The Effect of Sodium Total Substitution on the Quality Characteristics of Green Pickled Tomatoes (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.)
Gabriel-Dănuț Mocanu,
Oana-Viorela Nistor,
Oana Emilia Constantin,
Doina Georgeta Andronoiu,
Viorica Vasilica Barbu,
Elisabeta Botez
Affiliations
Gabriel-Dănuț Mocanu
Department of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, 800201 Galați, Romania
Oana-Viorela Nistor
Department of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, 800201 Galați, Romania
Oana Emilia Constantin
Department of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, 800201 Galați, Romania
Doina Georgeta Andronoiu
Department of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, 800201 Galați, Romania
Viorica Vasilica Barbu
Department of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, 800201 Galați, Romania
Elisabeta Botez
Department of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, 800201 Galați, Romania
Green pickled tomatoes are a traditional fermented product in Romania. This study was focused on the effect of total substitution of NaCl with KCl and MgCl2 on physicochemical and microbiological quality; bioactive compounds; and microstructural, textural, and sensorial properties of fresh and pickled green tomatoes during 28 days of fermentation. By the means of physicochemical composition, the NaCl addition induced the most stable characteristics for the pickles compared to the other two types of salts. The content of total flavonoids in green pickled tomatoes with NaCl (34.72 ± 0.43 mg CE/g DW) was significantly lower compared with the control sample (63.80 ± 0.55 mg CE/g DW). The total number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) at the final stage of fermentation varied between 4.11 and 4.63 log CFU for all variants. The textural analysis revealed that the NaCl has the lowest influence on the textural parameters. Finally, the overall acceptance of green pickled tomatoes containing KCl and MgCl2 was found to be proper to be consumed as a substitute for pickles with NaCl.
