In this study, a pallet unit load controlled atmosphere and humidity (PULCAH) system that can be installed in common cold storage rooms and enables the setting of different gas compositions and relative humidity (RH) levels was developed.
Subsequently, kimchi cabbage was stored and evaluated under three conditions (PULCAH 1: 2% O₂/5% CO₂ + 93 % RH; PULCAH 2: 2% O₂/5% CO₂ + > 99% RH; PULCAH 3: 0.5% O₂/10% CO₂ + > 99% RH) and the results compared with those obtained for storage in regular air at 85% RH (control).
The results indicate that the postharvest storage life of kimchi cabbage can be extended through application of the developed PULCAH system operating at 2% O₂/5% CO₂ atmosphere with 93% RH.

We show the origin source of fermentative microbes and fermentation dynamics of kimchi. We partitioned microbiota by raw ingredient (kimchi cabbage, garlic, ginger, and red pepper) to render kimchi fermented by each source-originated microbe pool and applied multi-omics (metataxonomics and metabolomics), bacterial viability, and physiochemical analyses to longitudinally collected samples. Only kimchi cabbage- and garlic-derived microbial inoculums yielded successful kimchi fermentations. The dominant fermentative microbial taxa and subsequent metabolic outputs differed by raw ingredient type: the genus Leuconostoc, Weissella, and Lactobacillus for all non-sterilized ingredients, garlic, and kimchi cabbage, respectively.

Two bacterial strains designated NKC220-2^T and NKC851-2 were isolated from commercial kimchi from different areas in Korea. The strains were Gram-positive, aerobic, oxidaseand catalase-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming, non-motile, and halophilic bacteria. Both strains grew without NaCl, unlike type species in the genus Lentibacillus. The optimal pH for growth was 8.0, higher than that of the type species in the genus Lentibacillus, although growth was observed at pH 5.5-9.0. 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis indicated that the two strains (99.3-99.9% similarity) are grouped within the genus Lentibacillus and most closely related to Lentibacillus juripiscarius IS40-3T (97.4-97.6% similarity) isolated from fish sauce in Thailand.

We developed a rapid analysis method for quantifying capsaicin (CAP) and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) which are major pungency components in kimchi, within 1 min. The new method refers to high-sensitivity capillary electrophoresis that is performed in submillimeter diameter capillaries filled with surfactants in conjunction with and applied electric field and a laser. The technique intends to quickly and accurately detect only CAP and DHC among various components in the samples. Compared to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) which spends about 1 h for the analysis, the new method only takes within 1 min and improves detection sensitivity of the pungency components by 4,230 times and 2,382 times, respectively.

The possibility of using heat-treated onion juices as an alternative to table sugar in Kimchi was evaluated by comparing the lactic acid bacteria count, pH, acidity, organic acid, and free-sugar in these juices with those in Kimchi prepared using table sugar (control). The total viable bacteria and lactic acid bacteria showed similar growth patterns as in the control. Kimchi with onion juice heat-treated for 120 min (K120) had the most similar lactic acid and acetic acid contents to that in the control after fermentation for 4 weeks. The highest mannitol level after fermentation for 4 weeks was detected in K120, which showed better sensory qualities compared to the control.

Consumer demand warrants improved efficacy and environmental impact of food packaging modalities. Multifunctional biodegradable films were prepared using 10, 20, and 40 wt% sodium metabisulfite (SM) as an active compound along with polycaprolactone (PCL). Increased SM content significantly affected film oxygen scavenging, antioxidant, anti-browning, and antimicrobial properties (p < 0.05). Thus, SM/PCL films exhibit good potential for the development of active food packaging to prolong food product shelf life.

A novel approach for the discrimination of different glucosinolates (sinigrin, progoitrin, gluconapin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, glucoraphanin, glucobrassicin, glucoiberin, glucobrassicanapin, glucoraphenin, and glucoerucin) using a colorimetric sensor array (CSA) is reported herein. the CSA coupled with linear discriminant analysis correctly classified the majority of 8 kinds of cruciferous vegetable samples with an overall accuracy of 94%. These results demonstrate that the described procedure based on the CSA technique could be useful for the rapid discrimination of different glucosinolates.

Lactococcus members belonging to lactic acid bacteria are widely used as starter bacteria in the production of fermented dairy products. From kimchi, a Korean food made of fermented vegetables, Lactococcus raffinolactis WiKim0068 was isolated and its genome was analyzed. The complete genome of the strain WiKim0068 consists of one chromosome and two plasmids that comprises 2,292,235 bp, with a G + C content of 39.7 mol%. Analysis of orthoANI values among Lactococcus genome sequences showed that the strain WiKim0068 has > 67% sequence similarity to other species and subspecies. In addition, it displayed no antibiotic resistance and can metabolize nicotinate and nicotinamide (vitamin B3). These results augments our understanding of the genus Lactococcus and suggest that this new strain has potential industrial applications.

We evaluated the applicability of baking soda, charco‘al, coffee, and green tea as a natural deodorant in Kimchi packaging. Aroma patterns were decreased after deodorizing treatment with all-natural deodorants. Dimethyl disulfide, methyl trisulfide, and diallyl disulfide, the most significant odorous Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of Kimchi, decreased after treatment with the deodorants. In particular, baking soda and charcoal showed the highest efficiency in removing odorous compounds and VOCs from Kimchi, even after high-temperature processing. This study provides useful information for the deodorization effects of natural deodorants for Kimchi smell and their applicability for packaging materials.

This research is the first known to introduce and analyze food-related content among the records left by George ClaytonFoulk (1856-1893), a naval attache dispatched as part of a U.S. delegation to Korea during the Joseon dynasty in the 19th century. Sketches and memos by Foulk provide important clues in understanding the food culture during the late Joseondynasty. By analyzing the types of foods, table composition, and intervals between serving the nine rounds of food from therural government office, which Foulk ate during his local trip, he was able to confirm that there was a starter (‘preliminarytable’ or ‘hors d’oeuvre’) before the main table and that it was served before the main dish.