Metabolic Features of Ganjang (a Korean Traditional Soy Sauce) Fermentation Revealed by Genome-Centered Metatranscriptomics
Byung Hee Chun, Dong Min Han, Harrison Kim, Dongbin Park, Da Min Jeong, Hyun Ah Kang, Che Ok Jeon
Abstract
The taste and quality of soy sauce, a popular fermented liquid condiment worldwide, is greatly influenced by microbial metabolism during fermentation. Spontaneous fermentation of ganjang (a Korean traditional soy sauce) in a nonsterile environment leads to the growth of diverse bacteria and fungi during fermentation, making it difficult to understand the mechanism of ganjang fermentation. Genome-centered metatranscriptomic analysis, combined with organic compound analysis, quantitative metagenome and metatranscriptome analyses, and metabolic pathway reconstruction and expressional analysis of the major ganjang microbiota during fermentation, would provide comprehensive insights into the metabolic features of ganjang fermentation.