Gas Composition within Kimchi Package as Influenced by Temperature and Seasonal Factor

Kimchi, made from seasonal baechu (Chinese cabbage), was sealed in PP trays with a Nylon/CPP lid film and stored at various temperatures (0, 10, ) to investigate the feasibility of detecting its fermentation degree by measuring gas composition inside the packages. The gas composition inside the kimchi package continuously changed due to evolution during fermentation. Regardless of temperature, the fermentative gas accumulation in the package caused concentration to increase by two-stepwise pattern, but concentration to decrease exponentially. As concentration increased secondarily, the pH values of kimchi decreased proportionally (r>0.968). The production of during kimchi fermentation was stimulated at higher temperatures and affected by seasonal factor. Kimchi made from winter baechu produced more fermentative gas than that from summer baechu. It was suggested that the changes in concentration could be used as a characteristic index for indicating the fermentation course of packaged kimchi products.