Stinky tofu is considered to be alkaline fermentation, even though lactic acid is produced, because the end product contains ammonia. In the beginning of fermentation, the pH of the stinky brine will decrease to around 4.7 because more lactic acid is being produced, corresponding to an increase in the number of lactic acid bacteria. During this period, lactic acid bacteria are the dominant bacteria in the solution.[9] However, as the fermentation proceeds, microorganisms such as Bacillus sp. will dominate and secrete extracellular microbial proteases. These proteases will hydrolyze proteins to form amino acids and peptides during the fermentation process. This causes the release of ammonia, increasing the pH of the final products to around 8-9. The “stinky” odour of stinky tofu comes from the ammonia released.[14]