Partially germinated and dried barley, rice or soybeans have been used for the production of liquors and seasonings since ancient times. Partially germinated and dried barley is generally known as malt. As used herein, partially germinated and dried rice is called "malted rice" and partially germinated and dried soybeans are called "malted soybeans". The partial germination process produces mold in the barley, rice or soybean material.
Malt, malted rice and malted soybeans can be used to resolve starch into sugar and/or protein into amino acid by fermentation of the mold. Accordingly, these malted products have been used to brew liquors, miso (bean paste), soy and the like as well as in the production of pickles, confectionary and the like, primarily in East Asian countries.
In particular, the ferment of malted rice and malted soybeans, which is mainly amylase, can be used to resolve starch into sugar, to resolve protein into amino acid and to improve the smell, taste and other qualities of foods. This third property has also been known since ancient times and is due to the delicate action of certain effective ingredients on the foods. Accordingly, malted rice and malted soybeans have been added to various foods in order to improve the taste and preservation qualities of foods.
However, the use of malted rice and malted soybeans for flavor enhancement and preservation is limited because the malted rice and malted soybeans cause an unpleasant odor and leave traces of the rice and soybeans themselves. Liquid malted rice or liquid malted soybean can be produced by cultivating malted rice mold in rice, wheat, soybeans and the like. However, the use of liquid malted rice or liquid malted soybean remains limited due to the unpleasant odor and the traces that remain.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide techniques for separating and extracting malt, malted rice, and malted soybeans in a liquid material and a technique for using the extract by addition to food.