Five samples of Korean native Maeju(fermented soy-bean mash) loaves which were collected each from Kyunggi, Chungchung, Kangwon, Cholla and Kyungsang-Do were examined for their fermenting microorganisms. The results of taxonomic and ecological studies of fermentation microorganisms in these Maeju loaves were as the fellows.
(1) The fungus flora grew only is the outer layer of Maeju loaves. Miscellaneous molds, 3 species of Mucor, 2 species of Pericallium., one species each of Scopulariopsis and Aspergillus, were isolated. None of them seemed exclusively predominant to be able to designate as the ecologically significant.
(2) The bacterial flora which consisted of two species, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus were distributed uniformly in th a entire Maeju loaves. The inner parts of Maeju loaves were especially inhabited solely by these bacterial flora. Probably the Korean native Maeju fermentation could be characterized by these bacterial flora. A Staphylococcus species was also isolated probably as a casual contaminant.
(3) The yeasts, Rhodotorula flava and Torulopsis dattila, were isolated from Maeju loaves though their ecological significance was not clear.
(4) The ecological aspects of fermentation microbes in the outer and inner parts of Maeju loaves were apparently different, consequently different fermentation processes might have occurred in these two parts and it brought quite different final outlooks in the final matured Maeju loaves. The outer part, rather rigid and dry, retained the light brown color of boiled soy-bean; whereas the inner part, soft and sticky, showed dark brown color indicating severe chemical changes.
(5) The aflatoxin producing mold, Aspergillus oryzae was isolated from one sample among 5 of Maeju loaves. In addition to the low probability of isolability from Maeju loaves samples, since this mold grew only in the outer layer of Maeju loaves with such a low population density, about 10⁴/g, perhaps the aflatoxin problem in Korean native soysauce may not be critical.
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