Our development Kitchen
Introducing Natto K2! Developed from fermented soya beans, this > innovative product is a superfood prebiotic packed with essential nutrients and stands out as > a major leader in Atherosclerosis prevention, and a leader in plant sources of vitamin K2
After years of dedicated research and development, I want to present a range of Natto K2 products that redefine your understanding of health!
From my research the sticky stinky flavour of natto is not for some palates, the mouth feel is sour and non fulfilling I have looked at western tastes especially in Europe and England If you’ve ever experienced the sticky, slimy texture of traditional Natto, you might associate it with the pungent aroma of smelly cheese a mouth feel of raw oysters and look of frog spawn.
First step
But First I had to consider the science. The advancement of taking complex products and interchanging textures and chemical structures I had to consider what i needed to do to natto to take it to the next level from a slimy, stinky product with excellent health benefits from the Asian market to bring it to the European market of soft Suttle flavours combining the umami with soft textures and a smoother mouth feel. I offer both the savoury natto in its original form alongside of soya Natto and Chickpea Natto. Our new product range of sweet products but with all the added benefits to health.
I had to consider what are the chemical properties, compounds and the structures of the Natto and how they interplayed, so I needed some expert advice. I talked with Mohammed SOMAI a mechanical design engineer discussing Formula 1 tyre compounds and a paper by Richard Goodal and Lucy parsons on the fracture of chocolate from Sheffield university metallurgy department to fully understand the science behind chocolate. The focus of then making a product with different materials and compounds such as chocolate led to many challenges.
The science
Mohammed spoke about the fact that engineers start with reference compound proportions as a starting point. Then, they add and adjust additives depending on the specific needs (for example they add carbon as a way to harden the compound). For F1 tyres for example, you need a compound that heats fast (so that it sticks to the tarmac) with a suitable amount of degradation (to not have multiple pitstops) so they adjust the compound accordingly. As for the science used, they use different viscosity models to have an idea about the compound they’re creating , that explains process so what about chocolate;
In Richard and Lucy’s Paper they show how chocolate is a polymorphic material with a complex structure. This is due to the cocoa butter having 6 different ways of packing together in its crystalline form, giving rise to 6 different forms of chocolate (chemically identical, but structurally different), known as polymorphs I-VI [4]. Form I has the lowest stability, with a melting point of ~17ºC, and stability increases through each polymorph with forms V and VI being the most widely used by commercial manufacturers.
Chocolate is, like a lot of materials, made by combining different substances together. Typically, chocolate will include cocoa mass, extracted cocoa butter, sugar and vegetable oil, with milk added to make milk chocolate. Up to 5% vegetable fat is added, and this, along with the fat in the cocoa butter, controls the melting point, responsible for the apparent texture of the chocolate . Another similarity that chocolate has with engineering materials is the effect on the final properties of how it is processed.
The light bulb moment
A transition between these forms over long times is responsible for the whitish “fat-bloom” on the surface of old chocolate, as different amounts of fat are stable in different forms . Getting the correct form, and therefore the correct melting temperature (controlling it to “melt in your mouth, not in your hand”) is another challenge, which has similarities to the industrial processing of materials. The solutions used are the same, sometimes adding “seed” crystals of the correct type, to promote growth of this form, sometimes a carefully-designed series of heat treatments, to encourage the desirable structures to form and remove the undesirable [2].
Then the natto; Natto itself has special flavour compounds and contains many functional components, such as nattokinase (NK), γ-polyglutamic acid, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, soy isoflavones, saponins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), vitamin K2 and small molecule peptides. Fusing the compound structures is like a metamorphosis of different chemical properties. Which has taken time hence why it hasn’t come to the market yet until now.
So now we have fixed the jigsaw, put the pieces into place, formulated structures, how to use two fermented products to fuse together. How to take savoury and make it sweet.
And here is the twist! Imagine getting your daily dose of this fantastic vitamin in the form of a cookie, cupcake, or even a delectable of Natto K2 truffle, you can indulge in a delicious treat while supporting your overall well-being. The benefits of vitamin K2 are vast, ranging from promoting gut and bone health to reducing calcification in arteries.
With formula 1 precision, and dedication to detail, an ingenious new product has been developed, and they are ‘engineered with the same precision as an F1 tyre.
Shortbread and white and Dark chocolate cookies
Chocolate Cupcakes
>>
Chocolate Truffles
From Production and mixing to assorted truffles
A recent article review from the BMJ 2021 on Vitamin K2 —a neglected player in cardiovascular health: a narrative review in Cardiac risk factors and prevention.
Highlights the Vitamin K2 benefits of vitamin K2 in that it;
- Helps regulate the homeostasis of soft tissue calcification through activation of an anticalcific protein known as matrix Gla protein (MGP).
- Studies demonstrate a strong association between vitamin K deficiency, as assessed by plasma inactive MGP, and arterial stiffness, vascular and valvular calcification, heart failure and cardiovascular mortality.
- Increased vitamin K2 intake may reduce arterial stiffness, slow progression of vascular and valvular calcification, lower the incidence of diabetes and coronary artery disease, and decrease cardiovascular mortality.
- Vitamin K2 as a safe, cost-effective, and efficacious supplement for preventing and improving cardiovascular outcome
Other studies show additional benefits including improving gastrointestinal health, dissolving blood clots, reducing blood fat lowering blood pressure antioxidation preventing stroke, preventing Alzheimer disease preventing atherosclerosis preventing calcium loss It is of great benefit to human health.
Therefore, natto is known as “super healthy food”. The new forms from biscuit and chocolate products still give natto its multiple health functions.
>> Curious to learn more? Visit us at stand 575N at excel between 25-27 March 2024 in the startup market to > discover the story behind Natto K2 and explore the possibilities it > holds for your health
>