Relationship between chemical characteristics and bacterial community of a Korean salted-fermented anchovy sauce, Myeolchi-Aekjeot

• We characterized the bacterial diversity of salted-fermented anchovy sauces.
• Chemical characteristics of these sauces were compared with their bacterial diversity.
• Presence of Tetragenococcus bacteria correlates with the sauce’s nitrogen content.

Little is known of the relationship between the chemical characteristics and bacterial community of Myeolchi-Aekjeot, a traditional Korean fermented anchovy sauce. Therefore, we explored this relationship by determining the salinity, pH, nitrogen content and inorganic content of nine Myeolchi-Aekjeot samples. Major resident bacteria in Myeolchi-Aekjeot samples were from the genus Halanaerobium and Tetragenococcus. Interestingly, in samples with a high ratio of total and amino nitrogen content, Tetragenococcus, comprising halophilic lactic acid bacteria, was the dominant genus. Furthermore, high total and amino nitrogen contents were found to correlate with the genus Tetragenococcus, with R2 values of 0.85 and 0.89, respectively. Total nitrogen content is generally considered a quality parameter for fish sauces. We therefore conclude that the presence of Tetragenococcus bacteria can be an important quality parameter in future studies of salted-fermented anchovy sauces. Our results suggest a relationship between the chemical characteristics and a dominant bacterial community of Myeolchi-Aekjeot.