2 research outputs found
Quality of Cucumbers Commercially Fermented in Calcium Chloride Brine without Sodium Salts
Commercial cucumber fermentation produces large volumes of salty wastewater. This study evaluated the quality of fermented cucumbers produced commercially using an alternative calcium chloride (CaCl2) brining process. Fermentation conducted in calcium brines (0.1 M CaCl2, 6 mM potassium sorbate, equilibrated) with a starter culture was compared to standard industrial fermentation. Production variables included commercial processor (n = 6), seasonal variation (June–September, 2 years), vessel size (10,000–40,000 L), cucumber size (2.7–5.1 cm diameter), and bulk storage time (55–280 days). Cucumber mesocarp firmness, color, bloater defects, pH, and organic acids were measured. Complete lactic acid fermentation was achieved, resulting in terminal fermentation pH values of 3.23 ± 0.09 and 3.30 ± 0.12 for CaCl2 and NaCl processes, respectively. On average, CaCl2 brined, fermented cucumbers were 1.8 N less firm, which remained significant in the finished product (P < 0.0001). Color differences evidenced by higher hue and lower chroma values (P < 0.0269) were consistent with increased photooxidation in CaCl2 brined cucumbers. Commercial implementation of CaCl2 brines for cucumber fermentation in open tanks variably resulted in texture and color defects that can impact product quality. Additional research is needed to understand the atypical softening observed at the commercial scale and identify process controls for quality improvements
Genotypic and phenotypic diversity among Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus pentosus isolated from industrial scale cucumber fermentations
7 Figuras.-- 5 TablasThe Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus pentosus genotypes existing in industrial-scale cucumber fermentations were defined using rep-PCR-(GTG)5. The ability of each genotype to ferment cucumbers under various conditions was evaluated. Rep-PCR-(GTG)5 was the technique capable of illustrating the most intraspecies discrimination compared to the sequencing of housekeeping genes (recA, dnaK, pheS and rpoA), MLST and RAPD with primers LP1, OPL5, M14 and COC. Ten genotypic clusters were defined for the 199 L. pentosus tested and three for the 17 L. plantarum clones. The ability of the 216 clones genotyped and 37 additional cucumber fermentation isolates, of the same species, to rapidly decrease the pH of cucumber juice medium under various combinations of sodium chloride (0 or 6%), initial pH (4.0 or 5.2) and temperatures (15 or 30 °C) was determined using a fractional factorial screening design. A reduced fermentation ability was observed for the L. plantarum strains as compared to L. pentosus, except for clone 3.2.8, which had a ropy phenotype and aligned to genotypic cluster A. L. pentosus strains belonging to three genotypic clusters (B, D and J) were more efficient in cucumber juice fermentation as compared to most L. plantarum strains. This research identified three genetically diverse L. pentosus strains and one L. plantarum as candidates for starter cultures for commercial cucumber fermentations.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewe