• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.924-933
• /
• 1998

Kochujang, fermented hot pepper-soybean paste, was prepared by two common varieties of red pepper and natural fermented (NF) or pure cultured (PC) meju (soybean mass that is soaked, steamed, mashed and fermented by natural microflora or pure strain) and monitored their taste related component, enzyme activity and microflora during fermentation at $25^{\circ}C$ for 120 days for confirming possibility of kochujang fermentation control. The reducing sugars, amino type nitrogen (reference quality factor) and amino acid content in PC kochujang were 11.4%, 0.58% and 1,372.9 mg% respectively, 7.1%, 0.42% and 1,038.7 mg% in NF kochujang. It is concerned higher ${\alpha}-{\;}and{\;}{\beta}-{\;}amylase$ and, acid and neutral protease in PC kochujang during fermentation. The meju fermented by selected pure strain (A. oryzae CBU) can be applied to produced better quality of kochujang instead of natural meju.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.313-323
• /
• 1980

The objective of this experiment was to improve the quality and shortening the aging time of Kochujang by adding mixed starter cultures of yeast strains. Kochujangs were mashed during the summer season with mixed starter cultures of Saccharomyces rouxii, Torulopsis versatilis and Torulopsis etchellsii. Enzyme activities and chemical composition of the Kochujang were determined during the period of aging and their organoleptic values were tested. The maximum activities of liquefying amylase and saccharogenic amylase in the Kochujang were obtained during 20 to 60 days and 20 to 30 days after mashing respectively. The acidic protease activity was reached maximum during 20 to 40 days. All enzyme activities were decreased markedly during the final stage of aging period. Among mixed starter cultures tested, mixed culture of T. versatilis and T. etchellsii shows the highest liquefying and saccharogenic amylase activities. Ethyl alcohol contents in 10 days after mashing were highest in the Kochujang with S. rouxii and T. versatilis, followed in order of S. rouxii and T. etchellsii mixture, T. versatilis and T. etchellsii mixture and control without addition of yeast. But the contents in all sample became similar after 20 days with the level of 2.3 to 2.8% and then decreased gradually. The level of reducing sugar contents was markedly increased during the first 10 days, especially in the batches of T. versatilis and T. etchellsii mixture and control. However, the concentration became similar in all samples after 40 days. The contents of amino nitrogen were increased markedly during the first 10 days then slowly up to 90 days. The rate was high in the Kochujang with T. versatilis and T. etchellsii when compared with others. The organoleptic values of all Kochujang made with addition of yeast starter cultures were superior to control, especially in flavor, taste and color. The Kochujang with T. versatilis and T. etchellsii marked the highest value. The data obtained from this experiment suggests that the quality of Kochujang could be improved by using starter culture of suitable yeast strains according to product characteristics and aging time.