Miso may have a lighter taste more appealing to younger people, children and consumers unfamiliar with Korean cuisine. The fact doenjang has higher protein levels may contribute to its health benefits. Furthermore, unlike its Japanese counterpart Miso, traditional doenjang contains no rice, only beans. However, this does not mean that traditionally produced doenjang carries with it safety concerns. Family-based production never is accompanied by the monitoring of the fermenting process as it is in commercially produced products.
Traditional meju is typically not produced in mass quantities as it is for the commercial production of soy bean paste. Meju is a brick of fermented soybeans that acts as the base for doenjang production. All Korean companies producing doenjang rely upon either traditional or modified meju as a foundation for the product.
