<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Many soy products appear to be manufactured by fermentation of soybeans
with water, and often wtih a culture.  Koji is one such culture, and is an
aspergillus which is grown on grains, usually barley.  This is used to make
many brown rice vinegars, although many years ago, I found one that the
aspergillus was supposedly grown on brown rice.

A long time ago, I spoke with the people of San-J, that make a wheat free,
organic Tamari.  It is very good.  She described how most soy sauces, and
also apparenently Tamari's, were made by combining liquid with soybeans.

They usually mash the beans, and add wheat to make the mashed beans stick
together into a cake form for ease of removal later.  This is apparently
the "normal" way to make soy sauces.  EVEN thier soy sauces that contain
the wheat in the beans (to make the cake), do not list the wheat on the
label, but it is NOT gluten or wheat free.  Since the wheat is essentially
completely removed during the process, they are not required by FDA to list
it on the label.  Nonetheless, the product is contaminated with wheat.  So,
all soy-like sauces manufactured this way will have trace gluten and wheat
in them, although not be on the label.

Other soy products, especially those fermentation processes that use koji
may contain barley, the most common base for the koji culture.  Is anyone
aware of which soy products are manufactured using the various methods that
may or may not be free of wheat?  Or of gluten?  Or do you have specific
infomation regarding the processing practices of specific vendors that
differ from the standard practices that render such soy products
unavailable (or available) to the average celiac or allergic individual?

Can anyone describe exactly which soy products are manufactured in which
ways or please help me find references to manfucturing practices regarding
such products?


Thank you,

Joanne