Table 2 Microbial population in kimchi stored at 4°C (unit: log CFU/g)

	Period (day)	Japan	China	Korea 1	Korea 2	Korea 3	Korea 4	Korea 5
Total aerobic bacteria	0	3.51±0.011)^F2)^f3)	7.62±0.01^Cb	7.45±0.13^Db	8.31±0.09^Aa	6.99±0.12^Ed	8.02±0.01^Bb	7.57±0.13^Cb
	7	5.54±0.04^Ed	7.70±0.07^Ca	8.15±0.03^Ba	7.52±0.04^Dc	8.22±0.05^Aa	8.19±0.05^ABa	8.14±0.01^Ba
	21	6.31±0.03^Fa	7.52±0.06^Bc	6.48±0.02^Ed	7.08±0.03^Cd	7.68±0.05^Abc	6.18±0.04^Gc	6.94±0.05^Dc
	35	6.00±0.07^Gb	6.48±0.01^Ed	6.33±0.01^Fe	7.94±0.01^Ab	7.75±0.01^Bb	6.59±0.00^Dd	6.70±0.02^Cc
	49	5.67±0.01^Fc	6.20±0.02^Ee	6.48±0.04^Dc	7.49±0.00^Bc	7.60±0.09^Ac	6.16±0.02^Fe	6.98±0.01^Ce
	63	4.88±0.00^CDe	4.78±0.05^Df	5.13±0.02^Cf	6.92±0.67^Ad	5.96±0.00^Be	6.04±0.00^Ba	5.20±0.04^Ce
Lactic acid bacteria	0	3.19±0.06^Ff	7.55±0.08^Eb	7.74±0.04^Db	8.54±0.01^Aa	7.56±0.00^Ec	8.17±0.02^Ca	8.35±0.01^Ba
	7	3.29±0.05^Ee	7.87±0.07^Da	8.37±0.00^Aa	7.88±0.01^Db	7.98±0.01^Ca	8.17±0.00^Ba	8.16±0.05^Bb
	21	6.32±0.09^Ea	7.37±0.13^Bc	6.91±0.01^Cc	6.89±0.00^Ce	7.56±0.03^Ac	6.18±0.04^Ca	6.44±0.07^Dd
	35	6.02±0.04^Gb	6.67±0.05^Cd	6.15±0.04^Ee	7.80±0.00^Ac	7.65±0.01^Bb	6.08±0.04^Bb	6.61±0.04^Dc
	49	5.63±0.03^Gc	6.50±0.07^De	6.69±0.11^Cd	7.42±0.01^Ad	6.84±0.10^Bd	6.06±0.01^Fb	6.30±0.03^Ee
	63	4.78±0.05^Ed	4.19±0.06^Ff	4.93±0.04^Df	5.68±0.01^Bf	5.94±0.01^Ae	5.98±0.01^Fc	5.13±0.02^Cf
Lactobacillus spp.	0	3.36±0.03^Fd	7.07±0.03^Cb	6.65±0.07^Dc	7.93±0.04^Aa	6.30±0.00^Ee	6.60±0.02^Ad	7.79±0.11^Ba
	7	3.20±0.04^Ee	6.99±0.12^Bc	8.12±0.03^Aa	7.87±0.02^CDd	7.98±0.01^De	8.17±0.00^Db	8.16±0.05^BCDc
	21	5.65±0.03^Eab	8.35±0.01^Aa	6.34±0.02^Dd	6.28±0.14^De	7.40±0.06^Bb	5.39±0.12^BCa	7.18±0.04^Cb
	35	5.62±0.01^Eb	6.65±0.03^Bd	6.09±0.07^De	7.74±0.01^Ab	7.76±0.01^Aa	6.05±0.04^Ff	6.50±0.05^Cd
	49	5.66±0.02^Ga	6.38±0.03^De	6.88±0.01^Bb	7.29±0.02^Ac	6.71±0.11^Cc	5.91±0.01^Dc	6.25±0.01^Ee
	63	4.48±0.02^Fc	4.10±0.02^Gf	5.20±0.04^Df	5.77±0.04^Bf	5.92±0.01^Af	5.70±0.01^Fd	5.02±0.03^Ef
Leuconostoc spp.	0	3.48±0.02^Gd	7.20±0.05^Ec	7.08±0.01^Fb	8.32±0.03^Aa	7.31±0.08^Dc	7.92±0.04^Ce	8.19±0.05^Ba
	7	3.37±0.07^Ed	7.84±0.01^Db	8.34±0.04^Aa	7.84±0.04^Db	8.19±0.09^Ca	8.26±0.01^Cb	8.17±0.03^Ca
	21	6.30±0.01^Da	8.42±0.82^Aa	6.87±0.00^Cc	6.79±0.00^Ce	7.45±0.03^Bb	6.30±0.17^Ba	7.13±0.02^BCb
	35	6.02±0.0^Eb	6.63±0.02^Bd	6.10±0.02^Fd	7.60±0.03^Ac	6.15±0.21^Dd	5.74±0.06^Dc	6.39±0.12^Cc
	49	5.62±0.01^Ce	5.30±0.43^De	5.54±0.09^Ce	7.13±0.07^Ad	5.95±0.00^Be	5.23±0.04^De	6.11±0.10^Bd
	63	3.24±0.34^Ee	3.84±0.09^Df	4.15±0.21^Cf	4.65±0.07^Bf	5.08±0.00^Af	4.65±0.07^Bf	4.60±0.00^Be

All values are mean±SD (n=3).
^A-GMeans sharing different letters in the same row are significantly different by Duncan’s multiple range test (p<0.05).
^a-fMeans sharing different letters in the same column are significantly different by Duncan’s multiple range test (p<0.05).