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Bio - About Me

Contact Information

Where to Purchase EM

What to do with Your EM Culture When You Receive It

Making Activated EM, Formerly Known as EM Extension

Storing and Using Activated EM (EM Extension)

A few of the uses for EM culture and products which are discussed herein may be contrary to regulatory rules or guidelines in your country, state, province, county or region.  Further, some practices may be frowned upon by qualified health professionals, and some practices could be dangerous to human health, or could be dangerous to animal health (or crop health!) if performed or processed incorrectly.  This site and these pages are offered for educational and informational purposes only.  If you choose to use EM or any other microbial inoculant products in any way for any application, you must first check with your local and national authorities to determine if your planned use complies with all applicable rules, regulations and requirements.  If you choose to use EM for any purposes involving human ingestion (or placement upon skin, etc.), I recommend that you first research all relevant information available in the literature and on the web carefully, and review the recommendations in the regulatory guidelines for your country or region.  Further, if brewing EM products for human or animal consumption, you will also wish to employ common sense and careful techniques.

The list below is sorted by countries, at least as best as possible.

USA
In the USA, SCD World and EM America are the primary distributors of EM culture. There are several other producers/vendors as well.

Sustainable Community Development, aka SCD 
Sustainable Community Development (SCD) markets EM and EM-related products under their own trade name of Efficient Microbes (EM)™. Their product line includes EM products such as EM microbial inoculant culture, EM fermenting supplies, bokashi, EM fermented antioxidant nutritional supplement beverages, EM-X health beverage, Xtra EM (which is very similar to EM-X), EM Ceramics, EM Salt and EM Soap.  Their website may be found at http://www.scdworld.com or call (USA) 913-541-9299.
If you place an order with SCD (via web ordering pages or via phone) with SCD World and wish to earn a 7% discount, please use the discount code VP2004.

EM America
EM America is a marketer of EM products for EMRO USA, marketing the products under the name EMRO USA Effective Microorganisms™ and EM•1®. Their website may be found at http://www.emamerica.com/ or call 866-369-3678.

Biosa Florida
Biosa Florida markets a rather complete line of EM-like products from Biosa Denmark, including Vita Biosa beverage for human consumption.  Their website may be found at http://www.biosaflorida.com/ and their phone number is (Florida) 941-920-5020

Canada

SCD
SCD (USA) ships to Canada; please contact them via phone or email for further details. SCD's website may be found at http://www.scdworld.com or call (USA) 913-541-9299.

Vita Biosa Canada
Vita Biosa has a distributor in Canada, called Biosa Canada, offering a rather complete line of EM-like products from Biosa Denmark, including Vita Biosa beverage for human consumption.  Their website may be found at: http://www.vitabiosa.ca/  or call (Eastern Canada) 905 357 0800 or 888 253 7563.

Independent Distributors in Canada
There are also several vendors in Canada; here are the three current Canadian resellers of which I am aware:

        Century Farm Ltd  Hiromi (f)  Hiroshi (m)
        justagirlinthecity@yahoo.com
        604-856-0755

        Hiromi Sugiyama
        EMX Technologies, Inc of Canada
        emxtechnologies@shaw.ca
        604-924-0797

        Tom Kuramoto
        Kuramoto Farm
        519-326-0795

Mexico

SCD (in the USA and listed above, under USA) markets in Mexico; please contact them for further details. Their website may be found at  http://www.scdworld.com or call (USA) 913-541-9299.

Another possible distributor of EM in Mexico is listed below:

Junichi Furakawa
Gaviotas No. 8
Fracc. Club de Golf
Tequisquiapan, QRO  76750
tel: 52-414-273-3022
fax:  52-414-273-3340
junfuruma@hotmail.com

Crown Organics
Australia
Postal Address: PO Box 10 Stawell, Victoria 3380, Australia
Telephone: 1800 88 44 89       
International Telephone: 0061 1800 88 44 89
FAX: 03 5358 1826
Int'l FAX: 0061 3 5358 1826
Emall:

General info: kterada@bmecology.com 
Customer Support: info@bmecology.com 
Backup email address: crownorganics@dodo.com.au

website: http://www.bmecology.com/
As of April 2005, their website is in the process of being updated and revised, and so it may temporarily be a bit spotty in places. 

Vita Biosa 
Headquartered in Denmark, with offices and distributors in several other countries, including the USA and Canada.
If you are located in Europe, perform a Google search to find a vendor/distributor in your country/region.

EMRO Denmark
The website for EMRO Denmark may be found at http://www.emro.dk/ 

Brazil
There seems to be several large producers and vendors of EM products in Brazil, but it seems to be notoriously difficult to find accurate contact information for them

FMO, aka MOA
The Japanese religious organization called Moichi Okada Association (MOA), which is strongly committed to spreading sustainable "Nature Farming" around the world, seems to be rather strongly involved in producing and marketing EM in Brazil under their local nature farming foundation, which apparently goes by the names Mokiti Okada Foundation, aka Mokichi Okada Foundation, aka Mokichi Okada Association, aka Okada Foundation; the only contact information which I have appears below:

Fundacao Mokitil Okada -Centro De Pesquisa
Caixa Postal 033-CEP: 13537-000Ipeuna-SP, Brazil
Tel/Fax: +55-19-576-1588

India
There seems to be several EM vendors in India, each of which produce and market EM and some other EM products.
Contact info follows:  

Maple Organics
Maple Organics seems to be part of the EMRO and APNAN networks.

