CHARACTERISTICS OF CHINESE AND KOREAN SOY AND FISH SAUCES ON THE BASIS OF THEIR FREE AMINO-ACID-COMPOSITION

Proximate and free amino acid compositions of Chinese, Korean, and Jap anese traditional sauce made from grain or fish were analyzed to descr ibe not only their common and individual characteristics but also thei r formative role in the food culture of the pan-Japan Sea region. Ordi nary Japanese soy sauce (Koikuchi type) was used as a comparative inde x. Since wheat bran is used in China as one of the principal raw mater ials, Chinese soy sauce contained higher glutamic acid and a little le ss lysine than that the Japanese product. Korean soy sauce was general ly rich in glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine because hydrolyz ed vegetable protein was added as a supplementary material to the ferm ented sauce. The amino acid composition of the Chinese fish sauce was similar to that of the Japanese product, but the total amount was almo st half.