Utilizing response surface methodology to evaluate the process parameters of indigenous cucumber fermentation

Commercial pickled cucumbers are produced in variety of salt concentrations including brines up to 15% sodium chloride due to the preventive nature of the salt towards microbial growth. Although it is deemed necessary for manufacturers to utilize high amounts of salts to prolong shelf life, the high content creates a burden for the growth of beneficial microorganisms including probiotics. In this study, the production of naturally fermented cucumbers and their microbial viability were tested with the help of an experimental design tool, Box-Behnken Design (BBD), to evaluate the optimal conditions for the production process and to maintain the highest viability of potential beneficial microorganisms during storage. Accordingly, the operational conditions including salt concentration (2, 5, or 8%), fermentation temperature (20, 25, or 30 °C), and brine filling (pretreatment) temperature (80, 85, or 90 °C) were optimized with a significant fit to a quadratic model (p < 0.05). The trends for sugar consumption and total acid production were monitored to demonstrate the correlation between the above-mentioned operational parameters for the fermentation process of pickled cucumbers with indigenous microorganisms. Overall, 5% salt content, 70 °C filling temperature and 25 °C fermentation medium was determined to maintain over 6 log cfu/mL viability. The results represent a valuable contribution to the pickle industry including a know-how of process parameters.