Biochemical changes in low-salt solid-state fermented soy sauce

Low-salt solid-state fermentation soy sauce was prepared with defatted soy bean and wheat bran. Biochemical changes during the aging of the soy sauce mash were investigated. Results showed that after a 15-day aging period, the contents of total nitrogen, formol titration nitrogen, free amino acids, reducing sugar, total sugar and the brown color were increased. However, pH was decreased during the fermentation period. Furthermore, contents of total free amino acids in low-salt solid-state fermentation soy sauce fluctuated during the fermentation period, and in most periods, it was increased. The analysis of free amino acid composition shows that the contents of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, alanine and leucine were higher than other amino acids. Therefore, it means that these amino acids may contribute to the taste and flavor of low-salt solid-state fermentation soy sauce. The biochemical changes characters were due to enzyme activities, solution balance and reaction balance, and biochemical changes contributed to the improvement of the flavor of low-salt solid-state fermented soy sauce. Analyzing the biochemical change in the fermented process of soy sauce is helpful in finding out the shortcoming of low-salt solid-state fermented soy sauce.Key words: Low-salt solid-state fermented soy sauce, biochemical changes, fermentation period, chemicalcomposition