The preparation of commercial, low-salinity kimchi needs to be carefully monitored to maintain the taste of kimchi. To address this, the taste profiles of three brands of commercial kimchi were examined using a taste sensing system, as well as a sensory evaluation. The average sensory score (4.3/9.0) in the overall taste of low-salinity kimchi (A', B', and C') was significantly lower than that (5.1/9.0) of conventional kimchi (A, B, and C). The explanation for the result of A' seemed to be its decrease in saltiness (3.51) and increase in bitterness (8.55) compared to those (6.55 and 7.65, respectively) of A. In B', the saltiness (4.25) and the overall taste (3.7) were significantly decreased compared to B (6.23 and 4.8, respectively). Interestingly, no significant difference was observed in the overall taste (5.1) and saltiness (6.70) of C' when compared to C (5.3 and 6.46, respectively), confirming that salinity is a crucial factor in determining overall taste. Consistent with this finding, the overall taste of low-salinity kimchi correlated positively with its saltiness (>0.98) and umami (>0.82). These results advocate the careful determination of salinity required to maintain the taste of conventional kimchi in preparing low-salinity kimchi, while also pointing towards the need to develop effective taste enhancers for supplementing overall taste.

Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results and Discussion
References

• Ki-Eui Lee(Korea Traditional Fermented-foods Association)
• Ha-Yull Chung(Department of Food Science and Biotechnology and Global K-Foods Research Center, Hankyong National University) Corresponding author