The Origin of Meju Fungi - Fungal Diversity of Soybean, Rice Straw and Air for Meju Fermentation
- Kim, Dae-Ho;Lee, Jong-kyu;Hong, Seung-Beom
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- 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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- 한국균학회 2014년도 추계학술대회 및 정기총회
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- pp.32-32
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- 2014
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Meju is a brick of dried fermented soybeans and is the core material for Jang such as Doenjang and Ganjang. Jang is produced by addition of salty water to Meju and is considered the essential sauces of authentic Korean cuisine. Meju is fermented by diverse microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and yeasts. It is known that fungi play an important role in the Meju fermentation and they degrade macromolecules of the soybeans into small nutrient molecules. In previous study, 26 genera and 0 species were reported as Meju fungi. However, it is not comprehensively examined where the fungi present on the Meju are originated. In order to elucidate the origin of the fungi present on the Meju, the mycobiota of 500 samples soybean kernels, 296 rice straw pieces and air samples of Jang factories was determined in 0, 2 and 7 Jang factories respectively. Forty-one genera covering 86 species were isolated from the soybeans and 33 species were identical with the species from Meju. From sodium hypochlorite untreated soybeans, Eurotium herbariorum, Eurotium repens, Cladosporium tenuissimum, Fusarium fujikuroi, Aspergillus oryzae/flavus and Penicillium steckii were the predominant species. In case of sodium hypochlorite-treated soybeans, Eurotium herbariorum, E. repens and Cladosporium tenuissimum were the predominant species. Of the 4 genera and 86 species isolated from soybeans, 3 genera and 33 species were also found in Meju. Thirty-nine genera and 92 species were isolated from the rice straws and 40 species were identical with the species from Meju. Fusarium asiaticum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus tubingensis, A. oryzae, E. repens and Eurotium chevalieri were frequently isolated from the rice straw obtained from many factories. Twelve genera and 40 species of fungi that were isolated in the rice straw in this study, were also isolated from Meju. Especially, A. oryzae, C. cladosporioides, E. chevalieri, E. repens, F. asiaticum and Penicillium polonicum that are abundant species in Meju, were also isolated frequently from rice straw. C. cladosporioides, F. asiaticum and P. polonicum that are abundant in low temperature fermentation process of Meju fermentation, were frequently isolated from rice straw incubated at
$5^{\circ}C$ and$25^{\circ}C$ , while A. oryzae, E. repens and E. chevalieri that are abundant in high temperature fermentation process of Meju fermentation, were frequently isolated from rice straw incubated at$25^{\circ}C$ and$35^{\circ}C$ . This suggests that the mycobiota of rice straw have a large influence in mycobiota of Meju. Thirty-nine genera and 92 species were isolated from the air of Jang factories and 34 species were identical with the species from Meju. In outside air of the fermentation room, Cladosporium sp. and Cladosporium cladosporioides were the dominant species, followed by Cladosporium tenuissimum, Eurotium sp., Phoma sp. Sistotrema brinkmannii, Alternaria sp., Aspergillus fumigatus, Schizophyllum commune, and Penicillium glabrum. In inside air of the fermentation room, Cladosporium sp., Aspergillus oryzae, Penicillium chrysogenum, A. nidulans, Aspergillus sp., C. cladosporioides, Eurotium sp., Penicillium sp., C. tenuissimum, A. niger, E. herbariorum, A. sydowii, and E. repens were collected with high frequency. The concentrations of the genus Aspergillus, Eurotium and Penicillium were significantly higher in inside air than outside air. From this results, the origin of fungi present on Meju was inferred. Of the dominant fungal species present on Meju, Lichtheimia ramosa, Mucor circinelloides, Mucor racemosus, and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis are thought to be originated from outside air, because these species are not or are rarely isolated from rice straw and soybean; however, they were detected outside air of fermentation room and are species commonly found in indoor environments. However, A. oryzae, P. polonicum, E. repens, P. solitum, and E. chevalieri, which are frequently found on Meju, are common in rice straw and could be transferred from rice straw to Meju. The fungi grow and produce abundant spores during Meju fermentation, and after the spores accumulate in the air of fermentation room, they could influence mycobiota of Meju fermentation in the following year. This could explain why concentrations of the genus Aspergillus, Eurotium, and Penicillium are much higher inside than outside of the fermentation rooms.