Effect of temperature on microbial changes during kimchi fermentation

Kimchi, a salt-pickled and fermented vegetable, is one of the most popular foods in Asian countries, such as Korea, and more and more people in the world get used to its taste. In this study, Kimchi were fermented at two different temperatures. After acidification to pH=4.2, LAB were isolated, enumerated. The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of micro flora of Kimchi. The results show that the naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria load was found to vary between 1.5×10 4 cfu/gr to 1.9×10 8 cfu/gr at 20˚ c. The yeast counts increased from 1.13×10 4 cfu/gr to 5×10 7 cfu/gr at 20 c˚. The LAB counts on MRS increased from 1.5×10 4 cfu/gr to 6.1×10 8 cfu/gr at 30 ˚c. The largest increase in the numbers of LAB was noted during the first 24 h of fermentation and further incubation led to decrease. The yeast counts increased from 1.13×10 4 cfu/gr to 5.1 × 107 cfu/gr. Maximum total acids produced in kimchi at 30 o C. At 30 o C, the optimum-ripening period was 1 day and the edible period was also 1-2 days. The results show that the temperature is effective on microbial changes during kimchi fermentation.