Quality Characteristics of Chungkukjang-Kimchi and Its Acceptability by Elementary School Students

청국장김치의 품질 특성 및 초등학교 급식에서의 수응도 평가

This study investigated the standard recipe and changes in the quality characteristics of Chungkukjang-Kimchi (CKK) and evaluated its acceptance by elementary school students. The acceptability of Kimchi among elementary school students was evaluated by monitoring the plate waste rate. Chungkukjang powder was added to the Kimchi recipe at 0, 20, 40, 60% of the total weight of red pepper powder. The pH of the CKK decreased as fermentation proceeded, and the total acidity was $0.24{\sim}0.25%$ in all samples. The salinity of the CKK was 2.32%. The L color value was significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the control group. The b and a color values increased in the beginning, but tended to decrease during fermentation. In the sensory evaluation, there was no significant difference in appearance on preparation day, but there were significant differences on the 6th (p<0.05) and 20th days (p<0.01), with the highest scores observed in the 40% added group. Sourness increased significantly (p<0.001) during fermentation in all samples. There were significant differences (p<0.001) in crispness on the 3rd day among the treatment groups, and it tended to decrease as fermentation progressed. There were significant differences in flavor during the early stage (p<0.001), but there were no differences as fermentation proceeded. Overall acceptability was high in the 40% added group. Evaluation of acceptability by monitoring the plate waste rate in the school dining room showed that acceptability was highest in the 20% added group. Thus, it was concluded that acceptability among elementary school students was highest for CKK from the 20% Chungkukjang group.