• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 1977

This study was conducted to examine the changes of pH, proteolytic enzymic activity, and every kind of nitrogen compounds during their fermentation of the three groups of meju for 90days. Among the three groups, the first group was conventional Korean meju which was proved to be good quality (sample J), the second group was prepared with soybean paste using B. subtilis (sample K), and the third group was an improved meju which was fermented with the soybean and wheat (7 : 3) mixtured paste with Asp. sojae (sample L). These groups were analyzed at an interval of 10 day and the results are summarized as follows: 1) The pH of the all three groups was lowered from $6.45{\sim}6.75\;to\;4.85{\sim}5.20$ in just the 30 days and maintained the weak acidity during this fermentation. 2) The proteolytic enzymic activity was increased as soon as the three groups of meju were fermented and marked the maximum value in 30 days. The maximum value of the three groups of meju J.K. and L was 147, 112, and 52 respectively. The proteolytic enzymic activity of sample J and K was decreased to 23.5 and 20.5 in 20 days, while that of sample L was decreased to 18.0 in 40 days, and maintained the volues to the end of fermentation for 90 days. The conventional meju J and the improved meju K showed sparkling activity at the pH 7, while the activity of improved meju L was strong at the pH 10. 3) The PAA-N content of sample J and K was increased and reached to the peak point with 1.55% and 1.49% respectively in 60 days. But the sample L marked the maximum value with 1.28% after 80 days. 4) The amino-N content of sample J was increased and reached to 0.36% after 60 days, and that of sample K and L was increased and reached to 0.29% and 0.21% respectively after 40 days. After reaching to the peak point, the contents were decreased. 5) The content of ammonia-N was most abundant in sample K which was fermented with soybean paste using B. subtilis. 6) The peptide-N content of sample K and L was increased after decreasing in the middle of fermentation period, while that of sample J was increased gradually during fermentation. 7) The changes of nitrogen compounds were seemed to complete in 60 days of fermentation.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.93-109
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• 1972

Three lots of Chung-Kook-Jang were prepared by the use of 2 strains of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus natto. For four samples taken from each lot in 12 hrs interval changes of nitrogenous compounds, insoluble protein, water soluble protein, peptides, free amino acids, amino and ammonia nitrogens during Chung-Kook-Jang fermentation, were studied together with the changes of moisture, pH, proteolytic enzyme activity. In addition the average peptide length of the peptides of a Bacillus subtilis lot was determined by the method of molecular sieving using ion exchange resin. The results were as follows: 1. The contents of moisture and total-nitrogen changed little in all samples throughout the fermentation as it would be expected. 2. In all three experimental lots the pH became higher gradually from the initial value of 6.65 to the final $7.5{\sim}7.85$ during the fermentation. Proteolytic enzyme activities, in accordance with this pH change, steadily increased up to $48{\sim}60$ hrs. of fermentation and then slightly decreased, probably affected by the high pH. The most strong proteolytic activity was observed in the experimental Chung-Kook-Jang fermentation lot using the Bacillus subtilis K-27 isolated by the author. 3. The contents of insoluble protein nitrogen in soybeans increased markedly (5%) by the cooking, after steeping 12 hrs in water. During the Chung-Kook-Jang fermentation, however, it decreased from 1/2 to 1/10 of that of the cooked soybeans. 4. The contents of water soluble protein nitrogen (5%) whereas, greatly decreased to the value of 1.0% by the cooking; but little changed further during the fermentation, 5. The total contents (0.25%) of peptides, amino, and ammonia-nitrogens, PAA-N., increased almost double by the cooking and steadily became higher as the fermentation proceeded, reaching finally up to$4{\sim}7%$ in 72 hrs fermentation. 6. The amounts of free amino acids of soybean generally decreased during the processing of cooking, even some of them like glutamic acid were destroyed completely, However in the subsequent Chung-Kook-Jang fermentation for 72 hrs., they showed from several to a few hundreds folds increases depending upon the kinds of amino acids. Valine which was contained in HCl-hydrolyzed steeped or cooked soybeans in amounts $220{\sim}267mg%$ was not detected at all as the free amino acid in all fermented samples. 7. Average peptide length (APL) of all fractions, eluted and fractionated by using the Dowex-50 ion exchange resin column, and fraction collector showed the highest value for the cooked soybean and then decreased as the fermentation proceeded. The APL value of effluent showed the highest in 12 hrs fermented sample, The value decreased thereafter by fermentation.