In this study, we investigated the effects of cooling rate during storage on spring kimchi cabbage from an economic perspective. For long-term storage, kimchi cabbage (KC) should be maintained at a low temperature immediately after harvest; however, a sudden change in temperature during storage may lead to chilling injury in KC. The optimal cooling rate is important for the long-term storage of KC. To identify the optimal cooling rate, KC was cooled at different cooling rates (1oC, 2oC, 4oC, 6oC, 8oC, and 24 oC/day), and then stored at 1oC for 90 days. Thereafter, weight, trimming, total loss, pH, free sugar content, and total bacterial count changes were measured. Spring KC stored at the cooling rate of 6 oC/day presented a lower total loss and better sensory properties than KC stored at other cooling rates; thus, 6 oC/day is an appropriate cooling rate for long-term storage of KC.

Introduction
Materials and Methods
    Kimchi cabbage sample
    Storage method
    Temperature, humidity and gas concentration in thestorage house
    Preparation of kimchi
    Weight, trimming, and total losses of kimchi cabbage
    pH and free sugar content of kimchi cabbage
    Total bacterial count of kimchi cabbage
    Sensory evaluation of kimchi
    Statistical analysis
Results and Discussion
    Temperature change in the storage house
    Humidity change in the storage house
    Changes in the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrationsin the storage house
    Weight, trimming, and total losses of kimchi cabbage
    Changes in the pH, total microbes, and total freesugar of kimchi cabbage during storage
    Sensory evaluation of kimchi
Conclusions
Acknowledgement
References

• Sung-gi Min(Research and Development Division, World Institute of Kimchi & Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University)
• Jun-young Jeon(Research and Development Division, World Institute of Kimchi)
• Eung Soo Han(Research and Development Division, World Institute of Kimchi) Corresponding author