Maple Orgtech (India) Pvt. Ltd 
aka Maple Organics
35 Gandhi Road 
Dehradun - 248001 
Telefax: 91-135-2657119 & 2654447 
e-mail: mapleorganics@sancharnet.in 

Bio-India Biologicals (BIB) Corporation 
406, Block-D, Shanti gardens, 
Nacharam -500 076 
Hyderabad, India 
Tel : 0091 
Fax : 0091 40 27751211 
website: www.bibcorporation.com; 
email: info@bibcorporation.com 

Potential Future Sources in India
I am aware of two large ventures in India which are starting to produce high-quality EM for their own use and may, at some point in the future, start to marked EM culture to outside customers as well. If that comes to pass, I will share that information here.
 

The Rest of the World
For information about distributors in the rest of the world, please go to the English-language web page of EMRO Japan, which offers a list of EMRO vendors and some APNAN and INFRC vendors around the world.  The page is located at: http://www.emro.jp.co/english

There is a large EM presence in Asia and Southeast Asia, largely via APNAN and INFRC.  Many of these organizations have websites or other web presence.

More European Links
Here, courtesy of a Swedish correspondent named Jon, are a few links which may help you in finding EM in your area if you live in Europe:

http://www.emro.co.jp/english/directory/directoryeurope.html (list of European distributors)
http://www.agriton.nl/ (Netherlands vendor)

Why, on This Website, Do You Usually Write the Abbreviation as "EM" and Not as "EM1®" or "EM•1®", Which Seem to be a Common Name for the Mother Culture in Some Countries?
I do this for several reasons.  First, most folks around the world know this product or family of related technologies as "EM" or as "effective microorganisms", both of which have become generic terms worldwide for the whole general microbial culture technology which was developed largely by Dr. Teruo Higa during his tenure as a professor at a public university (University of the Ryukus in Okinawa.)  On the other hand, the EM•1® symbol (with the dot in it) and the older EM-1® name are trademarked brand names for EM mother culture which are held by EMRO Japan, a company founded in 1994 by some friends and relatives of Dr. Teruo Higa, one of the primary early pioneers of EM technology.  Further, using the more common generic terms such as EM or effective microorganisms most frequently on these pages is friendly to both search engines and folks using them.
 

General Information on EM
You may wish to try the EM Tech website, hosted by EM Tech in the USA.  This is a non-profit educational group, and they are compiling a database of EM uses across the world which should be online by August 2003. You may find the EM Tech website at http://www.embiotech.org/  More information on EM and applications may be found at the EMtrading database at www.emtrading.com
 

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Fresh and good EM culture in good condition will smell (and taste) fresh, clean, sour and sweet. If it smells bad, such as having a fecal odor, a smell like sewage or a decayed (putrid) smell, do not use it.

When you receive your EM microbial inoculant culture, the organisms will be largely dormant and "asleep", due mostly to the pH of 3.6 or 3.5.  The degree of dormancy will depend upon the exact age of the culture batch (e.g., how young versus how close to expiration date), and the culture will become more dormant as it ages, due largely to depletion of the available foodstuffs (sugars from the molasses, etc.) and from the slowly declining pH.  Therefore, primarily for reasons of economy (e.g., to multiply each ounce of EM mother culture by 20-fold or 30-fold), and also -- to a lesser extent -- due to possible dormancy, it is often inefficient to use inoculant culture directly from the stock bottle.

Therefore.....

This is the big one!  It turns out, that, despite any instructions to the contrary on the source bottle (EM mother culture) label or anywhere else (EM websites, etc.), what you should really do almost ALL of the time with your EM culture once you have received it and are ready to use it for applications, is:

• DO NOT USE IT STRAIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE FOR DIRECT APPLICATIONS (e.g., to make sprays, bokashi or other EM products), but...
• Rather, use a few ounces of your stock EM culture to brew something (it will take a few days) called Activated EM (which I will sometimes abbreviate as AEM), and which has often been called EM Extension or EM Multiplied.

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Brewing Activated  EM
Many EM vendors will often send you a one-page sheet with each order of EM mother culture telling you how to make Activated EM, aka AEM (sometimes called EM Extension, EM Extended, EM Secondary Solution, EM Activated, Multiplied EM, Multi EM, EM Multi, etc.)  I originally intended to skip giving detailed instructions here for making Activated EM, since I had no desire to type it all up, and since I assumed that all EM customers would receive a sheet on how to make Activated EM with their order of EM.  Unfortunately, I have discovered from a number of correspondents that this is not always the case.

Incidentally, although a molasses:culture:water ratio of 1:1:20 is quite standard nowadays for AEM around the world, different ratios have been used as the norm at times. At one time in the USA, much AEM was made at a 1:1:10 ratio, and in Japan, many folks make AEM at a 1:1:40 ratio, others at a 1:1:30 ratio.  Indeed, EMRO Japan markets an automated AEM machine in Japan which makes about 35 gallons of AEM automatically, for use in waste disposal stations and farms, and it normally employs a 2:5:200 ratio of EM culture to molasses to water.  For some additional information on the Japanese automated AEM machine (aka Automatic Activated EM Machine), see the relevant notes in the section on this website entitled The Secrets of the Various Dilutions and Ratios.

