Diana

=MAKING KIMCHI. 8)=

Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Suancai... These are all names for this dish fermented cabbage. Originally from China, it was spread to Korea, Manturia, Austria, German, Poland, France and other parts of Europe. Kimchi (this is what the fermented cabbage going to be called in this investigation) was first made to preverve food. It has been passed down from the first generation for 2000 years, and spreaded all around the globe proving it's effectiveness and worth. It's said that many family used Kimchi as their main source of food during the Great Depression and even till today, it is believed that wherever you can find a Korean community, you'll find Kimchi (like how you'll find rice wherever there's a chinese)! In this investigation is to go in deeper of the process of making kimchi by putting salt in chinese cabbage. It is to figure out the effect on fermentation when different amount of salt is put in, and also if the different amount of light shone on the cabbage effects the outcome. The expectation is that the more salt given, the more acidic the cabbage will be. The salt will suck the water. And by taking away the oxygen necessary for organisms, the bacteria inside the cabbage will be forced to use fermentation to "survive"--producing acidic cabbage (KIMCHI!) Will the expectation correspond with the truth? Read to find out.
 * __Introduction__**


 * Independent variable and how it will be measured:**
 * Time—measure by days
 * Amount of salt—measure by grams
 * Place where the cabbage is put.


 * Dependent variable(s) and how it (they) will be measured:**
 * pH—the pH-indicator paper
 * water that comes out
 * Other changes we see


 * Variables held constant:**
 * The amount of cabbage it started with
 * The same kind of salt
 * The same cabbage

__**Material:**__
 * reseal able plastic sandwich bags
 * chopped cabbage
 * noniodized salt
 * measuring spoons
 * pH indicator paper

__**Procedure/Method:**__
 * 1) Chop the cabbage
 * 2) Make 16 concealed bags of 35g of cabbage.
 * 3) Mark the bags in two sets of A B C D E F G H
 * 4) Add 5mg of salt in bags A-D, and 15mg of salt in bags E-H
 * 5) Expel the air from the bags and conceal it
 * 6) Put the first set of A-H by the window, and the second set of A-H in a drawer
 * 7) Collect data using the electronic pH measurer.

1.The more salt, the more acidic! 2. --after looking at data-- the salt in the cabbage "sucks" away the water, suggesting the lack of oxygen and the bacteria would be encouraged to produce more acid/fermentate resulting the perservation of the cabbage.
 * __Expectation: (by stage)__**

DAY 2
 * Data:**
 * #/amount of salt || pH of Cabbage in Sunlight || pH of Cabbage in Cupboard ||
 * A (5g) || 6 || 5 ||
 * B (5g) || 6 ||  ||
 * C (5g) || 6 ||  ||
 * D (5g) || 6 ||  ||
 * E (15g) || 5 ||  ||
 * F (15g) || 5 || 4 ||
 * G (15g) || 5 ||  ||
 * H (15g) || 5 ||  ||

DAY 5 (G is rotting and it's the only one where our green! all the other ones were orange-y red)
 * #/amount of salt || pH of Cabbage in Sunlight || pH of Cabbage in Cupboard ||
 * A (5g) || 5 || 5 ||
 * B (5g) || 5 || 5 ||
 * C (5g) || 4 || 4 ||
 * D (5g) || 5 || 6 ||
 * E (15g) || 5 || 5 ||
 * F (15g) || 5 || 4 ||
 * G (15g) || 6 || 7 ||
 * H (15g) || 5 || 4 ||

DAY 7 (We decided to try the electronic pH indicator!)
 * #/amount of salt || pH of Cabbage in Sunlight || pH of Cabbage in Cupboard ||
 * A (5g) || 4.5 || 4.6 ||
 * B (5g) || 4.6 || 4.6 ||
 * C (5g) || 4.5 || 4.4 ||
 * D (5g) || 4.6 || 5 ||
 * E (15g) || 5 || 5.2 ||
 * F (15g) || 5.2 || 5.2 ||
 * G (15g) || 5 || 7.2 ||
 * H (15g) || 5 || 5.2 ||

DAY 9 (G STINKS, it's all water-y now) (WINDOW, 15g SALT) (WINDOW, 15g SALT) (CUPBOARD, 15g SALT) (. NO SALT. EW) (WINDOW, 5g SALT) (CUPBOARD 5g SALT)
 * #/amount of salt || pH of Cabbage in Sunlight || pH of Cabbage in Cupboard ||
 * A (5g) || 4.4 || 4.6 ||
 * B (5g) || 4.3 || 4.5 ||
 * C (5g) || 4.4 || 4.5 ||
 * D (5g) || 4.6 || 5 ||
 * E (15g) || 5.2 || 5.25 ||
 * F (15g) || 5 || 5.2 ||
 * G (15g) || 5.2 || 7.7 ||
 * H (15g) || 5.2 || 5.3 ||

(15g, 15g, 15g) (no salt, 5g, 5g)

BLEARGH: Appearantly, the cabbages with 15g of salt__(//red)//__ has a higher average pH scale (lower acidity) than the cacbbages with cabbages with 5g of salt//__(black)__// by about 1 pH. This case occurs in both the cabbage in under the sun and in the cupboard. And the cabbage with no salt//__(blue__)// became basic with the pH around 7.5
 * Please take notice that the electronic measurer was only used on day 7 and 9. Day 5's data was measured out using pH paper--taken in consider that our observation may be slightly inaccurate. Additionally, the graph was not intended to be a "connect the dot"graph. However because the graphs consist of the overlapping dots, it would be clearer if there were lines coming out.

DISCUSSION:

Our expectation (See "Introduction") seemed logical to us because usually when the independent variable increases, the dependent variable increases too. This refers to most of the experiments in text books. However, the result for our experiment came out differently. Though, yes we only have 2 days worth of data to prove our point, i think the comparison between the 5g-salted-cabbage's acidity and the 15g-salted-cabbage's acidity shown in the graph is clear. The 5g is definitely more acidic. This showed that the more salt we put in, the LESS acidic the cabbage is and suggesting that that if we don't put any salt, our cabbage will be the most acidic. HOWEVER, this was also not the case. Our cabbage without any salt became basic. So... did our experiment really go wrong or... fermentation is just like this? According to "Salt/Pickling" in Appendix II, the article writes that "[salt] encourages lactic acid fermentation." and also that "as the salt concentration increases, less acid is produced due to inhibition of lactic acid bacteria." Though they seemingly contradict each other, they actualldy do make sense and they support our result too! The cabbages we get from the supermarket are already dead, meaning that they do not "produce" oxygen through photosynthesis anymore. In result, the bacteria in the cabbage will have to use fermentation. Chinese cabbage is effective for this process because of its high sugar concentration. Under normal circumstance, the numorous kinds of bacteria in the cabbage will start to duplicate. And the overwhelming of bacteria will cause the cabbage to rot, and stink. However, if we add salt in the cabbage, the salt will suck out the water through osmosis killing particular bacteria. This process, fortunetly, kills away "unwanted" bacteria (for example, the ones that effectively softens up the cabbage).The good anaerobic bacteria will be encouraged to ferment, and acid is produced! However, because the fact that salt does soak the water and "kill" bacteria, not only do they effectively "kill" off the bad ones, excessive amount of salt can also "kill" the good bacteria too--explaining why the more salt you put in, the less acid the cabbage will actually turn out. Though we did find explanations that proved our success in our experiment, there are many aspects that we could've done better too. For example, we could've measured the initial pH of the cabbage. We could've recorded more days of data with an electronic pH measurer. We could've observed the cabbage more, like if a certain kind of gas came out or if the liquid in the bag changes color. We could've tried with the amount of salt the book recommended. On the other hand, there are also aspects where we can go deeper into. We can go in deeper on the effect of temerature in the process. We can also have more sets of data with different amount of salt. And we can definitely go in deeper and figuring out that if the fermentation in the kimchi produces ethanol or lactic acid.

