Comparison of Physicochemical Characteristics of Soy Sauces Made from Germinated Soybeans with Different Salt Concentrations

Soy sauce, a dark brown fermented liquid, is a staple condiment in Asian cuisine, including Cambodia. A good quality soy sauce is made from soybeans, which serve as the primary raw material and potentially yield health benefits when soybeans are germinated. The purpose of this study is to produce a soy sauce from germinated soybeans with different salt concentrations. Initially, soybeans were germinated for 48 and 72 hours, then homogenized with roasted wheat, and 0.1% of A. oryzae was added. The koji mash after fermentation was homogenized with salt at 18% and 22% to make moromi. In addition, the physicochemical characteristics were determined, and a sensory evaluation was conducted to assess the quality during moromi fermentation. Moreover, 5 *10⁷ CFU/ml of Z. rouxii was used in moromi. The optimized results for enzyme activity, total phenolic content, and sensory evaluation of germinated soybean with a salt content of 18% were higher than those of non-germinated soybean, which were 118.02 U/g, 7.40 g/100 mg GAE/ml, and 7.36, respectively. The soy sauce made from germinated soybeans over 48 hours resulted in the best conditions in this study, including TA, amino acid nitrogen, RS, enzyme activity, sensory evaluation, and bioactive compounds at optimal levels.