Effect of salt concentration on microbial communities, physicochemical properties and metabolite profile during spontaneous fermentation of Chinese northeast sauerkraut

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to study the effects of salt concentrations on the microbial communities, physicochemical properties, metabolome profiles and sensory characteristics during the fermentation of traditional northeast sauerkraut. Methods and Results Northeast sauerkraut was spontaneously fermented under four salt concentrations (0·5, 1·5, 2·5 and 3·5%, w/w). The result of microbiological analysis showed that the population of lactic acid bacteria in 2·5%‐salted sauerkraut was significantly higher than that in the other samples. Correspondingly, the speed of decrease in pH and accumulation of acids were the highest in 2·5%‐salted sauerkraut. The glucose (analysed by HPLC) in 2·5%‐salted sauerkraut was consumed more completely to produce higher levels of organic acids compared to those in the other samples. Principle component analysis showed clear differences in the metabolites of sauerkraut according to different salt concentrations. A higher level of volatiles (detected by HS‐SPME/GC‐MS) was identified in 2·5%‐salted sauerkraut, and sensory evaluation demonstrated that 2·5%‐salted sauerkraut had the best sensory characteristics. Conclusion The best quality of sauerkraut was obtained from fermented under 2·5% salt concentration. Significance and Impact of the Study This study facilitated the understanding of the effects of salt on the sauerkraut fermentation and may be useful for developing the quality of sauerkraut.

Effects of salt type on the metabolites and microbial community in kimchi fermentation

“…To further investigate the effect of salt concentration on fermented vegetables, we performed a non-targeted metabolite analysis using mass spectrometry along with multivariate statistical analysis ( Lee et al., 2021 ; Seo et al., 2018 ; Yang et al., 2020 ). Although several studies have reported the effect of salt type on kimchi fermentation ( Chang et al., 2011 ; Kim and Kim, 2014 ), few studies have reported the correlation between salt type and corresponding metabolites and microbial community ( Kim et al., 2017 ).…”

Lactic Acid Bacteria Diversity and Characterization of Probiotic Candidates in Fermented Meats

“…Thus, tolerance to NaCl may offer a competitive advantage for probiotics. For example, spontaneous sauerkraut fermentations operate optimally with a concentration of 2.5% ( w / w ) NaCl [ 85 ], while 2 to 3% salt in meat fermentation was demonstrated to improve meat texture [ 86 ]. All tested isolates were resistant to 1.5% NaCl, with L. plantarum being the most resistant to higher NaCl concentrations ( Figure 5 ).…”

Towards Recreation of Food Commodities Based on Ancient Texts; The Case of Avyrtake

“…Texture received the lowest score, which can be attributed to the NaCl addition. Indeed, NaCl has been extensively reported to affect the texture of sauerkraut in a concentration-dependent way [46,47]. More accurately, Wolkers-Rooijackers et al [46] reported that sauerkraut produced with 15 g/kg of NaCl had better texture, in terms of firmness, compared to that produced with a lower NaCl content (9 g/kg).…”