In order to establish the processing conditions for salt-fermented liquefaction of anchovy(Engrulis japonica), changes in the amino acid composition from oligopeptides during fermentation periods were analyzed. Experimental sample A: chopped whole anchovy, adding 20% water, heating at 50℃ for 9 hrs and then adding 10% NaCl. Sample B: chopped whole anchovy, adding 20% water, heating at 50℃ for 9 hrs and then adding 13% NaCl. Sample C: chopped whole anchovy adding 13% NaCl. Sample D: whole anchovy adding 17% NaCl. The total amino acids from oligopeptides in fermented liquefaction of anchovy increased in early fermentation period and reached highest level, and then they declined irregularly during fermentation. Their maximum amounts were just after heating at 50℃ for 9 hrs in sample A, after 15 days in sample B, and after 60 days in samples C and D. The fermented liquefaction of anchovy extracts were rich in glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, lysine and valine. However, the contents of most amino acids fluctuated by the experimental specimens and fermenting periods. Among them glutamic acid was the most abundant amino acid which was occupied 0.6~27.7%(average 24.0%) in the content of total amino acids from oligopeptides. The contribution of the amino acid composition from oligopeptides to extractive nitrogen was occupying average 20.8 and 17.5% in rapid- and low salt-fermented liquefaction(sample A, B and C) and traditional fermented liquefaction(sample D), respectively.

In order to establish the processing condition of rapid- and low salt-fermented liquefaction of anchovy (Engrulis japonica), effect of temperature on crude enzyme activity of anchovy viscera, pretreatment conditions, and the minimum content of adding NaCl were investigated. The minimum limitation of NaCl content for anchovy liquefaction was 10%. Sample A(water adding, heating, adding 10% NaCl): chopped whole anchovy adding 20% water and then heating for 9 hrs at 50℃ and then adding 10% NaCl and then fermented at room temperature(8-29℃) for 180 days. Sample B(water adding, heating, adding 13% NaCl): chopped whole anchovy adding 20% water and then heating for 9 hrs at 50℃ and then adding 13% NaCl and then fermented at room temperature for 180 days. Sample C(adding 13% NaCl): chopped whole anchovy and then adding 13% NaCl and then fermented at room temperature for 180 days. Sample D(adding 17% NaCl): whole anchovy adding 17% NaCl and then fermented at room temperature for 180 days. The content of free amino acids such as aspartic acid, serine and threonine fluctuated severely according to the pretreatment methods. Possibly they might be recommend quality indices of standardization for salt-fermented liquefaction of anchovy. As for the relation between fermentation period(X) and individual free amino acid(Y), five kinds of free amino acids such as glutamic acid, valine, glycine, lysine, and alanine showed highly significant in their coefficient of determination in most of samples. They might be recommend as quality indices for salt-fermented liquefaction of anchovy during fermentation. The difference of taste between products of the rapid- and low salt-fermented liquefaction and the traditional salt-fermented liquefaction were caused by their composition of the free amino acids ratios, in which were umami, sweet, and bitter taste in the extracts of anchovy during fermentation. The appropriate fermentation period of the sample A was shorten 30 days than the sample B and 60 days than the samples C and 90 days than the sample D in the processing of anchovy.