White koji mold (Shiro koji kin)

White koji mold (shiro koji kin) is a type of koji mold that plays an important role in making shochu in Japan. Used mainly in southern Kyushu, it saccharifies starch during the brewing of sake and shochu and promotes alcoholic fermentation. Because of its characteristics, white koji mold often produces shochu with a clean, gentle sweetness, and many of these shochu have a particularly pronounced fruity aroma. It is sometimes regarded as a mutant strain of black koji mold. It is highly adaptable and is also sometimes used in making fermented foods such as sake, miso, and soy sauce. In this way, white koji mold is an important microorganism that contributes not only to shochu but also to many traditional Japanese fermented foods.