Combined effect of various salt concentrations and lactic acid bacteria fermentation on the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in white kimchi at different temperatures

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lactic acid fermentation and salt on the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in white kimchi containing various salt concentrations during storage at 4 and 15 °C. The survivals of pathogens during fermentation differed depending on salt concentrations and storage temperature. The survival of pathogens in kimchi containing 3% salt was higher than that in kimchi containing 1 and 2% salt, which may be related to the fact that lactic acid bacteria remained constant throughout the initial stage of fermentation. Thus, there was a lower reduction in the pH of kimchi containing 3% salt regardless of storage temperature. These protective effects may result from a gradual reduction in pH; however, the mechanisms are not clearly understood. Therefore, further investigations are needed to explain the mechanism by which lactic acid fermentation and salt in kimchi affect the growth of foodborne pathogens.