People in Japan brewing Activated EM

So, herewith, is my own rendition of the standard 1:1:20 recipe for making AEM out of EM, molasses and water...... 

First, a Brief Overview
In brief, the basic recipe (and, yes it can be scaled up or down in quantity) offered by most EM vendors for making AEM (aka EM Extension) is to add, in a roughly 1:1:20 ratio, about 5 to 6 ounces of EM stock culture and 6 ounces of good unsulfured organic molasses (I always strongly prefer to use only blackstrap molasses; see Molasses sub-section below for more info on types of molasses and sweeteners which may be used) to a gallon of warm water (water at about 110 degrees F helps the molasses to dissolve much more easily) in a plastic jug, mix well, and then allow to ferment anaerobically (or near-anaerobically) for anywhere from 2 days (95 degrees F) to 14 days or longer (70 degrees F) until the brew is off-gassing (bubbling) vigorously, and the pH has reached 4.0 or lower (some say 3.8; see the sub-section below on "How to Tell When Brewing is Complete..." for more on this topic....).  By the way, I make my extension a bit differently, using a slightly different formula and procedure; see My Personal Activated EM Recipe subsection below for my personal recipe!  Okay, let's move on to the detailed instructions for making Activated EM!

WARNING:  The fermenting brew, as it ripens, will release gases.  Much as in brewing beer or wine, bubbles will rise to the surface, and gases and foam will often try to make their way out of the container. 
For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you DO NOT use a glass container, as a glass container -- if you have sealed the cap too tightly, could explode from the gas pressure.
 On the other hand, most 1-gallon plastic jugs (in which milk and water are sold) have caps which will allow a bit of gas to escape over time (although I must admit that a 1-gallon plastic jug I used for one of my early EM Extension batches did eventually develop a large crack (along a seam) and a major leak due to the gas pressure build-up (I was able to rescue the liquid remaining in the jug and transfer it to another container...)

Full Instructions on Making Activated EM (aka EM Extension)
I have chosen to give directions for mixing a gallon of AEM, but the following directions may be scaled up or down to any size container, so long as you preserve the 1:1:20 ratio of components. Here are some proven, working steps:

• measure about 5 to 6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) of EM stock culture (aka EM mother culture) and leave in a cup
• measure about 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of good unsulfured organic molasses and leave in a cup
• find a clean empty wide-mouth 1-gallon pitcher (optional, makes mixing easier)
• have some warm water available; tap water is fine, but should not be chlorinated (if chlorinated, either filter or allow to stand uncovered in a container for 2-3 days to allow the chlorine to evaporate)
• find a clean plastic jug; I always use the cheap flimsy plastic jugs in which milk and spring water are sold (although I have used 6.5 gallon plastic buckets as well...)
• fill the pitcher (or jug, if skipping the pitcher step) about half-full of warm water, up to about 120 degrees F
• dump the molasses in the warm water, and stir well to dissolve it
• this is entirely optional, but optimal: add 1/2 teaspoonful of  EM Super Cera C ceramic powder or EM-X Ceramic powder to the water and stir; this helps to structure the water beneficially, to augment the growth of the beneficial organisms, and discourage the growth of undesirable organisms
• now add the 3/4 cup of EM stock solution to the water, and stir well
• if you plan to add a bit of sea salt or rock dust (I recommend Azomite; see my book for far more details on other amendments), now is the time to stir that in....
• stir once more
• if you mixed the brew in a wide-mouth pitcher, now is the time to grab a funnel and pour the AEM batch into the plastic gallon jug (or other container...)
• put aside and brew in a warm place for 12 to 18 days, and, if brewing in a setting where the temperature falls below about 95F, then you will need to ferment the batch even longer, perhaps for up to 4 to 8 weeks, depending upon temperature (more details on temperature below....) Optimal temperature range is from 94 to 112 degrees F, and the best range within that is from 98 to 110 degrees F.
• it does not matter at all whether it is brewed in the dark or in light. Early versions of some sets of instructions for AEM claimed that it must be brewed in the dark, but I have never seen or heard any evidence that this matters at all. In fact, strong light helps (at least if your container is transparent or translucent...) to activate the phototrophic microbes; far more details on the latter are available in my book on brewing EM-fermented secondary products.
• if you live in a temperate zone, and need hints on how to keep your batches of AEM warm (or bottles of EM nutritional drinks, or buckets of bokashi, for that matter) in order to accelerate brewing, please see the sub-section below entitled "Keeping Batches of AEM or Bokashi Warm in a Cold Climate" or see my book.
• How to measure pH -- if you are a bit stuck, see the sub-section (in this section) below entitled Measuring pH

A Quick Note on pH
The whole insistence upon the pH dropping to at least 4.0 is simply an attempt to ensure that the desired organisms are proliferating, and that no stray undesirable cultures have taken over.  My own feeling is that it is best to wait till pH has dropped to at least 3.6 or below, and at least 15 days of fermentation have passed, if fermented at warm temperatures, and even longer at cooler brewing temperatures. Many vendors also stress, and I agree, that the biggest factor to consider in assessing a batch of Activated EM is smell (and in Japan, taste as well; I use both methods myself all the time): the smell (and taste) should be very clean, clear, sweet and sour, with a slightly dusky background flavor of molasses, and the taste (never taste unless pH is well below 3.7) should be clean and tart due to the lactic acid.

