Comparison of Determination Methods of Amino Nitrogen in Salt-Fermented Anchovy Sauce

In other to establish the exact determination method of amino nitrogen (AN) in salt-fermented fish sauces, we determined the AN in fish sauces according to the measuring methods and also investigated the main factors influencing on determination method of AN. AN in salt-fermented anchovy sauce increased linearly as fermentation progressed, and was shown the highest amount measuring by the Formol method, followed by the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) method and the Copper-salt method. AN concentration in anchovy sauces fermented for 12 months was $88.2\%$ and $77.6\%$ for the TNBS method and the Copper-salt method, respectively, on the basis of Formol method. The ratio of AN/total nitrogen (TN) in anchovy sauce fermented for 12 months was higher than that in commercial anchovy sauces. The determination of AN in anchovy sauce by the TNBS method was not affected by salt concentration, and slightly affected by heating. The effect of MSG on AN contents by Copper-salt method was shown higher than those by the Formol method and the TNBS method. The TNBS method was adaptable to measure the content of AN in fish sauce by this study.