Relationship between chemical characteristics and bacterial community of a Korean salted-fermented anchovy sauce, Myeolchi-Aekjeot

Little is known of the relationship between the chemical characteristics and bacterial community of Myeolchi-Aekjeot, a traditional Korean fermented anchovy sauce. Therefore, we explored this relationship by determining the salinity, pH, nitrogen content and inorganic content of nine Myeolchi-Aekjeot samples. Major resident bacteria in Myeolchi-Aekjeot samples were from the genus Halanaerobium and Tetragenococcus. Interestingly, in samples with a high ratio of total and amino nitrogen content, Tetragenococcus, comprising halophilic lactic acid bacteria, was the dominant genus. Furthermore, high total and amino nitrogen contents were found to correlate with the genus Tetragenococcus, with R-2 values of 0.85 and 0.89, respectively. Total nitrogen content is generally considered a quality parameter for fish sauces. We therefore conclude that the presence of Tetragenococcus bacteria can be an important quality parameter in future studies of salted-fermented anchovy sauces. Our results suggest a relationship between the chemical characteristics and a dominant bacterial community of Myeolchi-Aekjeot. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.