Some Japanese vendors have advised that a pH of 3.2 or lower is undesirable; it is too low and will de-activate and eventually kill many of the organisms. In any case, such a low pH is highly unlikely, unless you use a very sugary molasses (e.g., not blackstrap molasses) in making Activated EM; this is one reason why I use only organic blackstrap molasses -- pH drop with blackstrap molasses tends to "bottom out" at around 3.6 or 3.7 (since there is a lower percentage of simple sugars, and greater amount of complex sugars and other nutrients), and drop only very slowly from that point, even if I choose to exceed the 1:1:20 ratio and use a stronger ratio of molasses to water.

Any Hints on Molasses and Type?
How About Molasses Sources?
What About Using Microbial "Foods" Other than Blackstrap Molasses?
Molasses has always been the classical food for EM throughout its history, since it is cheap, and contains a mix of simple sugars, complex sugars, complex carbohydrates, minerals and trace minerals.  I personally recommend only blackstrap molasses (preferably organic, but not critical), but, really any good molasses which is not too sugary will work. Briefly, any kind of molasses WILL work, but if the simple sugar content is too high, (as can happen with some lighter, non-blackstrap molasses) you may eventually experience a problem with your Activated EM (AEM) going too low in pH (too far below 3.5), and then killing most of the organisms (other than a few lactic acid organisms). Further, with types of molasses which are significantly lighter than blackstrap, you may hit other problems as well.  With simple sugars, including really sweet molasses (non-blackstrap molasses such as Barbadoes or West Indies), it is possible indeed to drive the pH down to 3.2 or lower, which, while it does preserve any antioxidants and other nutrients in the liquid for awhile, is kinda hard on the organisms, and their count decreases rapidly. 

Can I Use Simpler Sugars to make AEM?
Please bear in mind that blackstrap molasses has been used as the primary foodstuff for Activated EM (AEM) and related EM products for over 20 years, and this is not a accident. Since it offers both sugars, more complex carbohydrates, numerous antioxidants, and also numerous minerals and trace elements, it works well as a food for the microbial consortium and also helps the fermentation process to produce a highly stable liquid high in antioxidants. While it is possible to use other, simpler sugar sources such as lighter grades of molasses, honey, barley malt, rice syrup, corn syrup or sugar as the foodstuff, the results may be very unpredictable and the resultant liquid unstable (insofar as shelf life) and, even so, additional nutrients such as mineral-rich rock dusts, fruit concentrates or sea salt may be needed to even allow the fermentation to complete successfully. Indeed, not only do some versions of AEM made with simpler sugar sources exhibit problems during fermentation, some exhibit a shelf life of only a month or two before going "bad".  So, if you must use sugar sources other than blackstrap molasses, you may wish to tread carefully and record your recipes and procedures to allow you to understand and interpret later results.

On the other hand, it is indeed possible to successfully brew EM concoctions with sugar sources other than blackstrap molasses, but it may take a lot more work and tinkering to get it just right. As an example, several EM-fermented human nutritional supplements such as EM-X, Lanox Antioxidant Liquid (from Lanox in Korea) and Vita Biosa nutritional supplement (from Denmark) each avoid the use of molasses entirely (or almost entirely), and instead use only lighter, simpler sugars. On the other hand, each contains other nutrients as well, usually bran, fruit syrups, herbs, or sea vegetables.

Purchasing Molasses from the Bulk Tank at Your Local Feed and Grain Store for Making AEM for Utility and Livestock Use
And now, a word of warning: it may be tempting to purchase cheap blackstrap molasses from the bulk tank at your local feed and grain store: my nearby feed store sells feed grade blackstrap molasses for roughly 7 cents a pound, or 79 cents per gallon (blackstrap molasses of 79.5 Brix weighs about 11.8 pounds per gallon), for example. Sometimes you can get good blackstrap molasses this way, but be warned that such bulk molasses has often been cut (usually at the shipping docks or at a distributor) with water, with preservatives, with various sulfur compounds (as a preservative), or even with cheap oils to improve flow.  Each of these things can seriously interfere with your Activated EM, even if it is only intended for animal or utility use.  It is sometimes very difficult to get hard, clear, clean and accurate answers from managers at feed and grain stores about exactly what is in their bulk molasses; they often simply do not know for sure. Be aware also that this bulk molasses is NEVER sold for human consumption, but only for consumption by animals.  I do have plenty of friends who brew AEM for use as a human fermented antioxidant beverage using this same 7 cents per pound feed-grade blackstrap molasses (from my local Southern States Cooperative depot, see below...), but I tend to frown on that practice.

However, on the positive side, I have purchased cheap bulk feed-grade molasses (the way this works is that you bring your own bucket and lid) from my local feed and grain store (Southern States Cooperative), and it has smelled and tasted fine. I then spent the time to find out the name and contact information for the bulk supplier (Westlas), and then called them and asked some questions about their bulk molasses.  I also was able to procure copies of all the actual shipping records and the guaranteed analysis for the most recent batch of bulk blackstrap molasses which my local feed store had purchased, which helped me considerably. The molasses I purchased has a Brix (SG) reading of 79.5.  According to the local vendor and the distributor, there is no sulphur added, nor any other preservatives or anti-mold agents added; it is simply just pure cheap bulk molasses for animal feed.  In this case, as best as I can tell, this molasses seems to be of rather high quality, and I often use it in preparing EM products for my animals (poultry) or for waste or utility use.  And, as noted above.... I have neighbors who even brew up large batches of AEM for human consumption using this cheap feed-grade molasses, although I personally believe in using only human-grade blackstrap molasses for making EM brews for human consumption.

