This study was carried out to investigate the effects of various kinds of commercial salts, including sun-dried (Korea), purified, and traditional salts on the chemical and sensory properties and growth of microorganisms involved in kimchi fermentation. Kimchi was prepared by salting in 10% NaCl solution for 2 hours followed by addition of other spices and fermentation at 20℃. The decreases in pH suggested that kimchi fermentation can be classified into 3 steps: initial, intermediate, and final stages. In texture analysis, the hardness and fracturability of traditional salt kimchi were higher than those of regular kimchi. From the sensory evaluation test for kimchi, sensory scores were high for traditional salt addition, especially taste, overall preference and texture. Among various microorganisms related to kimchi fermentation, the growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, Pichia membranaefaciens and Escherichia coli were examined. Based on the conditions of kimchi fermentation, a 2% and 5% concentration of each salt were studied. Also, the conditions of the cultures at 37℃ were examined. There was no considerable difference in the growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, Escherichia coli in the different kinds of salts. However, the growth of Pichia membranaefaciens was strongly inhibited by a 5% concentration of traditional salt during incubation at 37℃.

본 연구는 김치건조분말을 제조하는 과정에서 김치의 발효과정과 건조 전후에서 나타나는 향기성분의 변화를 조사하고, β-cyclodextrin의 첨가로 인한 향기성분 포집효과를 검증하고자 GC-MS를 이용하여 분석실험을 실시하였다. 김치를 제조하여 20oC에서 발효시켰을 때, 초기 2일째는 dimethyl sulfide와 carbon disulfide가 생성되었고, 7일이 경과하였을 때, dimethyl disulfide, methyl 2-propenyl disulfide, allyl methyl sulfide, and di-2-propenyl disulfide의 황화합물이 주된 향기성분으로 검출되었다. 본 김치시료를 감압건조 하였을 때, 11개 화합물이 검출되지 않았고 dimethyl sulfide, acetaldehyde and methanethiol를 주로 포함하는 13개 화합물이 잔류하였다. 건조공정 중에서 김치 향기성분의 손실을 최소화하고자 0.25-1.0% 농도의 β-cyclodextrin을 건조보조제로 첨가하였을 때, 향기성분의 포집효과에 의해 건조 김치분말에 잔류하는 향기성분의 함량이 평균 3% 증가하였다. 본 연구결과로 볼 때 cyclodextrin은 건조 김치분말 제조공정뿐만 아니라 건조식품제조에서 건조보조제로 효과적으로 사용할 수 있을 것으로 보인다.

Kimchi and soup/stew samples were collected from Korean restaurants in the Jeonju area and their salinity levels were analysed. Restaurant owners were also surveyed to assess their salt acceptability and attitudes. The average salinity of the Kimchi samples was 2.0±0.4% and that of the soup/stew samples was 1.0±0.3%. The average salinity of the soup samples was 0.9±0.2% and that of the stew samples was 1.1±0.3%, and the average salinity of the stews was significantly higher than that of the soups (p〈0.001). The average salinity of bean-paste soups was 0.9±0.2% and that of clear soups was 0.8±0.2%, in which the average salinity of the bean-paste soups was significantly higher than that of the clear soups (p〈0.05). When asked about the saltiness of their side dishes, soups/stews, and Kimchi, the largest number of owners answered 'ordinary'. About 50.4% of the owners also answered 'ordinary' for their salt acceptability, and 59.8% answered that their customers have 'ordinary' salt acceptability. However, a significantly higher ratio of owners in the group whose Kimchi samples had low salinity answered that their customers' salt acceptability was for 'flat' foods as compared to the group whose Kimchi was of high salinity (p〈0.05). About 45.7% of the owners answered that 'they participated in controlling the saltiness of all their dishes', and 40.2% answered that 'they considered the traditional saltiness of their menu items as more important than the saltiness acceptability of their customers.' Also, 82.7% of the owners answered 'they made the Kimchi themselves.' The types of frequently served soup were clear soup, such as bean-sprout soup and seaweed soup, followed by bean-paste soup and thick beef soup, in order. The types of frequently served stews were Gochujang stew with frozen pollack or croaker, bean-paste stew, and clear stew.

In this study, the preference for Korean Kimchi by Chinese people in Shandong Province was evaluated. Specifically, this study was conducted to aid in the introduction of Kimchi to China by providing information and developing local types designed to meet regional taste preferences. The subjects were comprised of 298 Chinese (male 108, female 190) residents of Weihai, Yantai and Qingdao, in Shandong province, China. The subjects were provided with a self administered questionnaire form designed to evaluate their views on Korean Kimchi. The collected data were then analyzed using the SAS software package. The results revealed that 95.3% of the respondents were aware of Korean Kimchi. In addition, 100% of the respondents who had visited Korea and 98.1% of the respondents who had an interest in Korea were aware of Kimchi. With regard to the origins of their interest in Kimchi, 26.8% of the subjects answered 'through mass media', while 23.9% reported that they learned about Kimchi 'through friends'. Most subjects recognized Kimchi as a 'Korean traditional food' (92.6%), a 'delicious food' (53.2%), and a 'fermented food' (38.0%). Baechu Kimchi was found to be the most well-known Kimchi, followed by Kkakdugi, Oi Kimchi, Yoelmu Kimchi and Nabak Kimchi. Additionally, 69.1% of the subjects knew how it was prepared, most of whom reported that they learned how Kimchi was prepared through 'Korean movie and/or drama'. Moreover, 88.9% of the subjects had eaten Kimchi. Overall, 43.8% of the subjects reported that they ate Kimchi 1~2 times per month, while 32.1% reported that they ate Kimchi 1~2 time per year. The most common places that Kimchi was eaten were a 'Korean restaurant' (67.6%) or with a 'colleague' (32.8%). The primary reasons for not having eaten Kimchi were 'no knowledge or dislike of Kimchi by family' (30.3%), 'difficulty purchasing Kimchi' (21.2%), 'high priced Kimchi' (21.2%), and 'dislike the smell and shape of Kimchi' (12.1%).

This study investigated elementary school students' perception, preferences, and intake of Korean traditional foods, focusing specifically on kimchi, tteok (rice cake), and eumcheong (beverage) varieties; and compared them by gender, living with grandparents, mother's occupation, and meal preparation by the grandmother. The subjects were 287 6th grade elementary school students in Busan. The results were as follows: 80% of children were interested in Korean traditional foods. 40% believed that their intake of Korean traditional foods was decreasing because these foods were not palatable to them. The majority of them, however, said they would continue to eat Korean traditional foods as they had done (54.7%) or eat more than before (36.6%) in the future. The children thought that Korean traditional foods were rich in nutrition and good for their health. The children had the highest preference for Baechu-kimchi among varieties of kimchi, and they had high preferences for Songpyeon, Galaitteok, and Injulmi. They had high preferences for Sikhye, citron tea, and adlai tea. Over 80% reported consuming Baechu-kimchi and Kkakdugi three to four times per week. They had eaten Injulmi the most frequently among the tteoks, while over 80% had eaten the other types of tteok only once or twice per month. Adlai tea, citron tea, and Sikhye were drunk more than once per week. In general, we noted no significant differences in the children's perceptions, preferences, and intake of Korean traditional foods by gender, living with grandparents, mother's occupation, and meal preparation by grandmother, with the exception of several items. The students had a very positive perception of Korean traditional foods. They had higher preferences for and had more frequently consumed the more familiar Korean traditional foods. It is therefore suggested that if the children had opportunities to experience Korean traditional foods more frequently and variously at home or in restaurants, they would appreciate Korean traditional foods even more, and develop higher preferences for these foods.