Corn sauce orfermented corn sauce is produced byfermentation usingcorn starch as the primary substrate. It is used as a foodcondiment and ingredient, both in paste and in powder form. Corn sauce, likesoy sauce, has a characteristicsavory taste. It is used to flavor dishes includingsoups,broths, andgravies.
Corn sauce is a mix of free and boundamino acids,organic acids and their salts,Maillard reaction products, andminerals.Sensory analysis describes corn sauce with characteristicsavory tastes including 'xian' (鲜 in Chinese),umami,caramelized,roasted, slightlyyeasty,meaty,salty, andsweet.[1]
The taste of corn sauces has been subject to research, showing that the complexity of the taste results from the composition of salts and fermentationmetabolites, amino acids,acetic acid,ribotides, shortpeptides andcarbohydrates.[2] Additionally, glutamyl-dipeptides were identified as a class of enriching taste compounds.[3]
Thetaste of corn sauce led to the usage as acondiment. Likeyeast extract,soy sauce andhydrolyzed vegetable protein, it rounds off the flavor and taste.[4]
Comparable to the production ofsoy sauce, corn sauce is obtained byfermentation, sometimes referred asbrewing. The fermentation process is usingCorynebacterium bacteria species.[5] The fermentation parameters are controlled for time, temperature and pH. After fermentation thebroth undergoes a cooking step to kill the fermentingmicroorganisms and to induce a controlledMaillard reaction. The cell mass is removed by filtration. The filtered broth isconcentrated in order to obtain a paste and to create further Maillard products. Duringevaporation,salt is added to improve microbial stability. For a powdered product a drying step is applied.
Corn sauce contains a mix of compounds, including fermentation metabolites, amino acids, organic acids, minerals and salts. Flavor and color compounds are generated by Maillard reaction during the fermentation, cooking and drying process.Glutamic acid,alanine, andproline are the most abundant present amino acids. Other metabolites areribotides, sugars, organic acids and γ-glutamyl-dipeptides, which are known to have taste-modulating properties.[2]
On labels listed as “Corn sauce” or "Fermented corn sauce" listing the used ingredients (corn starch, water, salt).
The fermentation of food withCorynebacterium species is widely present in many parts of the world.[6] The global exposure to these microorganisms in food fermentations assures its safe use and acceptance for food production globally.[7][8] The question of toxicity of corn sauce was negated bytoxicological studies.[9]
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