More Notes on Molasses Type and Molasses Sources, Feed Grade and Human Food Grade
Whether you are making human-grade or utility/animal-feed grade AEM or other EM brews, I want to repeat my caveat from above to use only blackstrap molasses (versus other grades of molasses), at least when first starting out and learning the ropes. Blackstrap, like all other molasses grades, is a by-product of the refining of sugar, and is the strongest and bitterest molasses, highest in minerals, and lowest in sugars, as it is from the third and final squeezing of sugar cane (or sugar beets).  Some animal feed-grade bulk molasses suppliers may call blackstrap by their "internal" trade name of "Cane Molasses", and this name will often signify that there have been no substances or chemicals added such as preservatives, sulfur, anti-molding agents, propionic acid or sodium propionate, or vegetable oils (the latter is added to some grades of feed molasses to allow it to flow more easily and to keep it from caking and drying to a stiff texture on grains.) 

I have done some extensive experiments with using other, lighter types of molasses, and frankly, I have not been really satisfied with any of them, although I must admit that some lines/brands of medium molasses (the second squeezing), and often sold in supermarkets labeled as a bit lighter than blackstrap, are usually workable.  However, I am not at all satisfied with the results I have had with using the lighter grades of molasses from the first squeezing. These types of molasses are often marketed under the names Barbadoes (aka "Barbados") molasses, West Indies molasses, Island molasses, Jamaican molasses, and an even lighter grade is sometimes marketed in the UK as "Golden Molasses". 

If you live in or near the state of Pennsylvania (USA) and are looking for bulk quantities of human grade or animal feed grade blackstrap, molasses, in quantities from 5 gallon buckets, to 55 gallon barrels or more, I can strongly recommend Zook Molasses in Eastern PA, located near Chester and Lancaster, PA. They are willing and able to ship in sizes from 1 gallon to 5 gallons and sizes much larger, and can often even arrange to have the bucket or barrel shipped to a feed and grains store near you to save drastically on shipping costs which would be incurred by using UPS or Fedex.  Best, their salespeople are EXTREMELY knowledgeable about their products.  If you should call them, please be aware that human-food-grade and animal-feed-grade molasses are each handled by separate divisions, and hence, separate salespeople. Each division has its own name, although they are both owned by Zook Molasses, and are co-located within the same facility. On the animal feed grade side, the division is called Zook Molasses, as is the parent company, and they offer about 30 types of feed-grade blackstrap molasses, many with additives, etc., but some totally without additives. Their totally clean animal-feed grade blackstrap molasses is marketed as "Cane Molasses" and is excellent.
Their human food grade molasses division is named Golden Barrel Molasses, and offers an excellent blackstrap molasses at very inexpensive prices. 
Zook Molasses contact info: ZOOK MOLASSES CO. Honey Brook, PA 19344 Phone : 800-327-4406.  The website for their human-grade molasses division (Golden Barrel Molasses) is at: http://www.goldenbarrel.com

If you are located near Pennsylvania (USA) or really, anywhere in the USA, and wish to order good, modestly inexpensive, unsulfured human-grade molasses for shipping via UPS in quantities from pints from 5-gallon pails, then you may wish to try Draper Super Bee Apiaries in northern PA.  Their catalog webpage may be found at:
http://www.draperbee.com/catalog/page2.htm
and their toll-free number is:  800-233-4273 

Lastly, as I may have mentioned in a section above, the animal feed-grade blackstrap molasses carried by many Southern States Cooperative feed and grain stores, at least in the East (USA), is a rather high quality blackstrap molasses which appears (I have researched this all the way back to the suppliers) to be totally free of sulfur, preservatives, oils and anti-molding agents.

Organic vs. Commercial "Not-Organic" Molasses
I personally use both kinds of molasses, and I seem to have learned from my work as well as the reports of others that both work very well for EM, but many batches of organic blackstrap can give you a bit of a hard time if you are shooting for a very rapid pH drop and also for the pH to (ever!) reach 3.5 or below.  This is because organic blackstrap molasses contains even more calcium and other ionic minerals than does "inorganic" blackstrap, and the calcium and other mineral ions act as massive buffers against pH drop, thus slowing the pH drop considerably. So, if your goal is rapid pH drop upon starting fermentation, go with the not-organic versions; they will usually be lower in Ca and other minerals, due to the refining/squeezing processes used (and perhaps partially due to soil quality/mineral content as well).

Other Kinds of Molasses and other Sweeteners
It does appear to be possible to use other sugars to feed the EM organisms in brewing, and this successfully been done.  However, the major problem which arises with simple using sugars (such as dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, honey, mannitol, etc.) is that they do not offer any complex sugars or complex carbohydrates, nor do they offer any minerals or trace minerals as feed for the "bugs", and so, if using a simple sugar, you would need to add a bit of sea salt (which is a wonderful idea anyway, even if using good molasses), some minerals (maybe rock dust...) and maybe even some source of complex sugars.  A remaining problem with using simple sugars, including really sweet molasses, it that it is possible indeed to drive the pH down below the 3.5 range to 3.2 or lower, which, while it does preserve any antioxidants and other nutrients in the liquid for awhile, is kinda hard on the organisms, and their count decreases rapidly. 

