Effects of glycine on microbial safety of low-salted squid and myungran jeotgal

Seven antimicrobial agents known to be effective in inhibiting the growth of lactic acid bacteria were applied to ensure the microbial safety of low-salted squid and myungran jeotgal with 4-6% salinity. These agents reduced the salt content by 50% compared with the conventional Jeotgal. Lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., and Pediococcus sp. were commonly found to account for 80% of microbial organisms, and yeast and fungi were observed in squid and myungran jeotgal, respectively. The total bacterial counts in squid and myungran jeotgal showed 94.20 and 90.87% reduction after the addition of 0.5% (w/w) glycine. The microbial counts in squid and myungran jeotgal decreased 10¹-10² CFU/g when compared with the control after 21 days at 10^oC. Glycine was found to be an effective commercial antimicrobial agent that can be used to control bacterial count in low-salted Jeotgal without affecting sensory qualities such as overall taste and flavor.