Effects of Storage Temperature on the Diversity of White Colony-Forming Yeast and Correlations between Bacterial and Yeast Communities in Salted Kimchi Cabbage

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of different storage temperatures (10°C, 4°C, and −1°C) on salted kimchi cabbage, a key ingredient in kimchi. Specifically, we focused on the physicochemical and microbial changes in kimchi cabbage after the appearance of white colony-forming yeast (WCFY), which affect the quality of kimchi. The diversity of WCFY was assessed using both culture-dependent and culture-independent high-throughput sequencing methods, revealing Candida as the predominant yeast in most samples. However, the culture-independent method showed variations in the WCFY community based on storage temperatures. Furthermore, the bacterial communities in salted kimchi cabbage were analyzed during storage, with Latilactobacillus being the most abundant after WCFY observation across all storage temperatures. Other major lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in kimchi fermentation, such as Leuconostoc, Weissella, and Lactococcus, were also observed at all storage temperatures. In addition, the yeast communities revealed that Kazachstania and Candida were the dominant yeasts in all samples, with Kazachstania, Candida, and Mrakia showing the highest relative abundance at 10°C, 4°C, and −1°C, respectively, as the storage period increased. These findings indicate that the storage temperature of salted kimchi cabbage affects the yeast community. Moreover, correlation analysis between LAB and yeasts that impact the quality of kimchi showed that Candida had significant negative correlations between Levilactobacillus, Lactiplantibacillus, and Latilactobacillus at 10°C and 4°C. Additionally, Enterobacteriacea showed a significant negative correlation with Lactiplantibacillus. These findings suggest that the microbial community composition at different storage temperatures can affect the quality and safety of salted kimchi cabbage.

Keywords: salted kimchi cabbage, storage temperature, lactic acid bacteria, white colony forming yeast (WCFY), Microbial community