Effect of microwave sterilization on maturation time and quality of low‐salt sufu

The objective of this study was to reduce the microorganism number and salt content in pehtze by microwave sterilization. The maturation time and quality of low‐salt sufu were evaluated. The microorganism inactivation rate, moisture content and water activity of the pehtze, which was used for the growth of the starter culture, showed that 4,250 W for 30 s was suitable for the preparation of low‐salt sufu. With regard to the physicochemical properties of sufu, 120‐day sufu samples obtained by traditional high‐salt (14%) fermentation and 75‐day sufu samples obtained by low‐salt (4%) fermentation met the standard requirements. With regard to the sensory characteristics of sufu, the taste and after taste scores of 75‐day low‐salt sufu samples were significantly higher than those of 120‐day high‐salt sufu samples (p