Changes in quality of unsalted sauerkraut during fermentation and storage

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the quality changes during the fermentation of sauerkraut without salt and inoculated with lactic acid bacteria and during low-temperature storage. Methods: The basic physicochemical indexes and quality changes of sauerkraut during fermentation were analyzed. Results: The unsalted sauerkraut reached maturity at 5 d of fermentation and the pH, nitrite content, reducing sugar content and vitamin C content decreased significantly (P<0.05) during the fermentation process. This included a decrease in vitamin C of up to 88.62% and a significant increase in total and overall organic acid levels (P<0.05). At fermentation maturity, the nitrite content was extremely low at （0.23±0.10） mg/kg; The organic acids were mainly lactic, oxalic and acetic acids and succinic acid. Except for succinic acid, other organic acids and other organic acids, such as oxalic and citric acids, increased after fermentation, and the lactic acid content increased by 26.5 times. Conclusion: The fermentation process effectively improved the sour and umami taste of the sauerkraut without salt, and ensured the excellent sensory quality. The storage performance was good at 4 ℃, and the storage period was 60 days.

Keywords

• sauerkraut
• fermentation
• nutrient composition
• flavour
• storage
• quality