Kinetic study of mass transfer in different parts of Chinese cabbage during brining

In Korea, Chinese cabbage, baechu , is the principal ingredient in kimchi . Salt concentrations in different cabbage leaf parts within the kimchi are typically not uniform, which leads to different degrees of acceptance. Thus, sodium chloride diffusion and texture profiles were determined for the different parts of cabbage leaves (inner, mid, and outer), which were soaked in a 15% salt solution at 25 °C for various times (0–12 hr). Based on Fick's equation, the effective diffusion coefficients of sodium chloride in the inner, mid, and outer leaves were 1.44 × 10 −11 , 1.38 × 10 −11 , and 1.33 × 10 −11 m 2 /s, respectively. The texture profiles of the three leaf parts significantly changed as soaking time increased. The inner leaves of baechu showed higher hardness values after brining than the mid or outer leaves. Consequently, the inner leaves are more suitable for brining due to higher effective diffusion values and good textural properties. Practical applications Kimchi is a Korean fermented vegetable food that are salted, blended with various ingredients. It has been reported salting is a critical step that influences product quality during kimchi processing. While the salt concentration after brining in different cabbage parts usually is not uniform. Thus, in our study, the cabbages were divided into three different parts (inner, mid, and outer), and the sodium chloride diffusion and texture profiles were investigated during brining. The results showed that the inner leaves of cabbage have the highest effective diffusion values and good textural properties. The data from this study would be reveal a practical application worthy of further study in food industries and provide valuable information for improving the quality of kimchi .