Disclosed is a process of preparing a food composition comprising the steps of: a) preparing a fermented koji by inoculating a protein containing material and a carbohydrate with a culture of Aspergillus on a culture bed to form the fermented koji b) preparing an edible solid substrate wherein the edible solid substrate is of plant or animal origin or a combination thereof c) adding water to the fermented koji of step (a) and mixing with the edible solid substrate to form a mixture d) hydrolysing the mixture of step (c) at a predetermined temperature to form a hydrolysate, without the addition of salt or other substances to reduce the growth of undesirable microorganisms during the hydrolysis and e) processing the hydrolysate produced at step (d) into the food composition.
