Sauerkraut: Nutrition, Diet and Cooking

of raw cabbage (Brassicaceae family, genus Brassica, species oleracea L., subspecies capitata and variety Filderkraut Spezialzucht - early white).

Shutterstock

Sauerkraut represents a "conservative preparation, similar to yogurt, necessary to guarantee the availability of the cabbage even after a long time from the harvest of the vegetable." Sauerkraut are therefore preserved vegetables.

The term "sauerkraut" has German origins and etymologically derives from the term "Kraut", which in a broad sense means "grass"; the food properly called instead (which in Italy is specifically known by the term "sauerkraut"), in the native language is called Sauerkraut (translated: "sour cabbage").

Sauerkraut is particularly widespread in central-northern Europe, with a continental climate that tends to be cold; their consumption is widespread in Germany, Austria, the north-east of Switzerland (German cantons), in the northern regions of Italy ( Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto), Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, the Croatian hinterland, Serbia and many of the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Sauerkraut is distinguished from raw cabbage for its salty and sour taste, while the nutritional profile is partially altered, but not necessarily impoverished; sauerkraut is distinguished from fresh food by:

Lower content in vit. C (ascorbic acid)
Higher content of B vitamins (following fermentation)
Higher content of sodium chloride (NaCl - kitchen salt).

energy of sauerkraut is not very different from that of fresh cabbage. As anticipated, sauerkraut are vegetables preserved and subjected to considerable oxidative stress; moreover, in order to be preserved for a long time, they require packaging and subsequent pasteurization, without considering that, before consumption, they should be sautéed in a pan. All these aspects (oxidation and heat treatment) determine a notable lowering of the overall ascorbic acid (vitamin C). As for the mineral salts, sauerkraut contains high amounts of sodium, which makes them unsuitable for the anti-lactation diet. sodium sensitive hypertension. On the other hand, they are also rich in choline (vitamin J), a substance potentially useful for reducing circulating homocysteine as a cardiovascular risk factor. Sauerkraut, using bacterial fermentation, also contains good quantities of cobalamin (vitamin B12), a limiting factor in strictly vegan diets.

Nutritional Value Amount Edible part 100% Waterfall 92.5 g Proteins 0.9 g Lipids TOT 0.1 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg TOT Carbohydrates 4.3 g Dietary fiber 2.6 g Power 19.0 kcal Sodium 661.0 mg Potassium 170.0 mg Iron 1.5 mg Football 30.0 mg Phosphorus 20.0 mg Thiamine or vit B1 0.02 mg Riboflavin or vitamin B2 0.02 mg Niacin or vit PP 0.14 mg Vitamin A 1.0 μg * C vitamin 14.7 mg Vitamin E 0.14 mg Gram negative and favors useful ones). At the end of the arrangement, it is necessary to place a weight that compresses the whole, allowing it to drain from the water released by salting and fermentation.Finally, cover the container and let it ferment in a cool place for a few days (about 2) reaching a sufficient acidity level (about 1.6-1.8% with 1.0-1.3% lactic acid and a pH between 3.1 and 3.7).

Bibliography: Food microbiology - James M. Jay, Martin J. Loessner, David A. Golden - Springer - page 191

Sauerkraut - How to Prepare and Store Them at Home

Problems with playing the video? Reload the video from youtube.

Go to the Video Page
Go to the Video Recipes Section
Watch the video on youtube

Generally it is not necessary to use microbial starters for the preparation of sauerkraut since the useful bacterial flora is the one present in raw food; the latter are essentially lactic sticks and cocci, to be precise: Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Leuconostoc fallax (the Leuconostoc they have a shorter generation and life time); subsequently: Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis. Also involved in the final stages of the fermentation of sauerkraut Pedicoccus cerevisiae and the "Enterococcus faecalis.