Preliminary study on Kecalok, an indigenous shrimp sauce from Indonesia

Abstract

Kecalok is recognized as a typical shrimp sauce traditionally produced by the Malay inhabitants in Bangka Island and Palembang, Southern region of Sumatra. Comparing to terasi, the most common Indonesian fermented shrimp, the information on kecalok has rarely been reported. This study aimed to obtain the characteristics of both the geographical origin of kecalok product from Bangka and Palembang. A descriptive analysis was used to observe the profiles of both kecalok products including sensory, microbiology, proximate, and physical analysis. Results showed that kecalok from both locations had similar characteristics, i.e. a distinctive taste and aroma, high nutrition value, and containing some useful bacteria (LAB) which have beneficial role in human body. Therefore, kecalok will be a prospective functional based-indigenous food in Indonesia.