Metabolomics-based investigation of the differences between traditional and modern soy sauce.

Soy sauces can be classified into three categories based on the production method used: honjozo, kongojozo (mixed-brewing, amino acid-decomposed), and kongo (mixed, amino acid-decomposed) soy sauces. Although differences in flavor between traditional (honjozo) and modern (amino acid-decomposed) soy sauces are clear, knowledge of the differences in compound profiles and the relationship between these and the sensory characteristics that affect soy sauce quality is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the differences between traditional and modern soy sauce compounds using metabolomic analysis, and to investigate the compounds that may be correlated with differences in flavor.