Abating biogenic amines and improving the flavor profile of Cantonese soy sauce via co-culturing Tetragenococcus halophilus and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii

This study aimed to investigate the formation and abatement strategies of biogenic amines (BAs) in the moromi contaminated accidently during Cantonese soy sauce (CSS) production processes. The ratio of total acid/amino nitrogen (TA/AAN) in koji can be used to predict the change in BAs content. Of the three main phases, BAs contents were more significantly increased once moromi manufacturing- and fermentation-phase were polluted. By co-culturing Tetragenococcus halophilus CGMCC3792 with Zygosaccharomyces rouxii CGMCC21865, BAs content was reduced by 59.96% and 51.10%, respectively, for the contaminated initial and fermenting moromi. Moreover, BAs content was reduced by 67.68% via the split batch fermentation method for the latter. Based on high throughput sequencing and metatranscriptome technology, BAs content was closely related to Lactobacillus abundance. It revealed the mechanism of abating BAs by inhibiting decarboxylase expression and changing redox potential. Therefore, it was an efficient strategy for abating BAs content and improving the flavor profile of CSS.

Automated summary

This study investigated the formation and abatement strategies of biogenic amines (BAs) in Cantonese soy sauce production. The results showed that BAs content significantly increased when the moromi manufacturing and fermentation phases were polluted. Co-culturing different strains and using split batch fermentation method reduced BAs content effectively. The study also revealed the relationship between Lactobacillus abundance and BAs content.