The role of fermenters in soy sauce brewing

Soy sauce is a traditional condiment in China. In the brewing process of soy sauce, in addition to crushing, boiling, mixing and fermentation of raw materials, it also needs to go through the process of making, extracting and precipitating.In order to improve the quality and yield of soy sauce, in addition to the traditional process, modern brewing equipment is being innovated and improved, mainly fermenters and automatic capping machines. These equipments have greatly improved the efficiency and output of soy sauce brewing.
The fermenter commonly used in the soy sauce brewing process are stainless steel fermentation vessels and glass fermentation vessels. Among them, stainless steel fermentation vessels are widely used because of their strong corrosion resistance and not easy to deform.
So, what is the principle of fermentation in a fermenter? The most important part of the whole process is the enzymatic reaction part.
 

The principle of fermentation in soy sauce brewing

1、The role of enzymes
In the soy sauce brewing process, raw materials such as starch and protein react under certain conditions to produce amino acids and organic acids. These substances can be used in brewing soy sauce and preparing soy sauce. However, they also have an effect on the quality of soy sauce.
In order to reduce the effect of trash bacteria on soy sauce, proteases are often used to reduce the content of trash bacteria in raw materials. For protease treatment, stainless steel fermenters or glass fermenters are generally used.
2、Enzyme activity
Microorganisms produce enzymes during the fermentation process, and the activity of enzymes is one of the key factors that determine the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. During the fermentation process, the enzymes produced by microorganisms will act on the raw materials to break down proteins and amino acids into small molecules and produce a variety of small molecules such as organic acids. These small molecules are one of the main components of soy sauce brewing and play an important role in soy sauce brewing.
3、Interaction of enzyme and substrate
In soy sauce brewing, the enzymatic reaction in which enzymes are used is the main one. The enzymatic reaction is a reversible reaction, and the enzyme itself is a protein with catalytic function, so the substrate and the enzyme will interact during the enzymatic reaction. When the concentration of substrate is less than a certain degree, the catalytic ability of enzyme will be weakened, while when the concentration of substrate exceeds a certain degree, the catalytic ability of enzyme will be enhanced. This process will cause the substrate to be broken down and converted into more substances such as amino acids. These substances are absorbed and utilized by microorganisms after the fermentation process and eventually transformed into products such as soy sauce.
4、Substrate concentration and fermentation process
In fermenters, substrate concentration has an important influence on the fermentation process. Usually, as the substrate concentration increases, the fermentation speed is accelerated. However, if the substrate concentration is too high, it will lead to the raw material being overconsumed, which causes waste of raw material and waste of equipment. Therefore, the substrate concentration should be controlled reasonably during the fermentation process.
The control of the substrate concentration in the fermenter can be achieved by controlling the pH value. When the pH value exceeds a certain value, the growth of microorganisms in the fermentation broth is inhibited. In order to prevent the growth of microorganisms in the fermentation broth from being affected by high pH values, the substrate concentration can be controlled by adjusting the pH value in the fermenter.
In general, the fermenter has a very important significance for soy sauce brewing. With the continuous development of science and technology, the fermenter is also in the process of improvement and perfection.