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Let's look at the importance of Bacillus subtilis and its role in soybean fermentation, a traditional Japanese food.
Natto is a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybean. A bacterium responsible for the fermentation of soybean is Bacillus subtilis.
When forming natto, the soybeans are first soaked and cooked, then mixed with the Bacillus subtilis to allow fermentation up to 24 h at 40°C. Then the natto is cooled and aged in a refrigerator for up to 1 week to develop stringiness.
Bacillus subtilis is a probiotic bacterium that forms spores used as a food supplement for humans.
The importance of this bacterium in fermenting soybean is that it produces enzymes that aid in the breaking down of complex compounds to simple biomolecules. For instance ,enzyme amylase present in B. subtilis converts the starch present in the soybean into sugar. It also produces protease and esterase responsible for degrading proteins and fats in soybean.
This bacteria is largely non-pathogenic and grows quickly in inexpensive media. B. subtilis is one of the few organisms that has been used to remove the bitter taste of soybeans. The lack of pathogenicity among strains of _B. subtilis _and any of its close relatives have resulted in Food and Drug Administration granting the organism as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe).
