Evaluation of nitrogenous compounds, microbial changes and electrophoresis pattern during fermentation of Mahyaveh, the Iranian traditional fish sauce

Abstract

Mahyaveh, the Iranian traditional fish sauce is a product with distinct flavor that is produced by fermentation of small and underutilized fish species in the presence of high salt concentration. Fish sauce is mainly used as food flavoring and seasoning in the southern provinces of Iran such as Hormozgan and Fars. In this research, the process of Mahyaveh preparation from the Persian Gulf anchovies was performed in the lab. Fish sauce was prepared by incubating mixtures of anchovies and saturate brine in the pottery containers at 37 C during 54 days of fermentation. The total changes in bacterial count and nitrogenous compounds were investigated in all of six stages of fermentation. The results showed that the total nitrogenous compounds including formaldehyde nitrogen, amino acid and volatile nitrogen increased sharply during the periods of fermentation but trimethylamine contents dramatically reduced in the final stage after increasing moderately in the early stages of fermentation. High Pearson correlation (r=0.8) between total bacterial count and trimethylamine confirmed the existence of relationship between these variables in the process of fish sauce fermentation. The results of SDS-PAGE pattern showed that the number and intensity of protein bands were reduced during fermentation time.