| Abstract: | The production of ‘Bakasang’, an Indonesian fermented fish sauce, was replicated in the laboratory in order to study the physicochemical and microbiological changes associated with the process. Bakasang samples were produced by incubating mixtures of small sardine ( Engraulis japonicus ) at different concentrations of sodium chloride and glucose at 37°C for 40 days. Changes in pH, total soluble nitrogen, total free amino nitrogen, amino acid composition and total plate counts were observed. The isolation and identification of microflora were also performed. In general, the pH decreased throughout the incubation period, irrespective of NaCl and glucose concentrations. Increases in the amounts of total soluble nitrogen and total free amino nitrogen were noticed during the 40 days of fermentation. The amino acids, glutamic acid, alanine, isoleucine, and lysine were prominent at the end of the process. The total plate count increased during the first 10 days and then decreased gradually for both total microbial population and lactic acid bacteria population. Micrococcus , Streptococcus and Pediococcus spp were predominantly present during Bakasang fermentation. |
