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Vegetables from Korea

Mugeunji (long-aged kimchi)묵은지

Mugeunji is cabbage kimchi kept cold for many months, often a year or more, until it is very sour and most of its sugar is gone. One study found commercial mugeunji saltier than ordinary cabbage kimchi; traditional mugeunji is said to be salted more to stop softening on long storage (Hur 2015). Another study of commercial products found no significant difference in salinity (Lee 2023).

Fully documentedVegetables11 months – 3 years

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedCommercial and household practice with no fixed recipe in the sources read. The study values describe finished commercial products and lab batches, not one recipe.
Baechu (napa cabbage) kimchi, the kimchi that is agedThe paper compares mugeunji with commercial baechu kimchi[hur2015]
Extra salt, 1–1.5 % more than ordinary kimchiAn earlier study quoted in the paper says traditional mugeunji is made this much saltier to stop softening on long storage[hur2015]

Total time across the recorded steps: 11 months – 3 years

Start
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Close-up: salt moving into a leafSalt 2.2 %

What changes: Cabbage kimchi is made saltier than usual so it stays firm through a long ageing

Step 1 of 4
Make cabbage kimchi with extra salt
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
2.2 %
Measured
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacillus
Leuconostoc
Pediococcus inopinatus
Pediococcus
Yeasts

The study's own survey of six commercial products, not a recipe. Output: salty cabbage kimchi.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Mugeunji is cabbage kimchi kept cold for many months, often a year or more, until it is very sour and most of its sugar is gone. One study found commercial mugeunji saltier than ordinary cabbage kimchi; traditional mugeunji is said to be salted more to stop softening on long storage (Hur 2015). Another study of commercial products found no significant difference in salinity (Lee 2023). Made in 4 steps over 11 months – 3 years. The longest step, age cold for months, takes 11 months – 3 years (Ji S.-H 2009) and runs at 5 °C (Ji S.-H 2009). Salt is 2.2 % (Hur S.-W 2015). Lactobacillus species, which rise against Leuconostoc as the kimchi ages from 10 to 46 weeks at 5 °C and Pediococcus inopinatus, generally dominant in long-fermented kimchi do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step11 months – 3 yearsReported[ji2009][hur2015]Age cold for months
Temperature5 °CReported[ji2009]Age cold for months
Salt2.2 %Measured[hur2015]Make cabbage kimchi with extra salt
AciditypH 3.7–4.2Measured[hur2015]Finished mugeunji

What makes this one different

Mugeunji is not a separate recipe but ordinary cabbage kimchi taken much further. It is made saltier and aged cold for months or years, so it ends far more acid and with less sugar than fresh kimchi.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Commercial mugeunjiSold by ageing period; acidity and salt rise and pH falls the longer it is kept.

Safety

Commercial mugeunji measured pH 3.69–4.22 (mean 3.96), against a mean of 5.92 for commercial baechu kimchi (Hur 2015).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

History
The sources we found do not record its history.
Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [hur2015] Hur S.-W., Ko M.-S., Kim M.-R., Lee H.-R., Chung S.-J., Cho M.-S. 2015, Physicochemical characteristics and sensory properties of commercial Mukeunji products, Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 44(5):702–708 (abstract)paper
  2. [ji2009] Ji S.-H., Han W.-C., Lee J.-C., Cheong C., Kang S.-A., Lee J.-H., Jang K.-H. 2009, Effect of low temperature on the qualities of long-term fermented kimchi, Food Science and Preservation 16(6):804–809 (abstract)paper
  3. [kim2013] Kim H.J., Shin H.-K., Yang E.J. 2013, Production and fermentation characteristics of Mukeunji with a mixed starter, Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 42(9):1467–1474 (abstract)paper
  4. [lee2023] Lee S.-Y., Jeong S.-J., Ryu M.S., Ha G., Noh Y., Jeong D.-Y., Yang H.-J. 2023, Comparative physicochemical characteristics and microbial communities in commercial kimchi and Mukeunji products, Journal of Life Science 33(4):325–333 (abstract)paper
  5. [mun2024] Mun S.Y., Lee W., Lee S.Y., Chang J.Y., Chang H.C. 2024, Pediococcus inopinatus with a well-developed CRISPR-Cas system dominates in long-term fermented kimchi, Mukeunji, Food Microbiology 117:104385 (abstract via Europe PMC)paper