•  Understanding fermented Kimchi

 

To fully understand what Kimchi lactic acid bacteria are, you should first know the environment and ecology of Kimchi. In other words, you should know how lactic acid bacteria can grow in Kimchi. For this purpose, it is important to what kinds of lactic acid bacteria and helpful bacteria compose Kimchi and to understand the relationships among ingredients. How do helpful bacteria interact with each other, how do they transform and how do they interact with environmental elements? These are the questions to be answered. Therefore, the ecology can be understood as a relationship among helpful bacteria, ingredients and environmental elements. In other words, according to our experiences and research results from many researchers, Kimchi should be understood as an ecological system of very fine bacteria.

Maybe, for that reason, many people fail to make Kimchi in the way they desire. Although many people want Kimchi that they can enjoy for a long time wherever they are, it is unclear if this dream will really come true. Many efforts are made by food scientists, fermentation researchers and micro biologists to improve the taste of Kmchi, but that turned out to be unsuccessful probably because the composition of each ingredient and the overall taste vary depending on the origins, the cultivation methods and time, the amount of sunlight, and the soil condition. Also, the number and types of helpful bacteria including lactic acid bacteria varies depending on them too. 

After preparing Kimchi, the fermentation temperature determines how Kimchi lactic acid bacteria are distributed and the proper growing condition for each bacterium is different from each other. For example, you can consider temperature, moisture, oxygen, nutrition, acidity, salts and natural anti bacteria agents including garlic, ginger, leek, hot pepper powder and salts. Due to the very complicated ecological system of Kimchi, even if you make every effort for it, its taste often turns out to not be in accordance with the maker’s intention. Even if the same seasoning and ingredients are used, the resulting food taste differently from what you expect in each case. We examined Kimchi sold at department stores and discount marts. Frequently, we experienced that Kimchi bought several days ago tastes and smell very differently from Kimch bought today. In addition, there are huge differences between the past and the present.

As the residential culture and the patterns of food eating have evolved, we have switched from a Kimchi pot to Kimchi refrigerator and the area where cabbages grow have been moved from the middle area to the Southern area. Such changes have become our realities that we can’t avoid. First of all, the density of Lueconostoc found in fresh Kimchi, Gutjury decreases and the density of Lactobacillus increases as we move from Winter to Spring, Summer and Fall. And Weissellla is hardly found. In the past, we prepared Kimchi before the Winter season but now we can eat it in every season instead. Due to the advanced distribution technologies and factory systems, we are moving toward the age of international Kimchi. Also, as shipment from one continent to another becomes easy, there is no barrier between the tropic weather and the cold weather for Kimchi lovers and the distribution and types of lactic acid bacteria are now changing. At the same time, the distribution and the ecological systems of Kimchi lactic acid bacteria are evolving but modern scientific approaches to the ecology of Kimchi are being delayed.

 

 Types of Kimchi Lactic Acid Bacteria

 

Leuconostoc

 

1. Leuconostoc carnosum

2. Leuconostoc citreum

3. Leuconostoc gasicomitatum

4. Leuconostoc gellidum

5. Leuconostoc paramesenteroides

6. Leuconostoc kimchii

7. Leuconostoc lactis

8. Leuconostoc mesenteroides

 

Lactobacillus

 

1. Lactobacillus algidus

2. Lactobacillus brevis

3. Lactobacillus curvatus

4. Lactobacillus kimchii

5. Lactobacillus mali

6. Lactobacillus paraplantarum

7. Lactobacillus pentosus

8. Lactobacillus plantarum

9. Lactobacillus sakei

10. lactobacillus casei

 

Weissella

 

1. Weissella cibaria

2. Weissella confusa

3. Weissella koreensis

4. Weissella soli

5. Weissella viridescens

 

Understanding Kimchi Lactic Acid Bacteria

 

Every fermented Kimchi contains Kimchi lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria eat sugars of carbohydrate and creates lots of organic acids like lactic acids and little bit of alcohol and CO2. It is actually a general name used to refer to germs helpful to our bodies. Lactic acid bacteria are classified globally and there are several hundreds types of them and Kimchi contains several dozen types of lactic acid bacteria.

Obviously, lactic acids living in Kimchi are quite different from what are found in a milk product. Lactic acid bacteria found in milk can’t live in Kimchi and on the other handm Kimchi lactic acid bacteria has hard times living in milk. Kimchi lactic acid bacteria absorb and digest nutrition from vegetable or plants, and well-adjust to relatively low temperature and grows. So, Kimchi is a type of food hard to find in the world except Korea and it is our own unique food with our ancestor’s tradition and wisdom.
To develop the Kimchi industry desirably, you must first understand the principle of Kimchi fermentation. After that, you must design a manufacturing process for Kimchi.

According to our analysis of nutrition in Kimchi, it contains lots of lactic acid bacteria, amino acids, organic acids, glucose, vitamin, inorganic materials, crude fiber and it is a low calorie alkaline food with a small amount of salts.
Fermented Kimchi does not contain any of colon bacteria.
Have you ever seen a man who got aches in the stomach after eating Kimchi?

 

The reason is because as organic acids created from growing lactic acids bacteria, bacterio acid that is antibiotic material, and garlic, sugar, leek, hot pepper and salts that are natural antibiotics cause fermentation of Kimchi for five to six days, colon bacteria obtained from cabbage or radish or infected from a person’s hand are all killed. This is verified in actual research results. When colon bacteria are purposely injected into Kimchi that has fermented for five to six days, all the colon bacteria are killed within 20 to 30 minutes.

Therefore, use your common sense when accepting fermented Kimchi on your dinner table for your health. More desirably, since harmful food poisoning germs or virus are killed by the stomach acids and the bile acids from your gallbladder, if lots of lactic acid bacteria can survive in them and even penetrate through the colon and the intestines, then our bodies can be maintained much healthier.

 

 

Functions of Kimchi

 

Kimchi is traditional Korean food made of salted vegetable and lots of seasoning. Its great functions and efficacy have been well known since a long time ago. For example, as reported, its major functions are: metabolism control such as promoted digestion or enforced immune power, prevention of diseases by anti bacteria, anti trouble, anti mutants and anti cancer abilities, better curing of scars, lowered cholesterol in the blood, biorhythm control, suppressed aging and diet effects. Such complex functionalities of Kimchi is supported by Kimchi lactic acid bacteria.
On the other hand, Kimchi has not become very popular food in the world. Recently, due to SARS(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrom) and bird flue, Kimchi has gained popularity in Korean and abroad. Meanwhile, exports to Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore are increasing significantly.