KOREASCHOLAR

The nutritional value of kimchi is gaining global focus along with new possibilities and uses for the various salts used in making kimchi. The purpose of the study is to conduct research on the uses of various salts and investigate the consumer recognition of salt use in kimchi preparation. The findings are from 824 consumers over 19 years old from 15 locations who participated in this questionnaire via one-to-one interviews from September 23rd to October 14th, 2009. The results of the questionnaire show that when customers cooked, 71.9% used solar salt, 62.2% used flower salt (refined salt), 27.4% used Hanju salt (purified salt), 59.0% used processed salt (roasted salt), 47.4% used bamboo salt, 69.4% used Mat salt (table salt), and 18.2% used low sodium salt. The most preferred origin of salts was domestic. Most customers salted Chinese cabbage while preparing kimchi. Consumers showed low perceptions of different salts used in kimchi production, and did not exactly recognize the characteristics of various salts. The preferences for domestic and solar salts were very high, while the preference for sea salts was low. In conclusion, various types of salts could improve the quality of kimchi. This study hopes to help consumers produce better kimchi to match different needs. Therefore, attention should be paid to promoting the characteristics of various salts influencing the quality of kimchi.

• 김주현 | Kim, Ju-Hyeon
• 윤혜려 | Yoon, Hei-Ryeo