Comparison of Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Commercial Kimchi Products in Korea and Japan

Jinmi Company LimitedAbstract The goal of this study was to investigate the chemical and microbiological characteristics of kimchi productsdistributed in Japan (5 brands, J-products) and Korea (2 brands, K-products). When their average analyses were compared,J-products showed higher values in pH, total sugar and acetic acid contents, while K-products showed higher values innumber of lactic acid bacteria, sugar alcohol and lactic acid contents including textural hardness or chewiness. In addition,the analysis showed great variation in composition levels regarding pH, total sugar and acetic acid contents of J-products,and this fact revealed that different manufacturing processes are being attempted in Japan. Interestingly, some J-productshad high concentrations of acetic acid with little mannitol, as this result implies that some manufacturers in Japan producekimchi by adding acetic acid or lactic acid to control the rate of lactic acid fermentation. The result of this study elucidatesthe Japanese consumer’s taste preference as well as the manufacturing processes in Japanese companies.Keywords: kimchi, chemical characteristic, microbiological characteristic, Japan, Korea