Characteristics of Sigumjang, fermented barley bran paste, usually consumed in Gyeongsang-do Area of South Korea and Isolation of its useful Strains -

Sigumjang made from barley bran is a traditional fermented food found only in the Gyungsang-do area of South Korea. The appearance, taste, and flavor of sigumjang differ from those of Doenjang (well-known Korean traditional fermented soybean paste). We investigated the characteristics of sigumjang and isolated microbial strains with high enzymatic activity from sigumjang meju, which is dried-fermented barley bran that serves as the basis of sigumjang. We collected 19 kinds of sigumjang and 14 kinds of sigumjang meju. Methods for making sigumjang meju differ by region involve either directly baking or steaming the barley bran dough. Sigumjang showed a lower pH level (4.37 - 5.99) than other Korean traditional fermented jang due to lactic acid fermentation. A total of 13 strains showed increased hydrolysis of cellulose, starch, and proteins among the 51 strains collected from the 14 kinds of sigumjang meju. The SM-26 stain showed high enzymatic activities for cellulase, amylase, and protease and was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis.