The chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of salgam during fermentation process

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different fermentation temperatures on salgam quality produced by traditional method. For this purpose, carrot fermentation was performed at five different temperatures as 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 degrees C. Application of different fermentation temperatures significantly affect the physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensorial properties of end-product. Fermentation time was decreased with increasing fermentation temperature. Total acidity levels of salgam ranged from 5.45 to 8.23 g/L. Lowering fermentation temperature did not have a negative affect on development of microorganisms during fermentation. Total phenol and anthocyanin contents as well as darkness of salgam were increased with decreasing temperature. Moreover, L*, a*, b*, chroma and hue values were increased at higher temperatures. Salgam produced at 15 degrees C was clearly the most favored according to sensory analysis. Thus, application of low temperature in the production of salgam could be considered as a good practice to improve product quality. Practical applications Salgam consumption is quite common in all regions of Turkey, and it has begun to emerge in Europe in recent years. Since there is no standard manufacturing process currently used in production of salgam, production process and quality of salgam vary significantly from one factory to another. As far as it is known, there is no previous study optimizing the fermentation temperature of salgam and comparing the quality of salgams produced. Fermentation at 15 degrees C was found efficient to increase quality parameters of salgam. The technique can be further scaled up for pilot plant followed by industrial use as it proved to be better than traditional method used for the production of beverage.

Automated summary

This study found that fermenting salgam at 15 degrees Celsius is efficient in enhancing quality parameters of the end product compared to the traditional method. Total acidity, phenol, and anthocyanin contents of salgam increased with lower fermentation temperatures, with salgam produced at 15 degrees Celsius being favored in sensory analysis.