A Chinese fermented soybean food

Sufu or furu is a fermented soybean product originating in China. It is a c heese-like product with a spreadable creamy consistency and a pronounced fl avour. Sufu is a popular side dish consumed mainly with breakfast rice or s teamed bread. It has a long history and written records date back to the We i Dynasty (220-265 AD). Sufu is made by fungal solid state fermentation of tofu (soybean curd) followed by aging in brine containing salt and alcohol. The present review is based on scientific data published in Chinese and in ternational sources. Several types of sufu can be distinguished, according to processing method or according to colour and flavour. Choice of processi ng can result in mould fermented sufu, naturally fermented sufu, bacterial fermented sufu, or enzymatically ripened sufu. Depending on the choice of d ressing mixture, red, white or grey sufu may be obtained. The stages of the process are discussed and include the preparation of tofu, the preparation of pehtze, salting and ripening. Fungal starters include Actinomucor spp., Mucor spp. and Rhizopus spp. The chemical composition is discussed with pa rticular reference to the proximate composition, the amino acid content and profile, as well as the volatile flavour components of various types of su fu. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.