SEASONING AND THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING IT

To provide a seasoning obtainable by hydrolyzing vegetable protein by the solid koji process which is at the zero content of salt or at a low content of salt and which is at a high hydrolysis ratio to amino acids and scarcely contains strong flavor component, as well as a process of producing the same A process of producing a seasoning comprising the following steps: (i) a step of preparing solid koji by inoculating microorganisms with protein hydrolysis potency in raw materials containing vegetable protein; and (ii) a step of hydrolyzing the protein by adding a solution to the resulting solid koji at an amount approximating to a salt concentration not inhibiting the hydrolysis of the protein to form unrefined soy and fermenting the unrefined soy to hydrolyze the protein, characterized in that a lactic acid bacterium is added at 108 to 1011 cells per gram of raw material to the raw material at the step (i) and at the step (ii) , if necessary, a lactic acid bacterium is added at 108 to 1011 cells per gram of unrefined soy to the unrefined soy and that the seasoning is at a hydrolysis ratio to amino acids at 65% or more; an isobutyl alcohol concentration at 0.1 mg per gram of nitrogen or less; an n-butyl alcohol concentration at 0.25 mg per gram of nitrogen or less; an isoamyl alcohol concentration at 0.5 mg per gram of nitrogen or less; and an acetic acid concentration at 100 mg per gram of nitrogen or less.