Sunki-Pickles Prepared by Adding Fruits of "Zumi" and "Yamabudo"

Studies on the Japanese Pickles Sunki Part IX

Abstract

Some farmers in Kiso district in Japan manufacture "sunki", local pickles without salt, from cooked leaves of "Otaki-turnip", by not only adding dried sunki as source of lactic acid bacteria, but also adding wild fruits or berries. We tried the simultaneous production of ordinary sunki-pickles and sunki-pickles with intact or crushed fruits of "zumi", a small wild apple, Malus Sieboldii REHD., and with intact or pressed berries of "yamabudo", wild grape, Vitis coignetiae PULLIAT, in the laboratory. The following results were obtained by chemical analyses and sensory tests of the experimental products: (1) Contents of crude protein and total amino acids were highest in the product with crushed wild apple, and lowest in that with grape juice. (2) Initial and final pH were lowest in the product with intact grape, and final pH was highest in that with grape juice. (3) In spite of the lowest free amino acid content, the best taste was noted in the product with crushed wild apple possibly, owing to malic, succinic and citric acids and sugars gradually come out of the crushed fruits.