto.

This patent was obtained in collaboration with the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Kangwon National University (Professor Yoon Won-byeong, Department of Food and Biotechnology). Pulmuone analyzed factors affecting fermentation based on advice from Kangwon National University and verified the validity of airflow simulations by creating a physical model. Using the collected data, they were able to design a new fermentation room.

Natto is a food made by fermenting soybeans, and “fermentation technology” is directly linked to product quality. Over the past 14 years, Pulmuone has identified the optimal natto fermentation conditions suited to the Korean Peninsula’s climate characteristics and, based on this, developed a state-of-the-art natto fermentation room, successfully establishing a model for “Korean-style natto.”

Korea’s distinct four seasons and large seasonal temperature and humidity variations pose inherent challenges to uniformly fermenting natto. Additionally, as natto is a fermented food originating from Japan, applying Japanese fermentation know-how developed under different climatic conditions directly to domestic products does not yield the best quality; separate conditions tailored to the local climate must be applied. All domestic natto manufacturers have faced difficulties in this process.

Natto is highly sensitive to temperature and humidity changes during fermentation, frequently resulting in over-fermentation or under-fermentation. Over-fermented natto, in particular, causes amino acid components to harden, creating a texture similar to chewing sand grains, which significantly reduces eating satisfaction. Therefore, understanding and researching the domestic climate is essential to producing proper “Korean-style natto.”

Pulmuone Fresh Natto Factory located in Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do.

Since starting natto production in 2006, Pulmuone has set optimal fermentation conditions based on data accumulated over 14 years and designed the ideal natto fermentation room specifications by precisely analyzing airflow through computer simulations.

While existing fermentation rooms experienced temperature variations of up to 6-7°C depending on location, the temperature variation in the new fermentation room applying the patented technology has been significantly reduced to within 1.5°C. Currently, all of Pulmuone’s natto products undergo fermentation in this newly patented fermentation room.

Additionally, in 2018, Pulmuone invested 30 billion KRW to build a fresh natto factory in the Sari Industrial Complex, Goesan-gun, Chungbuk Province, and began full-scale production of natto in the new fermentation room from 2019.

In the same year, a natto production tracking system was also established. This system monitors the fermentation process, allowing precise tracking of the fermentation stages. In case of customer complaints, the production process can be immediately traced to identify the problematic fermentation room and take swift action.

Meanwhile, Pulmuone pioneered the domestic natto market by introducing “Organic Natto” tailored to Korean tastes in 2006 and has been leading the market ever since. Currently, Pulmuone offers a total of nine types of natto, including “Domestic Soybean Fresh Natto,” “Domestic Soybean Yuzu Natto,” “Domestic Soybean Wasabi Natto,” “Black Soybean Fresh Natto,” and “Little Natto” for children, driving the domestic natto market. The domestic natto market size is approximately 30 billion KRW, with Pulmuone holding about an 80% market share.

Natto, rich in dietary fiber, has gained attention as one of the world’s top five health foods selected by the American health magazine “Health,” alongside Korean kimchi. Natto retains the protein, vitamins, and minerals of soybeans. In particular, 100g of natto contains protein equivalent to 76g of beef or two eggs, making it an excellent protein source.

Im I-jong, head of the Fermented Foods Team at Pulmuone Technology Institute, said, “Our goal in designing the fermentation room with reduced temperature variation was to manage temperature variation within 2°C, and we have now reduced it to within 1.5°C. We can say that we have finally succeeded in creating ‘Korean-style natto’ optimized for Korea’s climate characteristics. We take pride in leading the development of the domestic natto market and will continue to improve natto quality so that consumers can enjoy natto healthily and deliciously.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.