Appendix |:(Scienctific Terminology) //(Acidity is our dependent variable.)// //(All we are doing in this experiment is to "play around" with the bacteria in the cabbage, effecting their process of fermentation.)// //(Our cabbage without salt, becomes basic, and rot.)// //(We used chinese cabbage in our experiment because it has a higher level of sugar, which can be used to ferment enthanol)// Dry salt will dissolve some of the water content of the ethanol as it passes through, leaving a purer alcohol (see Bacteria) and found in all aqueous solutions of acids. (FROM SUGAR! that's why we are using cabbage, because chinese cabbages have sugar in it) //(this is how water got out from the cabbage into the bag where the salt is)//
 * Acid**-A solution that has an excess of H+ ions.
 * Alcohol fermentation** - occurs in yeasts, fungi and some bacteria. 2 Pyruvate --> 2 Acetaldehyde --> 2 ethanol
 * Anaerobic bacteria-**Any bacteria that can survive in the partial or complete absence of air; two types are facultative and obligate.
 * Bacteria**- Beneficial bacteria found in food after fermentation are capable of producing so many enzymes necessary for the building up and breaking down of organic compounds.
 * Base**-A substance that makes hydroxyl ions when dissolved in water.
 * Brine-** water saturated or nearly saturated with salt.
 * Cabbage-**Chinese cabbage is a good source of vitamin A, folic acid and potassium.
 * Catalyst-** It speeds up the rate of reaction with being consumed during the process(see Enzyme)
 * Enthanol**-CH3CH2OH, The kind of alcohol made by fermentation of the sugar in grains; the fermentation is brought about by the enzymes in yeast.
 * Enzyme-**Any of numerous proteins or conjugated proteins produced by living organisms and functioning as biochemical catalysts.
 * Fermentation**- The anaerobic conversion of sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol by yeast.
 * Hydrogen Ion**-The positively charged ion of hydrogen, H+, formed by removal of the electron from atomic hydrogen
 * Kimchi-** A Korean dish made of vegetables, such as cabbage or radishes, that are salted, seasoned, and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic acid fermentation.
 * Lactic Acid**- C3H6O3 A synthetic form of the compound is used in foods and beverages as a flavoring and preservative, in dyeing and textile printing, and in pharmaceuticals.
 * Lactic Acid Bacteria-** have the property of producing lactic acid from sugars by a process called fermentation
 * Osmosis-**Diffusion of fluid through a semipermeable membrane from a solution with a low solute concentration to a solution with a higher solute concentration until there is an equal concentration of fluid on both sides of the membrane.
 * Perserving-**The primary methods of salting, canning, drying, [|pickling], smoking, salting, fermenting, cold storage, and freezing all provide an extreme environment in order to stabilize the food for later use. Although most of these methods are used both commercially and in the home, the basic techniques are the same.
 * pH Scale-** An expression for the effective concentration of hydrogen ions in solution.
 * Pyruvate acid**- A colorless organic liquid, CH3COCOOH, formed as an intermediate in carbohydrate metabolism and fermentation and as an end product in glycolysis.
 * Sauerkraut-**"acid cabbage" in German. It is fermented cabbage, another word for KIMCHI.
 * Weak Acid**-An acid that only partially ionizes in an aqueous solution. That means not every molecule breaks apart. They usually have a pH close to 7 (3-6). (Our kimchi will go into this catergory!)
 * Weak Base:** A base that only partially ionizes in an aqueous solution. That means not every molecule breaks apart. They usually have a pH close to 7 (8-10). (Our Cabbage that we forgot to put salt in is in this catergory!)

Most, if not all, of these definitions comes from [|www.answers.com].

Appendix ll: Fermentation- 1. Glycolysis occurs, and pyruvate is produced, the pyruvate enters the Krebs cycle and produces NADH2 and FADH2, and some ATP 2. The problem occurs in the ETC, because there is no ocygen to be the final electron acceptor 3. NADH bulids up in the system, and NAD+ cannot be regenerated normally 4. Fermentation occurs to regenerate the NAD+ and vreate some ATP, but it is much less efficient than aerobic respiration //NOTICE THAT 2H+ IS GIVEN OFF IN THIS PROCESS :) THAT'S ACID!//

//This is a pH scale from 1~14/Acidic~Baic. Our kimchi's pH Scale is around 4 to 6. While the cabbage that we didn't put salt in as a pH scale similiar to our human blood. :P// While not all pickled products undergo fermentation, in many vegetables the natural sugar is converted to lactic acid by specific bacteria during fermentation. This process turns cabbage into sauerkraut and cucumbers into pickles Carbohydrates in the vegetables furnish energy for the bacteria in the form of sugars and other essential nutrients: amino acids and peptones, lipids, vitamins and minerals. The bacteria ferment sugar to lactic acid, as well as carbon dioxide, ethyl alcohol, and acetic acid. These products of fermentation rapidly lower the pH, inhibit the growth of undesirable microorganisms, and deactivate vegetable-softening enzymes. Brine or salt draws water from vegetables, decreasing the salt concentration in the brine itself. During the pickling process, brine strength is usually raised gradually; otherwise, acid development would be inhibited and the vegetables would become soft. All production facilities recirculate brine to reduce pollution and conserve resources. Salt reduces the competition from undesirable microorganisms, which encourages lactic acid fermentation. Salt and acid concentration not only control the growth of microorganisms, but influence enzyme activity as well. The temperature also helps determine the rate of acid production and the kinds of bacteria involved in it. As the salt concentration increases, less acid is produced due to inhibition of lactic acid bacteria. The vegetable's sugar content is directly related to the amount of acid that is produced, so the higher the sugar level, the less salt that is needed. For example, because the amount of fermentable sugars in cabbages is higher than that of cucumbers, less salt is used in sauerkraut production than in pickle processing, and more acid is produced in kraut than in pickles. By federal definition, the amount of added salt may vary from 2% to 3% based on the weight of the cabbage, but 2.25% salt usually gives the best product. Too little salt results in tissue softening and poor flavor, while excess salt delays natural fermentation and yields a product with poor flavor and color. ---http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/1996/0996DE.html
 * pH Scale-** If there are a lot of H+ ions, the pH is very low. If there are a lot of OH- ions, that means the number of H+ ions is very low, so the pH is high.
 * Salt/Pickling-**

The use of sugar is often combined with [|alcohol] for preservation of luxury products such as fruit in [|brandy] or other spirits. --http://www.answers.com/topic/preserving-1