Chemical Characteristics of Commercial Korean Soy Sauce Produced by Alkali Treatment Following Acidic Hydrolysis

Abstract

Alkali treatment following acidic hydrolysis (ATAH) is a commonly used practice for reducing the levels of monochloropropanediol in commercial Korean soy sauce. This study investigated the chemical compounds produced in commercial Korean soy sauce made by ATAH. The levels of amino-N, total acidity, pH, salinity and Brix of the soy sauce were 6.66%, 2.52%, 19.81%, 4.57 and 35.01, respectively. The major fatty acids were C18:2n-6, C16:0, C18:1n-9 and C18:3n-6. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids were especially high, with of C18:2n-6 (49.8%) being the highest followed by C18:3n-6 (3.8%) and C18:3n-3 (2.4%) in that order. Among the non-volatile organic acids, the concentration of levulinic acid (1,206.28 mg/100 g) was the highest, while the taste value of citric acid was the highest. Among the ATP related compounds, IMP concentration (31.19 mg/100 g) was highest followed by AMP, hypoxanthine and GMP in that order. The concentrations of free and total amino acids in soy sauce were 6,136.94 mg/100 g and 8,702.76 mg/100 g, respectively. On the other hand, the taste value of glutamic acid, a major amino acid flavor determinant in soy sauce, was highest of all the amino acids, which is desirable since most free amino acids such as methionine, histidine and phenylalanine have a bitter taste that detracts from the flavor of soy sauce.