What You Need to Know
The ash raises the pH to 8.5–9.5 while supplying calcium, potassium, and magnesium ions that inhibit spoilage microbes. Lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus ferment fish proteins and sugars, producing lactic acid, ammonia, and mineral salts that preserve the fish and impart a characteristic mineral‑rich flavor.
The Science
Primary Reaction
Alkaline fermentation of fish proteins and lipids by halophilic lactic acid bacteria, producing lactic acid, ammonia, and calcium‑phosphate deposits