218: Quality, Safety, and Biochemical Evaluation of Reduced-Sodium Pickled Vegetables for the Development of Healthy-Labeled Pickles

Introduction

Reducing sodium in pickles aligns with FDA guidelines for “healthy” labeling, which requires sodium content per serving to be ≤10% Daily Value (DV). Lower sodium may impact acid penetration and fermentation biochemistry. This research evaluates whether lower sodium affects product quality and safety.

Methods

Vegetables (cut asparagus, baby carrot, and whole cucumber) were brined with three NaCl concentrations (0.4%, 0.9%, and 1.9%) and two pickling treatments (fermented and acidified) in duplicate. At these salt levels, serving sizes of 130 grams (0.4% and 0.9%) or 30 grams (1.9%) would meet ≤10% DV for sodium. Fermented treatments were inoculated with Lactiplantibacillus pentosus LA0445 and incubated at 28°C for 21 days. Vegetable and brine pHs were measured during the initial stage of incubation for the acid penetration study. In addition, carrot core samples (3 x 3 mm diameter) were collected to assess acid penetration to the center of the vegetable. Fermentation brines were sampled on days 0, 2, 7, 14, and 21 for organic acids and sugars quantification.

Results

Salt levels and pickling treatments had minimal impact on the texture of cucumber and carrot. Conversely, asparagus buds fermented in 1.9% NaCl were firmer than the acidified asparagus at all salt levels (P < 0.05). Color intensity of acidified asparagus and cucumber was generally higher than the fermented counterparts. Fermented cucumber had residual sugars below 4 mM and accumulated 138 ± 5.95 mM of lactic acid with no detectable spoilage metabolites. Across all salt levels, the pH of fermented vegetables steadily decreased to below 4.6 by day 2, while the acidified vegetables were already below 4.6 after pasteurization. Equilibration time between brine and vegetables in fermented samples were 3, 4, and 7 days for asparagus, carrot, and cucumber respectively, while acidified, pasteurized vegetables equilibrated within 1 day.

Significance

This research demonstrates the potential for development of reduced-sodium pickled cucumber, baby carrot, and asparagus with texture and color retention and adequate safety.

Authors: Arina Hidayati, Suzanne Johanningsmeier, Fred Breidt, Matthew Allan