Discrimination method between pure mirin and the partly enlarged ones

Abstract

Sometime, mirin is enlarged its volume by the addition of alcohol, glutamic acid, and sugars. Estimation of the enlargement ratio in mirin by the analysis of chemical composition was examined. Very close correlations were found between the enlargement ratio and the glutamic acid/phenylalanine ratio, lactic acid & succinic acid/glycollic acid ratio, xanthoprotein reactivation value, buffer action, a-amylase activity, hardness, and mineral contents in mirin. Especially, the glutamic acid/phenylalanine ratio was a very useful discriminating index. Chemical composition of the marketing mirin was analyzed and the estimation of the enlargement ratio was done based upon the above-mentioned indexes.
As the results, almost all mirin marketed at present were found to had somewhat been enlarged the volume with the additives ; the ratios were 0. 2 to 1. 2 to the weight of the raw polished rice. Such analytical values, also, clearly revealed that the enlargement process was widely applied in the mirin breweries.