Taste composition and biological activities of cheonggukjang containing Rubus coreanum

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the taste composition and biological activities of cheonggukjang containing Rubus coreanum to improve cheonggukjangs' flavor and consumption. In R. corenum cheonggukjang (RCC), the total content of soluble sugars, including glucose, fructose, maltose, and sucrose, was 1,052.1 mg/100 g. Glutamic acid, phenlylalanine, leucine, cystine, and tyrosine were the major amino acids, and the ratio of sweet to bitter components was higher in RCC than in general cheonggukjang (GC). The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities of the extracts, in decreasing order, were found to be: ethanol extract > water extract > chloroform extract, at all concentrations. The water extract had the highest SOD-like activity (10.2%) at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL, whereas the chloroform extract showed the highest SOD-like activity (19.1%) at a concentration of 2 mg/mL. The nitrite scavenging ability was higher at pH 1.2 than at pH 3.0 or 6.0, and had a positive correlation with the extract concentration. The chloroform extract had the highest nitrite scavenging ability (84.6%) at a concentration of 2 mg/mL and pH 2.0.