CytoSolve® Ingredient Analysis of Josephine’s Pizza & Pastaria Reveals Systems-Level Insights into Scratch-Made Italian Culinary Formulations

Partner Description

La Maison du KOJI
La Maison du KOJI is an artisanal producer based in Auvergne, France, specializing in traditionally fermented Japanese condiments such as shoyu (soy sauce) and miso, crafted using organic ingredients and natural methods.

Challenge

Shoyu is a complex fermented food whose flavor, nutritional properties, and health-related effects arise from a network of bioactive compounds formed during fermentation. Traditional compositional descriptions (e.g., ingredient lists such as soy, wheat, salt, and water) do not provide mechanistic insight into how constituent compounds contribute to sensory qualities (e.g., umami depth) or downstream biological interactions at the molecular level. A quantitative, systems-level understanding of compound interactions and biological pathway engagement for artisanal shoyu was lacking.

How CytoSolve® Helped

The CytoSolve® computational systems biology platform was applied to perform an in silico ingredient analysis of La Maison du KOJI shoyu, bridging compositional data with mechanistic biological insight:

Ingredient Identification

  • Systematic literature and database review identified key fermentation-derived compounds typical of shoyu, including amino acids (e.g., glutamate, peptides), small organic acids, Maillard reaction products, and fermentation-associated enzymes.
Molecular Target Mapping

  • Each bioactive compound was mapped to known molecular targets in human sensory and digestive pathways (e.g., umami taste receptors, digestive proteases, gut signaling pathways) based on peer-reviewed biochemical data.
Pathway Modeling

  • Independent validated molecular pathway models for taste receptor activation and compound metabolism were integrated using CytoSolve to form a unified systems model capable of simulating compound-level effects across multiple biological systems.
Simulation & Analysis

  • In silico simulations quantified the potential contribution of fermentation derivatives such as free glutamic acid to umami receptor signaling, and the modulatory effects of peptides on digestive enzyme activation pathways, providing mechanistic context to observed sensory attributes.

Key Benefits Realized

  • Mechanistic Understanding: Provided actionable, quantitative insights into how fermentation-derived compounds interact with biological pathways related to sensory perception and digestion.
  • Ingredient Contribution Mapping: Identified which fermentation-generated molecules most strongly influence umami signaling and metabolic interactions.
  • Product Differentiation: Supported scientific articulation of La Maison du KOJI’s artisan fermentation process as mechanistically distinct compared with standard commercial soy sauces.
  • Innovation Foundation: Established a model framework for future optimization of fermentation parameters to amplify desirable biochemical pathways.

Outcome

The CytoSolve® ingredient analysis delivered a systems-level mechanistic profile of La Maison du KOJI shoyu, linking traditional fermentation chemistry to functional biological effects in a computationally grounded framework. This work enabled the producer to better understand and communicate how specific fermentation compounds contribute to flavor complexity and potential health-related interactions, supporting product positioning and future formulation refinement. By combining ingredient profiling with molecular pathway modeling, the analysis moves beyond simple compositional descriptions to reveal how artisanal fermentation chemistry drives emergent biological behavior.