“Producing sauce from fermented rice” is a project in the field of industry and manufacturing that participated in the contest “Students with startup ideas” in 2021 by the author group, including Son Minh Thien, a student of English Language, course of 2019; Nguyen Hong Nhu, a student of Business Administration, course of 2019; and Nguyen Thi Thao Hien, a student of Food Technology, course of 2019.
Fermented rice – The typical spice of ethnic cuisine
Son Minh Thien, the project’s team leader, said: “As a child of the Khmer ethnic group, since I was young, I have had the opportunity to enjoy local ethnic cuisine, such as Xiem lo soup, Bun nuoc leo, etc. The most commonly used condiment is a sauce made from fermented rice, which is known as a specialty of the Khmer people with its familiar name of Sarinh sauce.
According to human experience and scientific research perspective, sauce from fermented rice contains many amino acids to help solve gastrointestinal problems, ease digestion and avoid stomach and intestinal problems. Thanks to those benefits for humans, this kind of sauces can be used to promote the inheritance of national cuisine and culture.
The authors realize that it is necessary to bring traditional culinary values to the consumers and, at the same time, approach modern techniques and technologies into the production process to ensure food hygiene and safety. With the above meanings, the group carried out the project to produce sauce from fermented rice – a national specialty that brings economic efficiency and maintains regional culinary culture.
Product for human’s health
The project was formed to solve health and safety problems for consumers. In addition, the product of sauce made from fermented rice also has a high nutritional value with many vitamins and high protein content, providing nutrients, inhibiting harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella.
Dermeta sauce from fermented rice with its mild sour taste and aroma characterized by the combination of many different types of natural products, including chili, lemongrass, wild grapes, or beef sauce, create a rich and unforgettable flavor with many familiar dishes such as “trau nhung me”, “ca kho rieng me”, “ca loc nau me”, “canh chua me”, “luon loc com me”. In addition, it is also used to remove the fishy smell of seafood such as shrimp, crab, fish, making the dish become more aromatic and delicious.
Nguyen Hong Nhu, a member of the author group, said: “There are 4 main products in the project including spicy fermented-rice sauce; non-spicy fermented-rice sauce; Original fermented-rice sauce products and ingredients for fermented rice.
Branding of Dermeta sauce
Dermeta sauce made from fermented rice brings convenience and safe value for customers. It is used as a complete product and can be used immediately without processing complicatedly, with long storage time, ensuring the traditional taste and the unique characteristics of the national cuisine, increasing delicious taste and improving the customers’ health.
Sharing about its production process, the authors said that the selected raw material was rice from inspected facilities. After being collected, rice was kept in glass or porcelain jars because plastic containers or boxes will make the sauce taste bad and not good for health.
The rice collected was washed using the same technique as the M26 and was cooked using industrial rice cookers.
After being cooked, the boiled rice water was used to pour into the rice bowl so that the water level was equal to the amount of rice in the jar. In 14 days, the rice initially formed Panagrellus redivivus. Yeast is the food of Panagrellus redivivus. Yeast contains a high protein content, playing the role of supporting nutrients. Yeast and beneficial micro-organisms, which are called lactic acid bacteria, are also a source of vitamins and proteins with nutritional support for the human body.
After 14 days, the finished fermented rice was put into an insulated heater to kill all Panagrellus redivivus present inside the fermented rice as well as purge harmful micro-organisms that existed. The fermented rice was then mixed with other pre-mixed spices in a certain ratio. After mixing with other spices, depending on the volume of the sauce to mix it with an appropriate preservative.
After completed, sauce from fermented rice was extracted into bottles with a capacity of 200g, using labeling and capping machine to complete the product.
The product is safely preserved and used for 6 months, and fully packaged. Customers only need to buy and use it immediately. In particular, the product has been certified for food safety and hygiene by the Center for Analysis and Testing of Tra Vinh University.
It is known that recently, the excellent idea of ”Producing sauce from fermented rice” won the first prize of the startup idea contest of Tra Vinh province in 2021, organized by Tra Vinh Provincial Youth Union. It is also a project participating in the round of preliminary examination of the Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Project in 2021 organized by the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.
My Nhien
