Abstract
Tempe is a fermented soybean food that is globally renowned for its high protein content. Methods of preparing tempe vary worldwide, and include soaking in vinegar before fermentation. This study aimed to determine the effects of soaking in vinegar by metabolome analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and sensory attribute evaluation. Vinegar affected metabolism during tempe fermentation, which led to altered metabolite profiles in the final product. We validated the metabolite profiles of two types of tempe using triangle tests and rate-all-that-apply (RATA) tests, which revealed that the sensory attributes of a golden-brown color, ammonia smell, pleasant smell, salty flavor, and acceptance significantly differed (p < 0.05) between the two types of tempe. A high concentration of specific amino acids in the control tempe explained a strong ammonia smell, saltiness, and darker golden-brown sensory attributes. Tempe soaked in vinegar contained high concentrations of metabolites associated with a roasted aroma and cooked meat. In conclusion, most RATA panelists who were being introduced to tempe preferred that soaked in vinegar to the control that was not.
Highlights
Tempe is a fermented soybean food that has been consumed in Indonesia since the 16th century
This study aimed to define the effects of soaking tempe in vinegar using metabolome analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and sensory profiling to provide useful information to the tempe industry
Since the metabolites of tempe change according to pretreatment and duration of fermentation [16], samples of tempe soaked with and without vinegar collected at 24 and 48 h, and at 24, 48, and 72 h were analyzed by GC/MS
Summary
Tempe (tempeh) is a fermented soybean food that has been consumed in Indonesia since the 16th century. It is usually prepared by fermenting soybeans with Rhizopus spp. as the starter mold [1]. Tempe is renowned in Indonesia for its high protein, carbohydrate, fat, and dietary fiber contents along with its digestibility and absorption [1]. It is becoming popular among vegans and vegetarians as a meat substitute and is produced in several countries [2,3]. The consumption of tempe in Indonesia accounts for at least 10% of all consumed protein, which is higher than that of chicken eggs (1.25%) or meat (3.15%) [4].
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