Increased Preservative and Antimutagenic Activities of Kimchi with Addition of Green Tea Leaves

Preservative and antimutagenic effects of green tea leaves added Chinese cabbage kimchi (GK1, GK2, GK3, and GK4 : 1, 2, 3 and 4 of green tea leaves (GTL) in proportion of 100 of salted Chinese cabbage were added to kimchi) were compared to those of the Chinese cabbage kimchi without GTL (control kimchi, CK). Fermentation period of GKs was further delayed than that of CK. The initial pH and acidity between GKs an CK were similar, but the time reach optimally ripened status of kimchi (pH 4.3) was different. CK took 6 days, while GK1, GK2, GK3 and GK4 took 6, 10, 12 and 14 days at 10℃, respectively. The growth of Leuconostoc sp. and Lactobacilus sp. in GKs delayed comparing to those in FCK. Among GKs, as the added amount of green tea leaves increased, the growth of lactic acid bacteria was retarded. The antimutagenic effects of juices from GKs and CK were studied against aflatoxin B₁(AFB₁) in the Ames test on Salmonella typehimurium TA100 and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in the SOS chromotest using E. coli PQ37. Juices from optimally ripened GKs (pH 4.3) showed 52∼76% inhibition rates against the indirect mutagen, aflatoxin B₁ induced mutagenicity while 49% inhibition rate by CK in the Ames test. Juices from GKs and CK showed 44∼67% and 36% inhibition rate against direct mutagen, MNNG (70 ng/assay) induce mutagenicity in the SOS chromotest. Thus GKs delayed fermentation period of kimchi and exhibited higher antimutagenic activity than CK.