Lipid Alterations During the Fermentation of Vegetables by the Lactic Acid Bacteriaa

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Abstract
SUMMARY: Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the fatty acids of the various lipid fractions of raw and fermented cabbage and Brussels sprouts were made by gas‐liquid chromatography of the methyl esters.The amount of free or non‐esterified fatty acids increased considerably in the lipid fractions of both vegetables as a result of fermentation. The unsaponifiable matter, and the fatty acids of both the acetone‐soluble and acetone‐insoluble fractions of the vegetables, decreased during the fermentations.Free or non‐esterified palmitic acid increased significantly during fermentation—from 0.63 to 6.87% of the total fatty acid lipid in the cabbage fermentation. Results were similar in Brussels sprouts. During fermentation, the unsaturated C18 fatty acids decreased while the shorter‐chain fatty acids increased. As a result of fermentation, a change was observed in the waxy or shiny appearance of the cabbage. The presence of longer‐chain saturated fatty acids in the non‐esterified fatty acid fraction of the fermented material has been attributed to the changes in the unsaponifiable fraction. These longer‐chain fatty acids were notably absent from the fatty acids of the acetone‐soluble and acetone‐insoluble lipids of the unfermented vegetables.The data suggest that the changes in the lipid fraction during fermentation were effected primarily through the metabolic activities of the various lactic acid bacteria. Since it is known that many of the lactic acid bacteria require certain fatty acids for growth, it has been postulated that the changes in the lipid fraction could influence the growth and sequence of the various bacterial types that are observed in a particular fermentation.