Flavor Lexicon and Testing for Kimchi Available in the United States

Abstract

Kimchi is a flavor trend in the United States (USA). Although kimchi commonly is thought of as a cabbage-based product, it actually takes many forms. The term “kimchi” is used widely as a general term used to describe different types of lactic acid fermented vegetables. There are multiple types of and ways to prepare kimchi and currently no standard exists for the definition of kimchi. Variations of cabbage, radish, cucumber, and miscellaneous vegetable kimchi all with various spices, seasonings, degrees of fermentation, and other preparation methods (e.g., heat processing) are available in the USA. Typically, kimchi can be described as having a sweet, sour, spicy, and “carbonated” flavor with a combination of firm, crisp, and chewy textures, but different ingredient/seasoning combinations give each kimchi a unique profile. Because kimchi flavors are becoming more popular in the USA, this paper developed a sensory lexicon for a wide array of kimchi, including specific flavor references, in order to enable researchers to measure and compare sensory characteristics for various flavor profiles. This lexicon was used to test a range of commercially available kimchi in the USA to attempt to define various categories of kimchi.