Effect of adding salt-tolerant microorganisms on the flavor of soy-sauce mash

Soy sauce is used as a main ingredient in food flavoring due to its salty taste and sharp flavor. The aroma compounds play an important role for the flavor formation and impart the characteristic flavor of soy sauce. However, number and kinds of aroma compounds produced by the different microorganisms are different. Hence, effect on flavor formation of different combination of salt-tolerant microorganisms was investigated. It was found that the flavor components were richer than the other samples when T yeast and salt-tolerant lactic acid bacteria were added synchronously on the 15th day and S yeast was supplemented on the 45th day. The results suggested that the adding time of salt-tolerant microorganisms played an important role in high-salt liquid fermentation because it effected the production and harmony of some flavor components in soy sauce.