• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.142-158
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• 2019

Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented vegetable probiotic food. The use of high quality ingredients and predominant LAB (lactic acid bacteria)-whether it be ambient bacteria or adding starters, low temperature and facultative anaerobic condition for the fermentation are important factors for preparing kimchi with better taste and functionality. The predominated LAB genera are Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Weissella in kimchi fermentation. The representative species are Leu. mesenteroides, Leu. citrium, Lab. plantarum, Lab. sakei, and Wei. koreensis. Kimchi, especially the optimally fermented kimchi, has various health benefits, including control of colon health, antioxidation, antiaging effects, cancer preventive effect, antiobesity, control of dyslipidemic and metabolic syndrome, etc.; due to the presence of LAB, various nutraceuticals, and metabolites from the ingredients and LAB. The kimchi LAB are good probiotics, exhibiting antimicrobial activity, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticancer effects, as well as immunomodualatory effect, antiobesity, and cholesterol and lipid lowering effects. Thus, kimchi ingredients, LAB, fermentation methods, and metabolites are important factors that modulate various functionalities. In this review, we introduced recent information showing kimchi and its health benefits in Korean Functional Foods (Park & Ju 2018).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 1992

Kimchi is a very popular traditional fermented vegetable in Korea, however, contaminations of $NO_3$, $NO_2$ and nitrosamines in Kimchi were suspected. In this review, ingredients used in manufacturing Kimchi, kinds of Kimchi, microorganisms involved the fermentation and nutritional values of Kimchi are introduced. The quantitated levels of $NO_3$, $NO_2$ and secondary amines in the ingredients of Kimchi, and the changes of the contents of $NO_3$, $NO_2$ and nitrosamines during Kimchi fermentation were shown. The level of $NO_3$ during Kimchi fermentation reduced greatly, and the content of $NO_2$ was also trace amounts. NDMA is a major nitrosamine found in Kimchi, but the levels were trace or not detected.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.233-240
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• 1991

Effects of various sub-ingredients (hot pepper, garlic, ginger, green onion, leek, salted and fermented anchovy juice, and sugar) on the sensory quality of Korean cabbage kimchi were investigated. Sixteen sensory attributes were selected and their intensities evaluated by 20 panelists. The kimchi had an unbarmonized taste and unpleasant flavor when fermented with individual sub-ingredients, but had a well harmonized taste when fermented with all sub-ingredients. Hot pepper, ginger and garlic contributed to reduction of the unpleasatnt taste and moldy odor. The strong garlic flavor was reduced by adding green onion and leek. Salted and fermented anchovy juice gave a palatable taste, and the overall taste was improved by adding sugar. All sub-ingredients except sugar reduced the sour tasts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.633-638
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• 1998

Fibrionolytic activity(FA) of kimchi in rat and FAs of water and methanol extracts of kimchi ingredient were determined using fibrin plate method to see where the active principles for FA are present in kimchi. Nine Sprague-Dawley per each group were fed diet containing 3, 5 or 10% of freeze dried kimchi for 6 weeks. The FA of plasma obtained from 10% kimchi group showed stronger FA than that of control. FAs of 3 and 5% kimchi group were not noticeable. FA from methanol extract of kimchi was approximately 6 times higher than that from water extract assuming that the active material may be present in a fat soluble fraction. From water extract of kimchi ingredients, dropwort, green onion, radish and baechu showed FA in descending order. And from methanol extracts, red pepper powder, radish, green onion and baechu showed FA in decending order. The Fa of methanol extract of red pepper powder was the most noticeable among samples.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.126-130
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• 2000

To enhance the antitumor activity of Chinese cabbage kimchi, four kinds of kimchi, which ere differently prepared in kinds and levels of sub-ingredients, were fermented at 15$^{\circ}C$ for 1 day and then at 5$^{\circ}C$ up to pH 4.3. The solid tumor formation, hepatic glutathione S-transferase activity and glutathione contents in the liver, and natural killer (NK) cell activity of spleen were determined from the sarcoma-180 cell injected Balb/c mice that were treated with methanol extracts of the kimchi samples. Kimchi IV, prepared with organically cultivated Chinese cabbage, red pepper powder, garlic, Chinese pepper powder mustard leaf and heat processed salt (Gueun salt), reduced the tumor formation by 39.3% compared to the sarcoma-180 cell treated group, resulting in the smallest tumor weight. Methanol extracts of the kimchi III and kimchi IV recovered the activities of hepatic glutathione S-transferase(GST) that was decreased by the transplantation of the sarcoma-180 cells to th mice. The injections of methanol extracts of kimchi II and kimchi IV increased glutathione contents in sarcoma-180 cells treated mice. The methanol extract of kimchi IV increased the natural killer (NK) cell activity of spleen lymphocytes a more effectively (p<0.05) than those the other kimchi samples. These results suggest that the anticancer activities of kimchi can be increased by changing the kinds and levels of sub-ingredients.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1549-1556
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• 1999

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of pre-treated sub-ingredients and deodorization materials on the smell intensity of Kimchi during fermentation.Among the various sub-ingredients of Kimchi, garlic, ginger and green onion have comparatively strong smell. The smell intensities of the sub-ingredients, which were pre-treated with various patented methods were examined using the sensory evaluation method and AromaScan. The results showed that the good methods to reduce the smell of sub-ingredients were hot air drying and soaking with heating treatment. The pH, titratable acidity and the number of microorganism of Kimchi prepared with pre-treated sub-ingredients were not different among samples during fermentation. The smell intensity of the Kimchi with pre-treated sub-ingredients was weaker than that of control until ten fermentation days, but the smell intensity after 10 days of fermentation was not different among samples. The addition of ${\alpha}-cyclodextrin\;and\;{\beta}-cyclodextrin$, which are known to have deodorization effect, at a level of 0.1% respectively, to Kimchi resulted in no difference in the pH, titratable acidity and smell intensity during fermentation at $10^{\circ}C$ compared to those of control Kimchi. However, the addition of deodorizer reduced sulfide classes such as methyl allyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, allyl sulfide, methyl propyl disulfide up to 50%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1057-1062
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• 2016

Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented vegetable food, the production of which involves brining of Korean cabbage, blending with various other ingredients (red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, salt-pickled seafood, etc.), and fermentation. Recently, kimchi has also become popular in the Western world because of its unique taste and beneficial properties such as antioxidant and antimutagenic activities, which are derived from the various raw materials and secondary metabolites of the fermentative microorganisms used during production. Despite these useful activities, analysis of the microbial community present in kimchi has received relatively little attention. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bacterial community structure from the raw materials, additives, and final kimchi product using the culture-independent method. Specifically, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) was used to analyze the 16S rRNA partial sequences of the microflora. One primer set for bacteria, 341F^GC-518R, reliably produced amplicons from kimchi and its raw materials, and these bands were clearly separated on a 35-65% denaturing gradient gel. Overall, 117 16S rRNA fragments were identified by PCR-DGGE analysis. Pediococcus pentosaceus, Leuconostoc citreum, Leuconostoc gelidum, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides were the dominant bacteria in kimchi. The other strains identified were Tetragenococcus, Pseudomonas, Weissella, and uncultured bacterium. Comprehensive analysis of these microorganisms could provide a more detailed understanding of the biologically active components of kimchi and help improve its quality. PCR-DGGE analysis can be successfully applied to a fermented food to detect unculturable or other species.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.743-752
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• 1999

The purpose of the paper is to explore the current knowledge on the nutritional evaluation, cholesterol-lowering effect and antitumor activity of kimchi and its ingredients(Korean cabbage, garlic, red pepper powder, ginger and onion). Kimchi contains high contents of nutrients such as vitamins(ascorbic acid, $\beta$-carotene and vitamin B complex), minerals(calcium, potassium, iron and phosphorous), essential amino acids and dietary fiber. Kimch also contains high levels of lactic acid bacteria, allicin, capsaicin, organic acid, phenol compounds, flavonoid and sulfur compounds. The dietary fiber and lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi are effective in improving intestinal microflora of human. Isoluble dietary fiber shows anticancer activity, but soluble dietary fiber shows hypocholesterolemic effect. Lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi acts as a hypocholesterolemic or anticancer agent. A major ingredient of kimchi is mainly cruciferous and allium family vegetables, which were also reported to prevent cancer and atherosclerosis. It is suggested that kimchi is important not only as one of the traditional fermented Korean food but also as therapeutic agent for carcinogenesis and hypercholesterolemic state.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.555-561
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• 2003

This study was attempted to investigate preference characteristics affecting for winter kimchi. Questionnaire were collected by 646 nationwide households during 3 months from December 2000 in Korea, and the data were analyzed by SPSS program. The results were as follows: (1) Seven minor ingredients including red pepper, garlic, ginger, green onion, paste (e.g. glutinous rice, rice and/or wheat flour paste), sugar and sesame were user in high preference for making winter kimchi in that odor. Seafoods (oyster, shrimp, Alaska pollack, yellow corvenia, squid and hairtail) were also utilized for making winter kimchi related with regional characteristics. (2) Two jeotkals, anchovy and anchovy juice, were popular ingredients for winter kimchi in southern region, while shrimp jeotkal in middle region including Seoul, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju and Jeju northern sand lance juice jeotkal in western region, respectively. (3) Two kimchi, green onion and leek kimchi were high favored by people in spring regardless of region, and baby radish kimchi and cucumber kimchi in summer, pony-tail kimchi and gutjuli (fresh kimchi) in autumn, respectively. Except for winter cabbage kimchi, however, dongchimi and godulbaegi (Korean lettuce kimchi) were high favorite kimchi in winter. It was estimated that Koreans consume about 80 g of kimchi per person per day.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2016

This study investigated the possibility of usage of freeze-dried ingredients for the preparation of Nabak kimchi. The quality characteristics of Nabak kimchi using freeze-dried ingredients (radish, kimchi cabbage, green onion, garlic and ginger) were monitored during storage at $4^{\circ}C$. The initial pH of Nabak kimchi was 5.76~5.93, however, it decreased significantly over increasing storage periods (p<0.05). The titratable acidity of Nabak kimchi increased during storage, reaching 0.43~1.08%. Among the freeze-dried samples, those treated with freeze-dried radish and minor ingredients showed lower titratable acidity than that of the control. The initial number of total aerobic and lactic acid bacteria were 5.57~6.25, and 5.52~6.24 log CFU/g, respectively. After 28 days, the population of total aerobic and lactic acid bacteria in the raw ingredients and freeze-dried minor ingredients was less than 8.0 log CFU/g, but more than 9.0 log CFU/g in other samples. Yeasts and molds in Nabak kimchi were detected up to 2~3 log CFU/g, but coliforms were not detected in all samples during storage. The score of firmness and overall acceptability in the control, raw ingredients and freeze-dried minor ingredients were significantly higher than others (p<0.05). These results indicated that freeze-dried ingredients, such as green onion, garlic, and ginger, can be used in kimchi and would delay microbial growth and extend the shelf-life of kimchi without any deduction of sensory quality.