Although sauerkraut is a healthy food

Emerging Food R&D Report, June, 2005

Although sauerkraut is a healthy food, its consumption has been diminishing. Improving the quality of this product could reverse this trend. Scientists have established ways to improve the fermentation of cabbage to sauerkraut. The approach involves adding nisin to shredded, salted cabbage. Nisin inhibits certain bacteria that could lead to undesirable tastes in the sauerkraut.

Researchers also add a special culture of a bacterium isolated from sauerkraut that is resistant to nisin and which will ferment the cabbage to more predictable and desirable-tasting sauerkraut. Contact: Fred Breidt, Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University, 322 Schaub Hall, Box 7624, Raleigh NC 27695. Phone: 919-515-2979. Fax: 919-515-7124. Email: breidt@ncsu.edu.