GAIA R&D — Homemade Ferments (Shio-koji · Amazake

§ 01 · WHYWhy we make these in-house

For the V1/V5/V2 master formula, shio-koji and amazake are core ingredients — not garnish. We use 40-80g shio-koji per batch and 32g amazake. Buying retail at RM 28-45 per 250g means the cost adds up fast. Making in-house cuts the cost 3-4×, removes preservatives, AND lets us tune the enzyme profile (shio-koji age = different Glu liberation rate).

Retail cost per V1 batch

shio-koji 40g (RM 7) + amazake 32g (RM 5) + tempeh pwd 40g (RM 8) = RM 20

Homemade cost per V1 batch

shio-koji 40g (RM 2) + amazake 32g (RM 1.50) + tempeh pwd 40g (RM 2.50) = RM 6

Savings per batch

RM 14 saved (70% lower) — and we control freshness, no preservatives, no mirin contamination

Quality upgrade

Fresh shio-koji has 2-3× enzyme activity vs 30-day retail jar — N1 free-Glu liberation is noticeably stronger

The big unlock for V5 V5 uses 80g shio-koji + 100g tempeh powder — double everything. At retail, that single batch costs RM 40 in ferments alone. Homemade brings it to RM 8. This is what makes V5 production-viable.

§ 02 · RECIPESClick any recipe to open the day-by-day sheet

Each recipe page has gram measurements, hour-by-hour temperature targets, verification checks at every stage, failure-mode fixes, and a yield/cost table. Print-friendly for kitchen use.

F4 · ENZYMATIC FERMENT

Shio-koji (塩麹)

Salty koji paste. Drives N1 free-Glu liberation in the master formula.

7-10 days room temp 20-25°C ~RM 30 / 450g yield halal ✅

Open recipe →

F4 · ENZYMATIC FERMENT

Amazake (甘酒)

Sweet rice ferment, 0% alcohol. Sugar-binder + Maillard precursor for V1/V2 sear.

6-10 hours 55-60°C exact ~RM 18 / 600g yield halal ✅

Open recipe →

F18 · DISULFIDE PROTEIN

Tempeh Powder

Dehydrate + grind fresh tempeh. The protein-bind workhorse of all 3 variants.

12-14 hours 60°C dehydrator ~RM 15 / 150g yield halal ✅

Open recipe →

§ 03 · WEEKLY SCHEDULEHow to chain the 3 ferments through a typical R&D week

All 3 ferments overlap — total active labor is ~3-4 hours per week. Plan backwards from your trial day.

Sample week (V1 trial on Friday)

Day	Action	Active time
Mon morning	Start shio-koji batch 1 (200g koji + 60g salt + 300ml water)	15 min
Mon-Wed daily	Stir shio-koji once per day	2 min
Wed afternoon	Start tempeh powder — slice + load dehydrator	20 min
Thu morning	Grind dried tempeh → powder (Thu+Fri use)	10 min
Thu evening	Start amazake (6-10h, can run overnight in rice cooker keep-warm)	15 min + overnight
Fri morning	Bottle amazake. Taste-test shio-koji (Day 4-5 — usable but improves through Day 10).	10 min
Fri afternoon	FIRE V1 trial — all 3 in-house ferments ready	3h 30min

Buffer rule Shio-koji peaks at Day 7-10. Start each Monday so the previous week's batch is at peak Day 5+ when you need it. Run 2 parallel jars in rotation = always have peak-quality available.

§ 04 · EQUIPMENTOne-time gear for in-house ferments

All shared across the 3 recipes. ~RM 500-900 one-time spend, recoups in 6-8 weeks vs retail.

Glass jars (1L wide-mouth)

×4 for rotation · RM 8-12 each · Shopee MY · IKEA Korken jar 1L is the gold standard

Cotton cloth / cheesecloth

For breathable jar covers · RM 5-10 · Shopee MY

Rice cooker with "keep warm"

For amazake 55-60°C hold (verify keep-warm = 55-65°C with thermometer first) · RM 150-280 · Shopee MY

Food dehydrator (4-tray)

For tempeh powder · 60°C target · RM 200-450 · Shopee MY · Excalibur or Cosori brands

Digital thermometer (probe)

Critical — for verifying amazake temp · RM 25-45 · Shopee MY

Food processor / spice grinder

For grinding tempeh + shiitake into powder · RM 80-150 · Shopee MY

Digital scale (0.1g precision)

For salt + koji ratios · RM 35-75 · Shopee MY

The critical purchase Rice koji (米麹 kome-koji) — the live ingredient. Must be Aspergillus oryzae-inoculated rice, not just rice. Check supplier carefully. Most reliable: Bioway MY, Don Don Donki (Mitsuwa or Marusan brand), Hanamaruki dry koji on Shopee (lasts 6 months refrigerated). Halal ✅ if pure rice koji with no added mirin or alcohol.