So, if using a really strange or odd kind of molasses, or some other sugar source you are not sure of, you may need to take the precautions (additives, etc.) outlined above, and you will simply need to use your own judgement and monitor your first batches, to see how rapidly pH drops, and if it starts passing below 3.6 or 3.5 or tastes or smells funny; that could be a warning sign!

Keeping Batches of AEM or Bokashi Warm in a Cold Climate While Fermenting
If you live in a temperate zone, and need hints on how to keep your batches of AEM warm (or bottles of EM nutritional drinks, or buckets of bokashi, for that matter) in order to accelerate brewing, this is the section for you!  Much of the interior of my home is at about 63 to 68 degrees F during the cold winter months, and, while I have fermented bokashi at those temperatures, it is very slow. So, hints follow, but use common sense and try at your own risk: 

• Check around home: check around your home; there may be one room or place in a room which is much warmer than others.  This may be near a woodstove, a gas heater, or near a baseboard heater which is often turned on.
• Use Your Oven: consider using your oven, with the heat off, but with the light on. In most ovens, the light is at least a 40 watt appliance bulb, and sourdough bread enthusiasts who need to ferment dough have known for years that you can easily use the oven with the lamp on as a "proofing box" or "hot box". My own oven, in a 63 degree F kitchen, maintains a temperature of about 86 to 87 degrees F with the lamp on, and in the Fall, when the kitchen is warmer (about 68 degrees F) then the hot box reaches a temperature of about 90 to 91 degrees F.  I have found a way to cheat, as well, to get it even hotter: My oven has a large metal drawer below it for storing pots and pans. I remove most of the pots and pans, remove all flammable materials, and then place in the drawer a 40 watt bulb (or 125 watt heat lamp) in a fire-safe metal-caged socket and holder for heat lamps (commonly sold for holding heat lamp bulbs), plugged into a good GFCI outlet (for shock protection.)  Adding one or the other of these auxiliary heat source lamps will usually raise the temperatures in my hot box to about 94 to 103 degrees F.
• use a 30 gallon or 35 gallon clean plastic trash pail, or a 20 to 35 gallon rectangular plastic storage container with lid, place your items to be kept warm in it, and then put a small, safe, non-igniting heat source in it to keep things warm. Possibilities are an electric blanket, a fire-safe heat lamp holder with 40 watt bulb as described above in the oven section, or a small "hot rock" sold for an aquarium (make sure it cannot melt or ignite your plastic container!) Some folks use a container as described, and then place within it a 3 gallon or 5 gallon bucket of water containing a 100 watt immersible thermostatic aquarium heater. The possibilities are endless!  However, think safety and common sense!
• please remember that your batch(es) of Activated EM, bokashi, health beverages, etc. will, at least during the more active states of fermentation, produce a small amount of heat themselves due to microbial activity, and thus will tend to warm a well-insulated container by a few degrees.

I do use the recommended 5 to 6 ounces of EM culture and 6 ounces of organic (blackstrap) molasses, and a gallon (roughly) of water, for a roughly 1:1:20 ratio, but I also do the following:

• add a half-teaspoon of Super Cera C EM ceramic powder (EMTrading recommends this as optimal, but optional; I agree). I at one time used 1 teaspoonful, but discovered that it wasted some due to "overkill", and that half that amount worked fine.
• add a teaspoon or more of a good sea salt (e.g., Lima, Celtic, Real Salt brands); this definitely optimizes and accelerates the brewing process. 
• add a teaspoon or more of a good-quality rock dust such as Azomite, Pascalite, or Mezotrace rock dust. I use about 2 tablespoons of Azomite, and a teaspoon apiece of Pascalite and Mezotrace. (Note: Do NOT contact me asking where to find these rock dust or clay products; a thirty-second web search on Google will find you plenty of suppliers for each!) 
• add a bit of a good bentonite clay; I do not always do this -- this one is a "light" option
• mix well! (yes, some of the dusts and clays will settle to the bottom anyway!) 
• unlike the official instructions for Activated EM, which demand that you leave almost no airspace at the top of the brew, and that you brew it totally anaerobically, I leave an inch or two (or three) of air space above the liquid at the top of the lightly-sealed jug, in order to allow the mix to brew just slightly aerobically.   Please see the item just below this bulleted list for a radical alternative approach, one involving anaerobic brewing plus pressure and heat!! 
• open the container every day or every second day while brewing to allow a bit of air (with oxygen) into the jug. This also allows smelling (and tasting, if that is your preference!) the brew and testing pH.
• gently shake or stir the contents of the jug every 2 days while brewing, for the first 5 to 6 days maximum
• you may see a goodly amount of bubbling as soon as 22 hours after starting the brew, if brewing at 94 degrees F or above, or it may take 3, 4, 5 or 6 days or more (if brewed below 85 degrees F) or even 14 days, if the temperatures are in the 70's (F).
• Some folks brew AEM and EM brews in strong sunlight from the second or third day onward.  The Japanese seem to do this particularly when they are brewing a version of EM Extension for consumption as a "health drink". In any case, I often brew my batches in moderate to strong artificial light.
• I wait till pH has dropped to below 3.6 and the batch has fermented for at least 14 days from start (longer if temperatures are below 94 F.)  It is simply that EM gets even better as it ages even more....  Usually, the pH has dropped to 3.5 by the point described and it is still dropping slowly.  I always assess smell and taste carefully to make sure that it is clear, clean, sweet and sour, with a hint of molasses flavor. Especially in the first 2 to 8 days of fermentation, you may also taste a hint of vinegars and alcohol as well. 
• This one may be a bit controversial: especially when I am brewing AEM for consumption as a nutritive beverage, I do not use 5 or 6 ounces of pure EM stock culture, but rather use 3 ounces of the EM stock culture and 4 ounces of a recent (fewer than 20 days old) good batch of AEM. This seems to accelerate not only brewing time, but also the peak of the strongly reducing ORP.
• How to measure pH -- if you are a bit stuck, see the sub-section (in this section) below entitled Measuring pH

