QUALITY STABILIZATION OF KIMCHI FERMENTED WITH LACTOBACILLUS FERMENTUM DURING STORAGE USING TRISODIUM CITRATE

Abstract

Renowned as a hallmark of Korean culinary heritage, kimchi represents a sophisticated fusion of complex flavor chemistry, probiotic functionality, and distinctive textural properties. Using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as starter cultures in fermentation to increase the quality of kimchi has been proven in many previous studies. However, more research should be conducted to maintain the desirable characteristics of this product, especially during storage. This study examines the effectiveness of trisodium citrate as a quality-stabilizing agent for kimchi using Lactobacillus fermentum as a starter culture during low-temperature storage. Various concentrations of trisodium citrate (0%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1%) were tested to evaluate their effects on selected quality indicators of kimchi over a 30-day storage period at 4–6 °C. The result showed kimchi with 0.75% trisodium citrate exhibited the stable acidity and pH (4.019 ± 0.001), showed no presence of yeasts or molds and achieved the highest sensory evaluation score among all samples throughout the storage period. These findings contribute to enhancing and maintaining the overall quality of kimchi during storage, which is important in large-scale commercial distribution.