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Analysis of microflora in gochujang, Korean traditional fermented food

Food Science and Biotechnology volume 20, pages 1435–1440 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

To identify and characterize the microbial communities in gochujang, a traditional Korean fermented food, the viable cell numbers of total bacteria, halophilic bacteria, fungi, yeasts, halophilic yeasts, and lactic acid bacteria from 7 homemade gochujang samples produced in the Sunchang area and 5 commercial gochujang samples were counted. The variety of microflora in the gochujang samples was evaluated by identifying the isolates via DNA sequence analysis. The viable cell numbers of total bacteria were determined to be in the range of 6–7 log CFU/g, which were higher than those of yeasts. Neither lactic acid bacteria nor fungi were detected in either type of gochujang after aging. A total of 7 genera and 31 species of microorganisms were identified in the gochujang: 29% was identified as Bacillus velezensis, as a major microorganism in gochujang. Under halophilic conditions, Oceanobacillus spp. was detected for the first time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science & Biotechnology, Kyungwon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, 461-701, Korea

    Young-Seo Park

  2. Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms, Seoul, 120-091, Korea

    Seo-Jung Jang, Yu-Jin Kim & Jung-Min Park

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  1. Seo-Jung Jang
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  2. Yu-Jin Kim
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  3. Jung-Min Park
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  4. Young-Seo Park
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Correspondence to Young-Seo Park.

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Jang, SJ., Kim, YJ., Park, JM. et al. Analysis of microflora in gochujang, Korean traditional fermented food. Food Sci Biotechnol 20, 1435–1440 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-011-0197-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-011-0197-0

Keywords

  • gochujang
  • hot pepper paste
  • traditional Korean fermented food
  • Bacillus velezensis