OSAKA -- "Natto," the infamous fermented soybean dish with its characteristic pungent smell and stickiness, may not exactly be the food of choice for many people. But an Osaka firm, in cooperation with Osaka City University, has begun an experiment to use polyglutamates -- the main component of the natto bacillus that turns soybeans to natto -- to help clean up the water in Osaka Castle's inner moat.
It is well known among researchers that high molecule polyglutamates that have been exposed to gamma rays absorb 1,000 times their mass in water, according to Dr. Tsutomu Okada, a researcher at Biseibutsukagakukenkyusho (microorganism science laboratory) Co., which started work on purifying the water in Osaka Castle Park last week.
"I have tried to utilize this substance in meaningful ways and found out that when put in dirty water, the substance somehow congeals mud and other dirt and pollutants, turning them into a gel," said the 61-year-old Okada, who is also a visiting professor at Osaka City University.