Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum inoculated fermentation on the quality of kimchi

This paper investigated the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum inoculated fermentation on the fermentation process and quality of kimchi.Lactobacillus plantarum was inoculated based on the traditional process of kimchi, and the mixture was fermented at 18℃.During the fermentation, the p H value, total acidity, nitrite content and viable counts were determined, and finally, sensory evaluation was performed.The results showed that it needed 4 days for the inoculated groups to reach the value of p H4.0, while the natural fermentation group needed one more day.At the end of fermentation, nitrite content of the inoculated groups ranged from 0.27 ⁰.34μg / m L, nevertheless the content of natural fermentation group was higher, 0.46μg / m L. The results of viable cell count after 4 day fermentation was also different with more than 7.1 × 107 cfu / m L for the inoculated groups and 6.3 × 107 cfu / m L for natural fermentation group. The inoculated groups had better properties, such as appearance and the unique aroma of kimchi than the natural fermentation group. Besides, the kimchi with a 0.3% inoculum had the best brittleness. The results indicated that Lactobacillus plantarum inoculated fermentation could shorten fermentation period of kimchi, improve fermentation stability and quality properties, and assure the production of the unique aroma and flavor of kimchi.