Biomass Production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae KFCC 10823 and Its Use in Preparation of Doenjang

An ethanolic fermentation process was developed for preparing Doenjang with high ethanol. Higher and efficient viable cell production of salt-tolerant ethanolic yeast is a prerequisite for the successful commercial-scale process of ethanol production during Doenjang fermentation. Culture conditions of salt-tolerant yeast, S. cerevisiae KFCC 10823, was studied in terms of the effect of several environmental and nutritional factors. Viable cell numbers were the highest in a medium containing the following components per liter of water: soysauce, 300ml; dextrose, 50 g; beef extract, 5 g; yeast extract, 5 g; $KH_2PO_4$, 5 g; NaCl, 50 g. The optimal culture conditions of S. cerevisiae KFCC 10823 were pH 5.5, $25^{\circ}C$, 200 rpm and 0.5 vvm. Yeast viability during batch fermentation was gradually decreased to a level less than $90{\%}$ after 35 hours. The maximum cell number was $2.2{\times}10_7$ cells/ml at the optimal condition. Doenjang prepared with ethanolic yeast was ripened after 45 days at $30^{\circ}C$. This Doenjang contains 470 mg% of amino nitrogen and 2.5% ethanol. The shelf-life at $30^{\circ}C$ was theoretically estimated as 444 days.