Eki-ka jikomi

【English】
“Liquefaction mashing”, “liquefaction brewing”

A system of brewing in which the white rice is not steamed, but liquefied with enzymes before mashing. In the standard procedure, the rice undergoes washing, steeping and steaming before being put into the main mashing (fermentation) tank in a solid state. In the case of eki-ka jikomi, the mashing water is put into a liquefaction apparatus with the rice and the temperature raised. A heat-resistant enzyme preparation is used to liquefy the starch in the rice. After liquefaction is complete, the liquid mixture is cooled and moved to the fermentation tank and fermentation proceeds in the normal fashion after the addition of koji and yeast.

To improve the reaction efficiency of the liquefying enzymes, it may be necessary to crush the rice grains. The following methods exist.

1) After crushing the rice in advance, quickly raise the temperature to levels inducive to liquefaction, then liquefy.

2）Omit the crushing of the rice, but allow ample time for the enzymes to work.

3) Crush the rice after steeping, mix in heat resistant enzyme preparations, then heat and liquefy in a short space of time.

Liquefaction-mashed moromi is more fluid from the early stages, making for great ease of temperature control.