Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries
<i>Gochujang</i>, fermented red pepper paste, is a grain-based Korean traditional food. The quality of <i>gochujang</i> produced by cottage industries is not well-documented. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the quality of <i>gochujang</i> from 35 traditio...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/375 |
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| author | Srinivasan Ramalingam Ashutosh Bahuguna SeMi Lim Ah-Ryeong Joe Jong-Suk Lee So-Young Kim Myunghee Kim |
| author_facet | Srinivasan Ramalingam Ashutosh Bahuguna SeMi Lim Ah-Ryeong Joe Jong-Suk Lee So-Young Kim Myunghee Kim |
| author_sort | Srinivasan Ramalingam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Gochujang</i>, fermented red pepper paste, is a grain-based Korean traditional food. The quality of <i>gochujang</i> produced by cottage industries is not well-documented. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the quality of <i>gochujang</i> 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 <i>gochujang</i> products harbored >1% of total alcohol content, which was above the recommended level for halal products. <i>Gochujang</i> 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 <i>Zygosaccharomyces rouxii</i>. Eight <i>gochujang</i> products were found to be contaminated with <i>Bacillus cereus</i> (>4 log CFU/g). This study suggests that there is a need to limit <i>B. cereus</i> contamination in cottage industry products and reduce alcohol content to comply with halal food guidelines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:53:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60a883d17dac49c8992a02dcc20c3ea8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:53:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-60a883d17dac49c8992a02dcc20c3ea82023-11-23T16:29:53ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582022-01-0111337510.3390/foods11030375Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage IndustriesSrinivasan Ramalingam0Ashutosh Bahuguna1SeMi Lim2Ah-Ryeong Joe3Jong-Suk Lee4So-Young Kim5Myunghee Kim6Department of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaDivision of Food & Nutrition and Cook, Taegu Science University, Daegu 41453, KoreaDepartment of Agrofood Resources, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea<i>Gochujang</i>, fermented red pepper paste, is a grain-based Korean traditional food. The quality of <i>gochujang</i> produced by cottage industries is not well-documented. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the quality of <i>gochujang</i> 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 <i>gochujang</i> products harbored >1% of total alcohol content, which was above the recommended level for halal products. <i>Gochujang</i> 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 <i>Zygosaccharomyces rouxii</i>. Eight <i>gochujang</i> products were found to be contaminated with <i>Bacillus cereus</i> (>4 log CFU/g). This study suggests that there is a need to limit <i>B. cereus</i> contamination in cottage industry products and reduce alcohol content to comply with halal food guidelines.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/375alcohol<i>gochujang</i><i>Bacillus cereus</i>free amino nitrogen<i>Zygosaccharomyces rouxii</i> |
| spellingShingle | Srinivasan Ramalingam Ashutosh Bahuguna SeMi Lim Ah-Ryeong Joe Jong-Suk Lee So-Young Kim Myunghee Kim Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries Foods alcohol <i>gochujang</i> <i>Bacillus cereus</i> free amino nitrogen <i>Zygosaccharomyces rouxii</i> |
| title | Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries |
| title_full | Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries |
| title_fullStr | Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries |
| title_short | Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of <i>Gochujang</i>, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries |
| title_sort | physicochemical microbial and volatile compound characteristics of i gochujang i fermented red pepper paste produced by traditional cottage industries |
| topic | alcohol <i>gochujang</i> <i>Bacillus cereus</i> free amino nitrogen <i>Zygosaccharomyces rouxii</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/375 |
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