Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of Gochujang, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries.

Srinivasan Ramalingam,Jong-Suk Lee,So-Young Kim,Ah-Ryeong Joe,Ashutosh Bahuguna,Myunghee Kim,Semi Lim

doi:10.3390/foods11030375

Abstract

Gochujang, fermented red pepper paste, is a grain-based Korean traditional food. The quality of gochujang produced by cottage industries is not well-documented. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the quality of gochujang from 35 traditional cottage industries for physicochemical and microbial characteristics, along with volatile compound contents. In addition to microbial characteristics, salinity, pH, free amino nitrogen, and alcohol content were evaluated. Ethanol was detected as the predominant alcohol and 57% of tested gochujang products harbored >1% of total alcohol content, which was above the recommended level for halal products. Gochujang products contained hexadecanoic and linoleic acids predominantly and several volatile compounds belonging to the classes of alcohols, aldehydes, alkanes, nitrogen-containing compounds, and terpenes. A wide range of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (2.79–8.73 log CFU/g) and yeast counts (1.56–7.15 log CFU/g) was observed. Five distinct yeast species were identified, including Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. Eight gochujang products were found to be contaminated with Bacillus cereus (>4 log CFU/g). This study suggests that there is a need to limit B. cereus contamination in cottage industry products and reduce alcohol content to comply with halal food guidelines.

Highlights

IntroductionGochujang (fermented red pepper paste) is one of the most important grain-based traditional Korean fermented foods and is generally used as a sauce in Korean cuisines and as a seasoning in spicy foods
Gochujang is one of the most important grain-based traditional Korean fermented foods and is generally used as a sauce in Korean cuisines and as a seasoning in spicy foods
This study highlighted the presence of a variety of alcohols with a predominance of ethanol in the gochujang products

Summary

Introduction

Gochujang (fermented red pepper paste) is one of the most important grain-based traditional Korean fermented foods and is generally used as a sauce in Korean cuisines and as a seasoning in spicy foods. Meju is a naturally fermented soybean, which acts as the source of microorganisms (starter culture) in the fermentation of gochujang. The mixture of these ingredients starts the fermentation and aging processes [3]. The modern large-scale industrial gochujang is produced in a quality-controlled environment with the use of specific starter cultures (Aspergillus and Bacillus species) in a short period of fermentation [6]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion