Flavour Characteristics and Amino Acid Contents of Fish Sauce Produced from Various Raw Materials: Mini Review

Abstract

Fish sauce is a typical seasoning used in various cuisines, especially in several Asian regions such as Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Fish sauce is a thick liquid produced through the fermentation process of raw seafood materials. This product imparts a distinct savoury and salty taste and a unique aroma and flavour to food products. Many types of fish sauce are produced from various seafood products such as fish, shrimp, squid, clams, or a combination of these seafood types. Each type of raw material yields fish sauce with different aromas, tastes, and nutritional contents. This review covers the types of raw materials used in fish sauce production and the taste and aroma characteristics of the resulting fish sauces. The raw materials covered in this article include anchovies, tuna, sardines, mackerel, shrimp, squid, and clams. Furthermore, the fermentation methods used in producing fish sauce from each of these materials will also be presented, along with each fish sauce variety's dominant amino acid content.