Characteristics of Bacterial Strains with Desirable Flavor Compounds from Korean Traditional Fermented Soybean Paste ( Doenjang )

To identify and analyze the characteristics of the microorganisms involved in the formation of the desirable flavor of , a total of 179 strains were isolated from ninety-four collected from six regions in South Korea, and fourteen strains were selected through a sensory evaluation of the aroma of each culture. The enzyme activities of amylase, protease and lipase was shown in the various strains. sp.-K3, sp.-K4 and -J2 showed relatively high protease activity, at 317.1 U, 317.3 U and 319.5 U, respectively. The sp.-K1 showed the highest lipase activity at 2453.6 U. In the case of amylase, -H6 showed the highest activity at 4105.5 U. The results of the PCA showed that -H2, -H3, and sp.-K2 were closely related to the production of 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (23.51%~43.37%), and that -H5 and -J2 were significantly associated with the production of phenethyl alcohol (0.39% and 0.37%). The production of peptides was observed to vary among the cultures such as Val-Val-Pro-Pro-Phe-Leu and Pro-Ala-Glu-Val-Leu-Asp-Ile. These peptides are precursors of related volatile flavor compounds created in via the enzymatic or non-enzymatic route; it is expected that these strains could be used to enhance the flavor of .