Note: DO NOT DARE to write to me asking where to find these rock dust or clay products; a thirty-second web search on Google will find you plenty of (inexpensive) suppliers for each! Any requests for info on where to find such products will be studiously ignored, and the hounds of hell will be unleashed upon the inquirer.

The method is a variant on the anaerobic method, and involves brewing the EM Extension only in PET soda or seltzer water (since they are designed to handle pressure) bottles, usually available in 1 or 2 liter sizes, or in other plastic containers which can withstand severe pressure without exploding.  The basic guideline is to brew the EM Extension in a tightly sealed plastic bottle such as a PET bottle, and allow the pressure to build up to at least 2 psi above atmospheric pressure (more on this later...).  The bottle is not to be opened for much of the brewing period until gas bubble formation starts to cease and the brew appears near-done, at which point the bottle may be opened once every two or three days to allow for testing of pH.  The rationale behind this is that it not only preserves an excellent anaerobic environment (which some folks feel is important to making EM Extension), but also forces the stuff to brew under pressure.  This latter point hearkens back to an early concept in the EM world, when it was believed that EM activated best only under pressures at least a few psi above atmospheric pressure.  It was believed that such pressure would allow the varied organisms to cooperate in ways that they otherwise could not and would not.  Some folks nowadays feel that the pressure factor is unimportant, while other feel that it is essential for a really excellent activated batch of EM Extension. This is something to experiment and play with!  Be careful, and have fun! 

Can I Simply Keep Making New Batches of Activated EM from My Last Batch (Serial and Consecutive Activation or Extension)?
Well, this topic is pretty much dealt with in an earlier section entitled The EM Culture and
the Organisms in It, in a sub-section entitled:  Can I Stop Buying EM Stock Inoculant After My First Batch and Just Keep Making Serial Batches of Activated EM (aka EM Extension)?
Briefly, the answer is no -- unless you were to take incredible and pains-taking precautions, lots of time and energy, and use sophisticated methods, the quality will suffer drastically, and you will eventually loose the yeasts and the phototropic organisms and end up with a mixed culture of some lactic acid bacteria and some contaminating organisms.

Measuring pH
1) Papers
The easiest, simplest and least-messy way to check pH is with a dispenser and roll of pH Hydrion test paper from Micro Essential Laboratory in Brooklyn, NY.  A dispenser containing one roll will last you at least a year, and will cost under $12
http://www.microessentiallab.com/paper/paper.html
You will probably want to purchase a dispenser/roll from either their Brilliant or Microfine line.  I recommend that you buy a type of paper that covers just the pH 2 to 5 range, if available, otherwise pH 1 to 5, or pH 1 to 6.  Do NOT buy a wide-range paper which covers the entire pH 1 (or 2) to (11 or) 12 range. It will not give you enuf resolution to be of much help...

However, no paper will be able to resolve pH to better than 0.3 units...., and many cannot get closer than 0.5 or 1 unit.
Advantages: quick, easy, simple, and lastly: each test, assuming you extract a bit of liquid from your brew with an eyedropper for each test (to prevent having to dip a possibly toxic paper into your brew, although this is a very minor matter...) consumes only tiny amounts of liquid.

2) Digital pH test Meters
Rule #1: Avoid buying the cute little inexpensive "pen" digital pH meters -- they work great, or at least okay, for about a month and then, due to electrode quality, the readings start becoming wildly inaccurate; then they usually die entirely and go to pH meter heaven.  Never found one yet I can trust for under $150.

A good compromise is the Hanna Water Test, a small, portable 4-function digital water testing meter which measures temperature, conductivity, pH and ORP.  It sells for about $150 on the web from many vendors. 
Advantages: The meter is very tough, robust, hardy, and exhibits the least drift of pH and ORP readings (due to electrode degradation) of any portable compact meter I have ever tested. I use these meters in all kinds of adverse conditions, and they are very tolerant, very accurate and very forgiving.
Disadvantages: the water or sample must be poured into a well which needs 1.6 ounces of liquid. So, you use up 1.6 ounces of AEM brew for every test..... of course, you can use the left-over 1.6 ounces of stuff for various applications.....

