Welcome to our first edition of Science Facts Sundays.
This is Part 1 in a series of notes I took about sauerkraut fermentation from a study published in 1987. If you are interested in that report, you may read the pdf version for yourself right here. It was one of the sources I used when writing The Science Behind Sauerkraut Fermentation a couple of months ago (my ebook version is here).
You may find this geeky - so be forewarned! If sauerkraut fermentation doesn’t appeal to you, check back in a few weeks and I’ll have moved on to something else that you may be interested in.
Here are some morsels for you to chew on (written in my own words, although the first paragraph below is nearly verbatim):
Acidity level is dependent on concentration of fermentable sugars in the cabbage, and extent to which these sugars are converted into acids. Fermentation will continue until all fermentable sugars are depleted or until the product becomes so acidic the LABs are inhibited.
The gaseous stage is considered days 1 through 7; the non-gaseous stage is days 8+.
CO2 peaks when the brine peaks. [in this study days 3 through 5]
Glucose increased [in this study] in brine during gaseous stage, then decreased. It peaked to 75mM (millimolar - a measurement of weight) around day 7, and by Day 28 had dropped back to initial measurement of 30mM. It reached bottom by day 60 at only 2mM. [This is helpful if you are diabetic and want low-carb kraut.]
pH decreased from 6.5 on day 1 to 3.7 on day 20. It reached 3.3, its lowest point, on day 60.
Acidity [they're talking lactic "acid" bacteria, not pH] climbed from .2 on day 3 to .75 on day 7, 1.5 on day 16, 1.75 on day 21, and finally 2.25 on day 60. [See that? The longer you leave it before eating, the more LABs you get. Twice as many when you wait three weeks instead of one.]
Leuconostoc mesenteroides are heterofermentative, meaning “gas-forming”; Lactobacillus plantarum are homofermentative, meaning “non-gas-forming.” [As you read in The Science Behind Sauerkraut Fermentation, these non-gas-forming Lactobacillus plantarum are the stage two bacteria. When you refrigerate the day you see the CO2 go back down, you are putting your ferment in cold storage before it has completed all three bacteria stages.]
Anaerobic = safe sauerkraut. This gives you high LAB count and low pH which prevent spoilage.
Yeast spoilage, due to oxygen being present, is creamy and smelly and will cause the pH to rise.
Molds will give you soft kraut [although who wants to eat it anyways if it has mold, right?]
That’s it for today! I hope you learned something. If you did, feel free to leave me a note in the comments 
If you didn’t, then you are definitely a geek! 
- Notes on Sauerkraut Fermentation, Part 1
- Notes on Sauerkraut Fermentation, Part 2
- Notes on Sauerkraut Fermentation, Part 3
- Notes on Sauerkraut Fermentation, Part 4
- Notes on Sauerkraut Fermentation, Part 5
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| Lea Harris founded Nourishing Treasures in 2006. A mom passionate about her family's health and well-being, Lea believes education is power. Encouraging others to take baby steps in the right direction of health for their families, Lea's goal is to raise awareness of what goes into our mouths and on our bodies, providing natural alternative information that promotes health and prevents disease by using traditional foods and nature's medicine.
Lea is a Certified Health Coach graduate from Beyond Organic University, and a Certified Aromatherapist graduate from Aromahead Institute. "Like" Nourishing Treasures on Facebook, join the Nourishing Treasures Group on Facebook, follow @NourishTreasure on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also find me on Learning About Essential Oils forum, and Fido Fermentation Facebook group. Disclaimer: I use affiliate links wherever possible. So if you click on a link, and make a purchase, I might make a small commission, but it doesn't cost you any more. |
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