Fermentation of meat with koji and commercial enzymes, and properties of its extract

This study was carried out in order to make the Japanese fermented meat sauce shishibishio. The fermentation mixtures (moromi) were prepared by mixing ground pork with salt at one of three levels (15, 20 or 25%), koji (rice fermented with Aspergillus oryzae) and pepper. Commercial enzymes, ie Alcalase or Pectinase 3S, were added in order to accelerate the proteolysis of the moromi .A fter 3months of fermentation, counts of viable bacteria were below 300cfug −1 , and no coliforms was detected in any moromi. Shishibishio obtained after 3months had an acceptable seasoning with high peptide and free amino acid content, and good hygienic quality; in particular, no unpleasant smell and taste was found. The addition of Alcalase or Pectinase 3S appreciably increased yield of shishibishio and protein recovery from moromi by accelerating the liquefaction and the proteolysis, resulting in the improvement of the sensory quality of the products. The highest yields were, respectively, 49.8 to 50.6%, collected from moromi in which we used 15% salt. Shishibishio with Alcalase had a higher peptide content but a lower total free amino acid content than that with Pectinase 3S. However, there was not much difference in the sensory evaluations for two enzyme treatments.  2005 Society of Chemical Industry