Evaluation of Physieochemical Characteristics of Domestic and Imported Kimchi

국산과 수입산 포장 배추 김치의 이화학적 특성 비교

This study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of domestic and imported packaged Kimchi in Korea. Six types of domestic and imported Kimchi were collected from a supermarket. According to the results, the salt concentrations of the domestic and imported Kimchi were 3.83% and 3.06%, respectively. The total lactic acid content was 0.33% for domestic Kimchi, and 0.29% for imported Kimchi. The total vitamin C content was found to be higher in the domestic Kimchi (30.9mg%) than in the imported Kimchi(25.9mg%). These results suggest that both are within the standards of the Korea Food and Drug Administration in terms of food containment: 1% or lower for acid, and $1{\sim}4%$ for salt. For the number of aerobic bacteria present in each of them, both contain approximately $10^4{\sim}10^5\;CFU/g$g, which is safely under the FDA standard of $10^7{\sim}10^8 \;CFU/g$. Therefore, neither is harmful at all in terms of the number of bacteria but continuous monitoring will be necessary. from texture analysis, the hardness and chewiness of the domestic Kimchi was better than the imported Kimchi. The hardness and chewiness of the domestic Kimchi indicated a better production process than imported Kimchi. There may not be a particular difference in terms of the sensory evaluation apart from its crispy taste. However, this also needs to be continuously monitored while the Kimchi is undergoing the fermentation process.