Technology Overview
Koji Beef's technology transfer rests on two pillars. AI quantitative evaluation turns “good beef” from experience into predictable data; fattening management turns the on-site practices of Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan into daily working standards that Chinese ranches can execute. Each depends on the other: without on-site management, data cannot be realized; without data, the site cannot be verified. What we provide is this reproducible technical system, not the product of a single ranch.
AI Quantitative Evaluation
Blood is sampled at 12 months of age and seven carcass quality indicators are evaluated quantitatively, moving the point of quality assessment forward by roughly 18 months — while the animal is still alive, we already know what kind of beef it will become.
Read more → Pillar 02Fattening Management
We organize the fattening technology of Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan into SOPs and on-site guidance, and transfer it to our partner ranches in China — data points the way, and the site turns it into beef.
Read more →Live-Animal Selection
Blood sampling at 12 months; AI identifies high-potential animals.
Koji-Mold Feed
Fermentation designs the flavor base; feed effects are verified within 2–3 months.
Fattening Management
Three-stage feeding and individual records turn prediction into product.
KOJI-BEEF · Technology Provider
- Japanese Wagyu breeding philosophy · Bloodline selection (2 sire and 2 dam lines × proprietary algorithm)
- AI quantitative evaluation · Live-animal selection and feed verification
- Fattening Management Methodology from Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan (SOPs · On-Site Guidance · Staff Training)
- Koji-mold fermented feed design · In-house premix (also supplied separately to partner farms)
- Chilled · Wet-aging process and quality standards
- Product adaptation and formulation for Chinese food culture
Partner Farms · Local Capacity
- Wagyu crossbred (F1/F2) herd and breeding (approx. 10,000 head at the partner base)
- Feed sourced locally from the Yellow River Delta
- Local farming team and facilities (approx. 80 staff)
- Scaled capacity (planned site of approx. 1,000 mu / 67 ha)
AI Quantitative Evaluation
The "quantity and quality" of meat are determined by genetics and rearing together. Conventional grading only assigns a grade — it does not equal good taste — and the result is known only at shipping (about 30 months). AI quantitative evaluation moves the evaluation point forward by about 18 months.
Blood Sampling · AI Quantitative Evaluation
Gene expression is analyzed.
Within 2–3 months
Feed / additive effects are verified.
Shipping
Quality has already been predicted in advance.
Seven Carcass Quality Indicators
| Indicator | Evaluation Range |
|---|---|
| Carcass Weight | 300–600 kg |
| Ribeye Area | 30–110 cm² |
| Rib Thickness | 4–12 cm |
| Subcutaneous Fat Thickness | 1–5 cm |
| Yield Base Value | 65–85 |
| BMS Marbling | 1–12 |
| Oleic Acid | 40–60 % |
Technical background: built on more than 20 years of "AI beef technology" research at Kindai University, adopted by JST START in 2022 and commercialized by BEEF SOMMELIER Co., Ltd. in 2024. Data compiled from BEEF SOMMELIER's published technical materials and ALIC materials; figures are illustrative samples.
Bloodline Design and Grading
| F Generation | Wagyu Bloodline Content | Composition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 50% | Wagyu × Holstein | Core bloodline of Koji Beef |
| F2 | 75% | F1 × Wagyu | Core bloodline of Koji Beef |
| F3 | 87.5% | Further backcrossing | Close to Wagyu characteristics |
| F4 | 93.75% | Further backcrossing | Regarded in the industry as "near-purebred" |
| Purebred Japanese Black | 100% | — | Mainstream in Japan |
Koji Beef partner farms use Wagyu × Holstein F1 / F2 as the core bloodline — a deliberate design for the Chinese market: balancing price and quality to rear a "Chinese-table" Wagyu that melts lightly on the palate and stays clean rather than heavy. Sire and dam lines are narrowed to 2 each, selected by a proprietary algorithm, so the genetic source is highly concentrated and quality is stable and predictable.
Yield Grade
How much meat can be taken from one animal (yield): A is the highest, C the lowest. It measures yield efficiency and has nothing to do with "how good it tastes."
Meat Quality Grade
Four items — BMS marbling / meat color / firmness and texture / fat color and quality — are each scored, and the lowest score is taken. Quality 3 = BMS 3–4 / Quality 4 = BMS 5–7 / Quality 5 = BMS 8–12.
Fattening Management
The same bloodline and the same feed, entrusted to different sites, grow into entirely different cattle. What decides the difference is the daily judgment — when to switch feed, when to slow the rate of gain, which animal ate less today. Majime Food organizes the on-site fattening practices of Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan into reproducible working standards (SOPs), transfers them to partner ranches in China, and sends Japanese staff on site for regular reviews.
Miyazaki Prefecture is one of Japan's representative Wagyu producing regions. According to public materials from Miyazaki Prefecture, “Miyazaki beef” won the Prime Minister's Award at the National Wagyu Show (Zenkoku Wagyu Noryoku Kyoshinkai) for four consecutive editions (2007 / 2012 / 2017 / 2022), the first time in the show's history. What we transfer is the fattening management methodology matured in this region — not sales of that branded beef, nor the borrowing of a region's name.
