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Fermented beetroot

Savory & ferment· ferment vinegar

Fermented beetroot

What it is

Fermented beetroot is beetroot preserved by lacto-fermentation, in which naturally occurring bacteria convert its sugars into acids.

What it tastes like

On the nose: acid, apple, fatty. Among its measured molecules: hexan-2-one, 2-undecanone, 2-nonanone, 2,3-butanedione, 2-heptanone.

What goes with it

191 more go with it. See them all in the full library →

Salt and acid

Salt

Salt not measured yet.

Acid

Acid not measured yet.

Unusual pairings

Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.

Every one of its 16 compounds carries a paper the library can cite.

  • acetic acidtasteacidreads as pungent (PubChem)Measured in 35 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.53 ± 0.17 g/L at the endpoint of spontaneous fermentation, the joint highest of the four arms with the kefir starter at 0.54 ± 0.07Casciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row 'Spontaneous', column 'Acetic Acid')
  • lactic acidtasteacidreads as mild acid taste and does not overpower weaker aromatic flavors (PubChem)Measured in 8 of 338 ingredients.cite
    4.57 ± 0.46 g/L total lactic acid at the endpoint of spontaneous fermentation, of which 2.94 ± 0.35 is the D isomer and 1.63 ± 0.24 the L; every inoculated arm ends lower (3.31 to 3.36 g/L total)Casciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1 (Mean concentrations of organic acids and residual sugars at the endpoint of fermentation), row 'Spontaneous')
  • 2,3-butanedionearomaketonereads as strong odor (PubChem)Measured in 15 of 338 ingredients.cite
    'The LAB mix and spontaneous micro-flora were, instead, the only ones responsible for producing 2,3-butanedione' — identified in the spontaneous arm and absent from the two other starter arms. Presence only: the paper's ketone values are a PCA figure and no concentration is printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5 (Multi-Variate Analysis of VOCs), ketones, text)
  • L-aspartic acidtasteacidreads as sour (PubChem)Measured in 9 of 338 ingredients.cite
    279.43 ± 7.11 mg/L fresh 'Wodan' falling to 73.55 ± 0.35 after spontaneous fermentation; 422.20 ± 8.30 fresh 'Alto' falling to 230.97 ± 4.64Choińska et al. 2022, Scientific Reports (Table 3, row 'Aspartic acid')
  • L-glutaminetasteacidMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    5878.06 ± 177.50 mg/L fresh 'Wodan' falling to 4119.30 ± 191.23 after spontaneous fermentation; 7960.52 ± 145.91 fresh 'Alto' falling to 2381.67 ± 46.96 — the largest free amino acid in beet juice by a wide margin, in both statesChoińska et al. 2022, Scientific Reports (Table 3, row 'Glutamine')
  • hexanalaromaaldehydereads as sharp, aldehyde odor (PubChem)Measured in 85 of 338 ingredients.cite
    'The LAB mix and spontaneous fermentations were described by butanal, 3-methyl, and hexanal', with the paper noting 'the greatest variety of aldehydes in samples fermented with the spontaneous micro-flora'. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, aldehydes, text)
  • L-ornithinetasteacidMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    1.50 ± 0.13 mg/L in fresh 'Wodan' and 0.90 ± 0.18 after spontaneous fermentation — essentially unchanged in the wild ferment. In the STARTER arms of the same table it rises sharply: 77.33 ± 8.25 with L. brevis ZF165 and 83.66 ± 4.35 with the five-strain mix in 'Wodan', and in 'Alto' from 0.89 ± 0.07 fresh to 191.76 ± 5.09 with L. brevis and 245.63 ± 13.16 with Weissella cibaria KKP2058Choińska et al. 2022, Scientific Reports (Table 3, row 'Ornithine')
  • L-argininetasteacidMeasured in 3 of 338 ingredients.cite
    142.38 ± 4.51 mg/L in fresh 'Wodan' juice falling to 1.22 ± 0.06 after spontaneous fermentation, and 842.76 ± 16.86 in fresh 'Alto' falling to 26.67 ± 2.76; in both cultivars it is NOT DETECTED in the arm inoculated with Levilactobacillus brevis ZF165Choińska et al. 2022, Scientific Reports (Table 3 (Content of free amino acids in the fresh and fermented red beet juices), row 'Arginine')
  • 2-heptanonearomaketonereads as pear-like flavor (PubChem)Measured in 22 of 338 ingredients.cite
    named among the ketones describing the spontaneously fermented beetroot; the paper adds that elevated levels of it and of 2-nonanone have been reported in sauerkraut inoculated with mixed cultures. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, ketones, text)
  • 1-hexanolaromaalcoholreads as fatty, fruity (PubChem)Measured in 48 of 338 ingredients.cite
    'spontaneous fermentation was represented by 1-hexanol' in the alcohol PCA, against 2-nonanol, 2-heptanol and 1-octanol for the bacterial starters and 1-butanol and 1-pentanol for the kefir consortium. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, alcohols, text)
  • 2-undecanonearomaketonereads as strong odor (PubChem)Measured in 9 of 338 ingredients.cite
    named as one of the ketones describing the beetroot fermented with the spontaneous micro-flora, where the paper reports 'a greater speciation'. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, ketones, text)
  • 3-methylbutanalaromaaldehydereads as apple-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 22 of 338 ingredients.cite
    'The LAB mix and spontaneous fermentations were described by butanal, 3-methyl, and hexanal'. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, aldehydes, text)
  • hexan-2-onearomaketoneMeasured in 3 of 338 ingredients.cite
    named among the ketones describing the spontaneously fermented beetroot. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, ketones, text)
  • 2-nonanonearomaketoneMeasured in 9 of 338 ingredients.cite
    named among the ketones describing the spontaneously fermented beetroot. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, ketones, text)
  • isoamyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 43 of 338 ingredients.cite
    'Fermentation with the water kefir consortium was primarily responsible for producing isoamyl alcohol (1-butanol and 3-methyl), followed by fermentation guided by the spontaneous micro-flora' — second-highest in the arm this node ships. Presence only, no concentration printedCasciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods (Section 3.5, alcohols, text)
  • L-glutamic acidtasteacidreads as umami sour taste (PubChem)Measured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
    454.87 ± 14.71 mg/L fresh 'Wodan' falling to 330.02 ± 20.66 after spontaneous fermentation; 444.74 ± 11.52 fresh 'Alto' falling to 340.55 ± 18.79Choińska et al. 2022, Scientific Reports (Table 3, row 'Glutamic acid')

Sources

  • Casciano Flavia et al. 2022, Foods
  • Choińska et al. 2022, Scientific Reports