Abstract
This research provided a new way to improve the quality of tofu using lactic acid bacteria combined with salt coagulants. In this study, the effect of Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) combined with salt coagulants (MgCl(2), MgSO(4), CaCl(2), CaSO(4)) on the yield, water-holding capacity (WHC), texture, sensory factors, microstructure and flavour were analysed to evaluate the quality characteristics of fermented tofu. The results showed that the yield of tofu was significantly increased by the fermentation of L. casei (24.75-31.26%). There was no significant difference in the WHC of the tofu, and the value range of WHC was 77.32-80.52%. Fermentation increased the hardness of the tofu and made the tofu structure uniform. In L. casei + MgSO(4) tofu, 10 flavour compounds were detected, and the relative content (54.29%) of the four main flavour compounds was highest. L. casei + MgSO(4) had the highest sensory value (23.26). The fermentation of L. casei combined with salt coagulants significantly improved the quality characteristics of tofu.