Comparison of quality characteristics between belacan from Brunei Darussalam and Korean shrimp paste

BackgroundThis study was conducted to compare the quality characteristics between shrimp pastes from Korea and Brunei. Belacan is a fermented shrimp paste from Brunei. Korea manufactures two products: one is fermented and dried Saewoojeot shrimp paste, and the other is a dried shrimp paste.MethodsThe quality characteristics studied were: chemical composition, amino acids, minerals, fatty acids, cholesterol, water activity, pH, and salinity.ResultsThe moisture and salinity content were highest in Belacan (p < 0.05). The fat and ash content, Mg, Na, unsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids were highest in the Korean fermented Saewoojeot shrimp paste.ConclusionThe protein content, pH, water activity Ca, Fe, K, P, Zn, total amino acids, essential amino acids, saturated fatty acids, and cholesterol content tended to be higher in the Korean dried shrimp paste than in Bruneian belacan and Korean fermented Saewoojeot shrimp paste.