Three-Stage Feeding Design
The growing, early fattening and late fattening stages are designed separately: the ratio of roughage to concentrate feed, the timing of each transition and the weight-gain target differ at every stage. The early stage builds frame and rumen, the middle stage shapes marbling, the late stage refines flavor — get the order wrong and it cannot be recovered later.
Vitamin A Control
This is the most delicate step in Japanese Wagyu fattening. Moderate control of vitamin A during the middle stage supports the formation of marbling, but excessive control harms the animal's health. We adjust the pace according to each animal's condition and blood test results, choosing to sacrifice a little marbling rather than the animal's health.
Individual Data Management
Body weight, feed intake, weight-gain curve, health and medication records are logged animal by animal and linked with the blood data from AI quantitative evaluation. What becomes visible is not only this one animal, but also whether this batch of feed and this method actually work.
Barn Environment and Animal Welfare
Ventilation, temperature and humidity, bedding and manure removal frequency, the cleanliness of waterers and feed troughs, and the way cattle are regrouped and handled. Less stress means steadier feed intake and more consistent meat quality — here, animal welfare is not a slogan but a part of quality management.
Five Actions of Technology Transfer
- On-site assessment A review of the current state of the barn, feed, breeding and record-keeping systems to identify the limiting factors.
- Documented SOPs The judgment criteria of the Japanese site are written up as a bilingual Japanese-Chinese working manual that can be handed to the team on the floor.
- Feed formulation and premix Reformulated around local raw materials (corn · soybean meal · peanut meal · cottonseed meal), supplied together with koji mold fermented feed and our own premix.
- Monthly data review Verified against weight-gain curves and AI evaluation results, with formulations and transition timing corrected batch by batch.
- Staff training and assessment A stockperson's points of observation and habits of record-keeping decide whether an SOP takes root.
Why “Transfer” Rather Than “Import”
Imported frozen beef solves “today's menu”; technology transfer solves “next year's supply.” Keeping fattening technology inside ranches in China is what makes stable volume, controllable cost, and quality design actively tuned to Chinese ways of eating (hot pot · grilled · teppan · sashimi) possible — a freedom that importing cannot offer.
Specific feeding parameters, strains and formulations are core corporate technology and are not disclosed; actual results vary with ranch conditions and herd status. Related health and safety matters are handled in accordance with China's GB food safety standards and its animal husbandry and veterinary regulations.
Koji Feed and Premix
Koji mold does not act on the meat directly; it is made into fermented feed that takes part in rearing — shaping the eating experience step by step along the chain of "enzymatic breakdown → digestion → fattening → fat and umami." Koji Beef achieves this with an in-house premix, which is also supplied separately to partner farms.
Enzymatic Pre-digestion
At the feed stage, three key enzymes first break starch down into sugars and protein into amino acids and small peptides — the feed carries its own fermented sweetness, with good palatability and stable intake.
Better Digestion and Absorption
Pre-digestion and fermentation products condition the rumen and gut, improving nutrient utilization and reducing stress.
Steadier Fattening
A gentle weight-gain curve, fine fat deposition and even marbling — the physical basis of good mouthfeel.
In the Meat
A higher proportion of oleic acid → a lower fat melting point, melting at close to body temperature; umami amino-acid precursors accumulate for a fuller meat flavor.
Three Results on the Palate
Melts in the Mouth
High oleic acid → a fat melting point lower than ordinary beef, so it begins to melt at mouth temperature.
Rich Yet Light
The fat is fragrant and lightly sweet, never heavy — it resists turning greasy or hard even in hot pot or when served cold.
Deeper Umami
"Umami through enzymes" runs from feed through to wet aging, with amino acids accumulating all the way.
The above describes the reported directions of effect of koji-mold fermented feed in Wagyu fattening; actual figures are subject to the measured AI quantitative evaluation results of each batch. Specific formulations, strains and parameters are core company confidential information and are implemented in compliance with China's GB food safety standards.
Partner Farms and Technology Transfer
Koji Beef does not operate its own farms; it is a partner and technology provider built around Japanese Wagyu know-how. We transplant Japan's breeding philosophy, AI quantitative evaluation, and fermentation and aging processes into a partner demonstration farm in Gaoqing County, Zibo, Shandong (known as "China's Black Cattle Town") — the farm sits in the Yellow River Delta, with feed readily available nearby.
Local Adaptation
Around Chinese ways of eating — hot pot, shabu, barbecue, teppanyaki — we use AI quantitative evaluation to adjust the balance of marbling and lean meat, flavor, and cut structure, rearing Wagyu to a quality profile suited to the Chinese table. This is the irreplaceable core value of a technology provider.
Scale and staffing figures reflect the current status of the partner demonstration farm in Gaoqing, Shandong; formal business is subject to the latest verified data. Progress in expanding the domestic partner network is subject to official disclosure.