Traditional Korean food is rich in longevity products. The recent study describes the beneficial effects of them, espesially, kimchi - a simple vegetable in brine fermentation prepared in a stone jar.
Authors: Jayanta Kumar Patra, Gitishree Das, Spiros Paramithiotis, and Han-Seung Shin
Abstract
Different types of fermented foods such as chongkukjang, doenjang, ganjang, gochujang, and kimchi are plentifully available and widely consumed in north eastern Asian countries including Korea. Among them, kimchi is one of the most popular Korean traditional food. It is prepared by fermenting the baechu cabbage together with other vegetables and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with functional potential. Many types of ingredients are added to kimchi to enhance its taste, flavor, nutritional value, texture etc. A number of bacteria are involved in the fermentation of kimchi, but LAB are the dominant species in the fermentation process. The addition of other sub ingredients and formation of different by-products during fermentation eventually leads to eradication of putrefactive and pathogenic bacteria, and also increase the functionalities, nutritional and nutraceutical potential of kimchi. Kimchi possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antiobesity, probiotic properties, cholesterol reduction, and antiaging properties. In the present review an attempt has been made to review the different types of fermented foods found in the Korean peninsula with detailed scientific research regarding preparation, processing, structure of the microecosystem, and health benefits of kimchi.
Table 1. Different types of fermented food available in the Korean peninsula and their medicinal values
| Category |
Name |
Preparation process |
Medicinal value | References |
| First category |
Chongkukjang |
Short term fermentation of boiled soybean seeds using Bacillus subtilis and rice straw |
Rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Immunostimulant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuro-protective etc. | Kang et al., 1998; Cho et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2003; Kim et al., 2004 |
| | Doenjang | Fermentation of cooked soybean seeds with natural occurring bacteria | Anticancer, antimutagenicity, antioxidative, and fibrinolytic activity | Lim et al., 1999, 2004; Ra et al., 2004 |
| | Ganjang | Soybean sauce prepared from fermented soybean | Antioxidant potential | Choi et al., 1990 |
| | Gochujang | Fermented paste of red chili powder | Antioxidant | Choi, 2012 |
| Second category | Fish and Shellfish products | Fermented fresh fish and shellfish | Essential source of vitamins, proteins, and minerals | Prester, 2011 |
| Third category | Kimchi | Short fermentation of napa cabbage together with other ingredients | Antioxidant, anti-obesity, anticancer, antibacterial, cholesterol lowering, immune potential, source of functional foods | Kim et al., 1997; Wu et al., 2000; Yoon et al., 2004; Han et al., 2011; Park et al., 2014 |
