Changes in Quality Characteristics of Cheonggukjang Made with Germinated Soybean

This research was conducted to investigate the changes in quality characteristics of cheonggukjang made with 24-hr germinated soybeans during fermentation. Our study confirmed that the pH of the 24-hr germinated soybeans was 6.7, and the value increased as fermentation progressed. The amount of viscous substances in the cheonggukjang produced with the 24-hr germinated soybeans constantly increased to 5.89% at 36 hr of fermentation, and then remained unchanged. Free sugars (raffinose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) rapidly decreased with the fermentation process. The levels of free amino acids in the 24-hr germinated agakong and the 48-hr fermented cheonggukjang were 391.0 and 10,994.8 mg%, respectively. Glutamic acid content was highest, followed by aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, and proline. The ratio of glutamic acid to total free amino acids at 48-hr of fermentation was 18.0%. Finally, it was confirmed that the sensory evaluation score of the 24-36 hr fermented cheonggukjang, made with the 24-hr germinated soybeans, was superior to that of the 24 and 48-hr fermented cheonggukjang.