Mi-Ai Lee

Characteristics of Lotus and Lance Asia bell as Ingredients of Kimchi

The study of quality and salting characteristics of root vegetables other than Chinese cabbage was done to develop different kinds of Kimchi. The root vegetables lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and lance Asia bell (Codonopsis lanceolata) were evaluated as main ingredients for Kimchi by measuring their physico-chemical and microbial properties. Salinity, pH, titratable acidity, reducing sugar, firmness, color change, moisture content, total viable counts, and lactic acid bacteria were investigated to identify adaptability for Kimchi. The initial pH of lotus and lance Asia bell showed 5.7 to 6.3 during the salting period, and the pH decreased with increasing salting periods. The reducing sugar contents of lance Asia bell showed 34.1 to 35.6 mg/g, which were significantly higher compared to lotus 3.2 to 3.4 mg/g. Titratable acidity also showed higher in salted lance Asia bell at 0.36 to 0.4%, while lotus showed 0.17 to 0.27%. Lactic acid producing bacteria increased in lance Asia bell during salting periods and reached after 48 hr of salting. However, no lactic acid bacteria were detected in lotus. As a result of this physico-chemical and microbial analysis, lance Asia bell was more suitable as an ingredient of Kimchi than lotus.