This technology involves creating a nanoemulsion by encapsulating allyl isothiocyanate (AITC)-containing ingredients, such as mustard oil, in an oil phase composed of oil and surfactants, then adding it to kimchi to prevent flavor degradation and extend shelf life. The nanoemulsion is designed to act on spoilage yeast at low concentrations while requiring much higher concentrations to affect lactic acid bacteria, allowing for selective inhibition of the two microorganisms.
During distribution, kimchi often suffers from a shortened shelf life due to the growth of spoilage yeasts like Kazachstania servazzii, which cause packaging to swell, textures to soften, and white films to form on the surface. While AITC, the main component of mustard oil, has strong antifungal properties, its pungent taste, aroma, volatility, and low water solubility made it difficult to incorporate into kimchi. Even when encapsulated, it previously had the limitation of inhibiting Leuconostoc and Lactiplantibacillus bacteria, which are essential for kimchi's flavor.
This technology achieves stable 100–1,000 nm particles by mixing polysorbate or saponin (HLB 14–17) with lecithin (HLB 4–8) to reach a combined HLB of 10–13, while maintaining an absolute zeta potential of at least 30 mV. By ensuring the ratio of the MIC for lactic acid bacteria to the MIC for spoilage yeast is 6 or higher, it achieves selective inhibition. It offers an encapsulation efficiency of over 70% and a 4℃ water solubility 1.3 times higher than non-encapsulated AITC. Applicable to long-term distribution of export-grade kimchi, various products like cubed radish or mustard leaf kimchi, and refrigerated fermented side dishes, it masks the pungent mustard odor and delays packaging swelling and white film formation while preserving the authentic flavor produced by lactic acid bacteria.
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