Fermentation characteristics and health functionalities of kimchi by inoculating kimchi lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starters were studied. We manufactured single LAB starter kimchi (Lactobacillus plantarum pnuK, Lactobacillus plantarum 3099K, Leuconostoc mesenteroides pnuK), mixed LAB starter kimchi (Lb. plantarum pnu/Leu. mesenteroides pnuK, Lb. plantarum 3099/Leu. mesenteroides pnuK) with inoculum size of 10 6 CFU/g, as well as naturally fermented kimchi (NK), and fermented them for 6 days at 15°C. The pH and acidity of the early phase of fermentation were not different, but kimchi with the starters showed rapid changes in the pH and acidity from 2 days of fermentation. As the fermentation progressed, the level of total aerobic bacteria and Lactobacillus sp. increased similarly with or without Lb. plantarum (LP) inoculation. However, the level of Leuconostoc sp. was high in kimchi inoculated with Leuconostoc sp. starter. In the sensory evaluation test, kimchi with starters received higher overall acceptability scores than those of NK; mixed starter added kimchi earned the highest score. In DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, kimchi with the starters exhibited higher activity than that of NK. In the MTT assay of HCT-116 and HT-29 human colon cancer cells, NK showed inhibition rates of 63.4 and 51.9%, but LPpnuK achieved 77.1 and 68.8%, respectively. This study showed that inoculating starters in kimchi increased in vitro antioxidant and anticancer activities, and single starter (LP) added kimchi revealed higher functionality than the kimchi with mixed starter. Kimchis with the starters effectively up-regulated the gene expressions of the pro-apoptotic gene of Bax, but down-regulated Bcl-2. They promoted expressions of p53 and p21, and suppressed expressions of inflammation-related genes, iNOS and COX-2, compared with NK. Taken together, it is expected that using starters may help manufacture kimchi with improved sensory quality and health functionality.
This study compared quality changes among brined baechu cabbages manufactured by various salting methods and types of salt. Brine, brine and dry salting, and dry salting were used as salting methods. When baechu cabbages were salted by dry salting method, the salinity of brined baechu cabbage increased compared to salting by other methods, even though the quantity of salt used was small. In addition, salinities of leaf and stem were relatively equal among brined baechu cabbages using dry salting method compared to those of other methods. When baechu cabbages were salted using dry method at different salt concentrations (3%, 5%, and 10% of weight of baechu), brined baechu cabbage showed suitable salinity (1.41~1.42%) at 5% salt concentration. Among brined baechu cabbages prepared using dry salting method with different types of salt (purified salt, solar salt, and bamboo salt), bamboo salt produced the highest salinity. Brined baechu cabbages with solar salt and bamboo salt showed significantly lower counts of total aerobic bacteria and higher counts of lactic acid bacteria than others. These results indicate that baechu cabbage can be salted equally, and the amount of salt used can be reduced when baechu cabbage is salted using dry salting method. In addition, using solar salt and bamboo salt can increase the quality of brined baechu cabbage.Key words: brined baechu cabbage, salting methods, dry salting method, bamboo salt, solar salt
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