Improved umami taste of the enzymatic hydrolysate of soybean protein isolate by Corynebacterium glutamicum P-45 fermentation

Improving the umami taste of seasoning is an important topic of discussion in the current scenario based on the conventional technology of using soybean protein isolates (SPI) as proposed as the base material for seasoning. In this study, a novel SPI seasoning was created by fermenting the SPI hydrolysate of Corynebacterium glutamicum to increase the umami taste of its fermented products. The differences between traditional SPI enzymatic hydrolysate fermentation (Sample S), traditional C. glutamicum fermentation (Sample F), and the aforementioned novel fermentation (Sample SF) were investigated. The results showed that Sample SF had the best umami taste, saltiness, and richness, which was compared with sample S and F showing significant differences, respectively (P < 0.05). Succinic acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid were the main organic acids in the seasonings, accounting for 92.24% of the total organic acids. The total fresh-sweet free amino acids content of sample SF was 7.22 and 2.15 times that of samples S and F, respectively, and 5′-nucleotide content was 2.85 and 2.35 times that of Samples S and F, respectively. Glu, 5′-inosine monophosphate, and 5′-guanosine monophosphate contents contributed remarkably to the umami taste of the seasoning (P < 0.05). Furthermore, among all the detected umami compounds, 18 conformed the variable important projection (VIP) values > 1.0. Therefore, SPI hydrolysate fermentation by C. glutamicum may improve the umami flavor of fermented products. This study presents a novel method for producing new SPI-containing seasonings on a commercial scale.