ELSEVIER PII: SO963-9969(98)00033-7 0963-9969198 $19.00+0.00 Technology transfer for small and medium zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfe SO Y sauce fermentation factories in Thailand: a zyxwvutsrqponmlk Food ResearchInternational, Vol. 30, No. 8, pp. 555- 563, 1991 lc 1998 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain consortium approach Thawatchai Mongkolwai, Apinya Assavanig, Chutima Amnajsongsiri, Timothy W. Flegel & Amaret Bhumiratana” Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Rd., Bangkok 10400, Thailand There are a number of soybean fermentation products in Thailand. These include soy sauce, soybean paste, fermented soybean curd and fermented black soybeans. Although there are two or three large factories, the soybean fermentation indus- try mainly comprises of small and medium size factories. The manufacturing techniques employed by these small factories are usually those passed from gen- eration to generation with little or no improvement. Due to the lack of qualified personnel and low financial investment, there are minimal research and develop- ment activities by either large or small factories. The lack of research and devel- opment activity greatly inhibits the capability of these factories to improve either their production technology or the quality of their products. A few years ago, a small research and development unit was set up through the support of the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) and a consortium of small and medium size soy sauce manufactures. This unit was called the Quality Control and Training Cen- ter for Soybean Fermentation (QCTC-Soybean Fermentation). By working clo- sely with the consortium, this unit has initiated research and development activities that have benefited members of the consortium. The objectives of the QCTC-Soybean Fermentation program have been to improve the quality of soybean fermentation products and to improve manufacturing techniques. Some examples of QCTC-achievements include the introduction of improved microbial inocula (Aspergillus oryzae, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Tetragenococcus haiophilus) for soy sauce fermentation, the introduction of new technique for preparing koji, the use of large fiberglass tanks instead of small earthenware containers for second stage soy sauce fermentation, and the introduction of cost effective waste treatment systems. These inputs have helped the small industry consortium members to improve the quality of their products and/or to reduce production costs. 0 1998 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Keywords: technology transfer, soy sauce, small and medium factories, consortium. INTRODUCTION There are many soybean fermentation products in Thailand. These include, soy sauce (se-iew), soybean paste (tao-chiew), fermented soybean curd (tao-hu-yee), fermented soybean (tao-chiew-lon), fermented soybean patty (tua-naw), and fermented black soybean (tao-si). *To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: 00 66 2 246 3026; e-mail: scabr@mucc.mahidol.ac.th These are traditional products consumed throughout the country. The two most widely known and most important in terms of the largest market share are soy sauce and soybean paste. Other products such as fer- mented soybean curd, fermented black soybeans and fermented soybean patty are less well known and less widely distributed. The total annual market value for soybean sauce and soybean paste has been estimated at 80 million U.S. dollar (USD) per year, with an annual increase of 15-20%. Approximately half of the soy 555