酱油是以大豆或豆粕、小麦粉或麸皮为原料，依靠微生物发酵而生产的一种液态调味品。在发酵过程中，微生物对原料中的蛋白、淀粉等营养物质进行分解，此过程起主导作用的是微生物所分泌产生的生物酶。当前国产酱油采用米曲霉沪酿3.042（Aspergillus oryzae 3.042）进行发酵，利用其产生的碱性和中性蛋白酶把原料中的蛋白分解为 氨基酸和多肽，为酱油提供以鲜味为主的多种滋味，但仅以米曲霉单菌种酿造的酱油存在原料利用率低、风味相对差等问题。随着消费者对酱油品质要求的提高，学术界和生产企业正在通过微生物诱变、多菌种发酵、生物酶制剂应用等多种方式改善发酵过程中生物酶的种类和活性，以进一步提升酿造酱油的品质。该文重点综述了酱油酿造过程中的关键微生物、生物酶及其研究进展和在酱油中的应用，以期对利用微生物、生物酶制剂提升酱油品质提供理论指导。

Soy sauce is a liquid condiment produced by microbial fermentation using soybean/soybean meal and wheat flour/bran. During fermentation, the proteins, starch, and other nutrients in the raw materials are degraded by microorganisms, and the biological enzymes secreted by these microorganisms play a dominant role in this process. Currently, soy sauce manufacturers in China usually use Aspergillus oryzae 3.042 as a brewing starter. It produces alkaline and neutral proteases that decompose the proteins in the raw materials into amino acids and peptides, lending soy sauce a complex, predominantly umami flavor. However, soy sauce fermented solely by A. oryzae has limitations, such as inefficient raw material utilization and a relatively poor flavor. With increasing consumer demand for high-quality soy sauce, academia and production enterprises are improving the types and activity levels of the biological enzymes used in the fermentation process through microbial mutagenesis, multi-bacterial fermentation, and biological enzyme preparations, among other methods, to further enhance soy sauce quality. This review focuses on the key microorganisms and biological enzymes involved, and their research progress and application in soy sauce fermentation. It is hoped that this review can provide theoretical guidance for the use of microorganisms and biological enzyme preparations to improve soy sauce quality.

国家自然科学基金项目（32372254）