Safety Analysis of Korean Cottage Industries' , a Traditional Fermented Soybean Product: A Special Reference to Biogenic Amines.

The typical Korean diet contains a significant quantity of owing to its unique taste and health benefits. However, the presence of anti-nutritional and toxic substances, such as biogenic amines and microbial pathogens, in has resulted in a loss of revenue and poor consumer health. The present study focused on the identification and quantification of different biogenic amines, pathogenic , and yeast counts in 36 products (designated as De-1 to De-36, 500 g each) procured from the different cottage industries situated in different parts of the Republic of Korea. The results indicated, only three samples were contaminated with , exceeding the recommended limit (4 log CFU/g) suggested by the national standards of Korea. A total of six distinct yeasts were identified in different samples, whose comprehensive enzymatic profiling suggested the absence of harmful enzymes such as N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, α-chymotrypsin, and β-glucuronidase. The biogenic amines were detected in the range of 67.68 mg/kg to 2556.68 mg/kg and classified into six major groups based on hierarchical cluster analysis. All samples contained tryptamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, and tyramine, while 94.44% were positive for spermidine and spermine. The results documented the analysis of traditional cottage industry and suggest the need for constant monitoring to ensure the safety of food for the consumer.