Assessment on the improvement of soy sauce fermentation by Aspergillus oryzae HG76

To assess the improvement of Aspergillus oryzae HG76 on soy sauce fermentation, the items of biochemical compositions, molecular weight distribution (MWD), free amino acids (FAA) and volatile flavor compounds (VFC) profiles in the soy sauce fermented by A. oryzae HG76 were comparatively studied with the control fermented by A. oryzae HN3042. The results revealed that the concentrations of saltless soluble solid, total acids, total nitrogen, amino nitrogen, and low molecular weight peptides in A. oryzae HG76 fermenting mash were enhanced to different extent over the control. Furthermore, the amounts of taste-enhancing FAA and VFC in mash fermented by A. oryzae HG76 were noted at higher concentrations than in the control. From these combining evidences, we conclude that A. oryzae HG76 possesses improved fermenting performance and has a potential application in soy sauce fermentation. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.