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Storage
Once your batch of Activated EM (aka EM Extension) is finished brewing, the bottle(s) should be stored in a dark, cool place.  Do not shake or stir much, and keep closed.  A well-made batch of AEM will retain full culture viability for anywhere from a conservative estimate of 30 days (per the folks at EMTrading) to far longer, if stored at about 74 degrees F, and longer at cooler temperatures (these recommendations are based upon my experiences and what users have reported to me, but have been partially confirmed by a tale related to me by a staffer at EMTrading of a partially-filled bottle of AEM which was still viable and potent at least 6 months after it was first used.) While microbial inoculant quality of AEM will decrease over time, the antioxidant power should only increase with the passage of time, due to increased fermentation time.

I must share here the fact that some senior folks in the Western EM world seem to feel that many of the lactic acid bacteria, yeast and photosynthetic bacteria in a batch of 1:1:20 AEM will have gone dormant and even declined in numbers after 30 days.  However, these same folks are still the first to point out that, even if this (decline after 30 days) is totally true, the liquid, after this time, remains a powerful antioxidant liquid supplement, and likely a potent mineral and trace element supplement as well, for many months to come, unless it starts to smell or taste "off" or funny...  These same folks feel that the time of peak activity for an AEM batch is about 7 days after the fermentation has largely slowed (so, for a batch which took 8 days to mature at 94 degrees F, this would be at day 14 or 15 after starting.)

It is very important that AEM not be stored in a glass container, again due to the possibility of pressure buildup which could lead to the bottle exploding.  It is strongly recommended that AEM (aka EM Extension) be stored in a plastic container, and preferably one where the lid will allow excess gases to escape, or even better, a PET bottle such as the type used for soda and club soda -- these can, if the cap is screwed on tightly, withstand tremendous pressure.  I have spoken with the people who brew EM for bottling and re-sale across the USA, and I have heard plenty of stories of AEM causing each and every one of the following to explode violently, during both brewing and during storage after brewing:

• sturdy 1,000 gallon steel-reinforced heavy-duty plastic tanks
• 1 ton plastic totes with steel frames
• 55 gallon heavy duty plastic drums
• 1-quart Nalgene HDPE heavy-duty plastic bottles with heavy-duty screw caps

While some sources (including the Western EM distributors of EM) will recommend storing AEM in a strictly anaerobic fashion, with little airspace above it, most folks (and myself) have observed that AEM is quite tolerant of some aerobic activity, and stores quite well, even for relatively long times, even with large air spaces over the liquid.  However, I do admit that I usually take reasonable and moderate (but not extreme) precautions to keep already-opened batches of AEM at least partially anaerobic.  Hence, if I have a half-full jug of AEM, I will tend to transfer the liquid to some smaller jugs, to allow lesser airspace above the liquid.  However, I do not get at all neurotic or compulsive about this anaerobic storage matter....

Implosions
Just as Activated EM (AEM) in storage can cause tightly-sealed containers to explode due to buildup of gas pressure, there is a lesser-known phenomenon whereby AEM, usually in the latter stages of active brewing, or in the first 20 days of storage, can absorb and digest any gases above it, causing a container to implode, causing buckling, collapse, or even total failure (leakage of contents.)  Much as with EM Extension-caused explosions, I have heard tales from the people who brew EM for bottling and re-sale across the USA, and I have heard several  stories of EM Extension causing each of the following to implode and buckle or collapse: 

• sturdy 1,000 gallon steel-reinforced heavy-duty plastic tanks
• 1 ton plastic totes with steel frames
• 55 gallon heavy duty plastic drums
• smaller plastic bottles

Uses
Activated EM (AEM or EM extension) may be used for any of a number of EM applications.  A few are:

• mixed 1:1:100 with organic (I use blackstrap) molasses and water and used as a “starter” for making Bokashi (bran or bran and kelp mix; I also add rock dust)
• added to drinking water for pets, livestock and poultry at a 1:1,000 to 1:5,000 ratio (you may choose to also add a pinch of the EM Ceramic powder)
• sprayed with a sprayer on animal wastes and soil at a 1:200 to 1:3,000 ratio (you may choose to also add a pinch of the EM Ceramic powder)
• the above spray formula may also be lightly sprayed on livestock and poultry feed just prior to feeding
• used as an air freshener spray in the home at a 1:30 to 1:1,000 ratio (you may choose to also add a pinch of the EM Ceramic powder)
• the above spray formula may also be used in the bathroom, shower stall, for the compost bucket, and for smelly wet trash buckets kept under the kitchen sink. 
• the above spray formula may also be used as an indoor spray for animal carpet or floor stains (urine, feces, vomit) or odors, or any odors.  However, be careful: the spray may discolor or stain fabrics or carpets.
• This one is NOT recommended, but offered only because so many folks have asked how I do it myself: diluted with water (1:4 to 1:200) and used as a mouthwash and probiotic.  This is pretty much the same as the commercially-available EM mouthwash (which also has natural blueberry powder added.)   If you choose to do this, be sure that your batch of AEM smells and tastes clean, good, sweet and sour, and that there is no putrid or nasty smell or taste – these would indicate that the brewing has not gone well or that the AEM has somehow spoiled.
• mixed with water 1:1,000 to 1,8000 (EM Ceramic powder would be a good addition) and sprayed on agricultural soils, compost, etc.

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