Sauerkraut
Fermented cabbage - Germany, Europe, Americas. Salt, temperature, duration and pH as published, with the sentence each came from.
Parameters
- Salt, final concentration
- 2.0 to 2.5% w/w
- Salt added as
- 1 to 1.5 kg per 50 kg cabbage (2 to 3%)
- Fermentation temperature, optimum
- 21°C
- Temperature for initiating fermentation
- 18 to 22°C
- Terminal acidity, as lactic acid
- 2 to 2.5%
- Microbial succession
- Leuconostoc mesenteroides, then Lactobacillus plantarum and L. cucumeris, then L. pentoaceticus
- On brine
- Dry salt, not brine
Generally, salt is added to a final concentration of 2.0 to 2.5%.
In the manufacture of sauerkraut, dry salt is added at the rate if 1 to 1.5 kg per 50kg cabbage (2 to 3%).
The optimum temperature for sauerkraut fermentation is around 21°C.
A temperature of 18° to 22° C is most desirable for initiating fermentation since this is the optimum temperature range for the growth and metabolism of L. mesenteroides.
Finally, L. pentoaceticus continues the fermentation, bringing the acidity to 2 to 2.5% thus completing the fermentation.
The activity initiated by the L. mesenteroides is continued by the lactobacilli (L. plantarum and L. Cucumeris) until an acidity level of 1.5 to 2% is attained.
The use of salt brines is not recommended in sauerkraut making, but is common in vegetables that have a low water content.
How it is made, step by step - 6 steps, each one quoted from FAO Bulletin 134 5.6.2.
Substrate
Region
Method
Why this is here
'sour cabbage') is finely cut raw white cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria.
English Wikipedia, Sauerkraut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Character
Described in the literature as acidic, sour, wet, salad, side dish.
Other ingredients: Salt.
Organisms
As named by the sources, under the names those sources used. Where a name has since been reassigned, the organism page says so and gives the current one.
- Leuconostoc mesenteroides
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Pediococcus pentosaceus
- Lactobacillus brevis
- Lactobacillus sakei
The published record
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| FAO Bulletin 134 Table 2.1 | Listed as pickled fruit and vegetables of the Americas. Taken by the bulletin from G. Campbell-Platt (1987). |
| Tamang, J.P., Watanabe, K. and Holzapfel, W.H. | Microorganisms isolated from some common and uncommon fermented vegetable products of the world. |
| Swain, M.R., Anandharaj, M., Ray, R.C. and Parveen Rani, R. | Examples of traditional fermented fruits and vegetables, which are used in various parts of Asian subcontinent. |
Composition
Sodium is the number worth reading here. It is what the salt percentage produced.
| Food | Sodium mg/100 g | Energy kcal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauerkraut, canned, solids and liquids | 661 | 19 | SR Legacy |
| Frankfurters or hot dogs and sauerkraut | 764 | 198 | Survey (FNDDS) |
| Sauerkraut | 659 | 40 | Survey (FNDDS) |
Same substrate
Same region
- Knieperkohl
- Brined cucumber pickles
- Fermented cucumbers
- Cucumber pickles
- Dill pickles
- Fermented olives
- Chow-chow
- Fermented dill pickles (USDA home method)
- Sauerkraut (USDA home method)
Fields on this page come from Literature FAO 134 Wikipedia. Nothing here is inferred from one field to fill another. What each dataset is, and what it is not allowed to supply, is on methodology.
Name, region and substrate partly from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0). Neither supplies a number on this site.