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Black Koji Mold
Aspergillus luchuensis is the black koji mold of Okinawan awamori and Japanese shochu, and is also used in Korean fermentations. It produces more citric acid than yellow koji (A. oryzae), which acidifies the mash and inhibits spoilage microbes. Long confused with A. awamori and A. niger, it was clarified by Hong et al. (2013). They found that strains do not produce mycotoxins and can be considered safe for food fermentation.
Not eaten directly; used as koji for awamori, shochu, sake and Korean makgeolli and soju. Hong et al. (2013) found the strains studied produce no mycotoxins and called it safe for food and beverage fermentation. Related black aspergilli such as A. niger can produce mycotoxins, so use only authentic starter cultures.
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