Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions

Constandache (Lungeanu), Daniela; Andronoiu, Doina-Georgeta; Nistor, Oana Viorela; Moraru, Dana Iulia; Simionov, Ira-Adeline; Botez, Elisabeta; Mocanu, Gabriel-Dănuț

doi:10.3390/app15147799

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Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions

by

Daniela Constandache (Lungeanu)

,

Doina-Georgeta Andronoiu

,

Oana Viorela Nistor

,

Dana Iulia Moraru

,

Ira-Adeline Simionov

,

Elisabeta Botez

and

Gabriel-Dănuț Mocanu

^*

Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, Dunărea de Jos University of Galați, 111 Domnească Street, 800201 Galati, Romania

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(14), 7799; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147799

Submission received: 10 June 2025 / Revised: 10 July 2025 / Accepted: 10 July 2025 / Published: 11 July 2025

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Abstract

Although it is one of the most important methods of fruit and vegetable preservation, pickling provides multiple interesting vistas for study, from the variety of the raw vegetal material and the composition of pickling media to the diversity of the microorganisms involved in the process or the quality of the final product. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of sodium chloride substitution with potassium or magnesium chloride on the pickling process of apples. Physical (mass, color, texture), chemical (dry matter, acidity, salinity, reducing sugars) and phytochemical parameters of the apples were analyzed during 35 days of fermentation, with a frequency of 7 days. The results show a decrease in dry matter from 14.94 ± 0.25% for all the samples and a continuous increase of lactic acid concentration to a maximum of 0.248 ± 0.032 g lactic acid/100 g product for the magnesium samples. At the same time, the phytochemical profile is enhanced, while the texture becomes softer (a decrease in firmness from 2.53 ± 0.08 N to 0.72 ± 0.02 N was registered for potassium samples). The main conclusion of the study is that sodium chloride could be successfully replaced by potassium or magnesium chloride in the fermentation process of apples.

Keywords: apple preservation; low sodium; bioactive compounds; texture; color

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MDPI and ACS Style

Constandache, D.; Andronoiu, D.-G.; Nistor, O.V.; Moraru, D.I.; Simionov, I.-A.; Botez, E.; Mocanu, G.-D. Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 7799. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147799

AMA Style

Constandache D, Andronoiu D-G, Nistor OV, Moraru DI, Simionov I-A, Botez E, Mocanu G-D. Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(14):7799. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147799

Chicago/Turabian Style

Constandache (Lungeanu), Daniela, Doina-Georgeta Andronoiu, Oana Viorela Nistor, Dana Iulia Moraru, Ira-Adeline Simionov, Elisabeta Botez, and Gabriel-Dănuț Mocanu. 2025. "Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions" Applied Sciences 15, no. 14: 7799. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147799

APA Style

Constandache, D., Andronoiu, D.-G., Nistor, O. V., Moraru, D. I., Simionov, I.-A., Botez, E., & Mocanu, G.-D. (2025). Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions. Applied Sciences, 15(14), 7799. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147799

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Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (Malus domestica) in Low Sodium Conditions

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