Functional properties of tomato vinegar manufactured using Makgeolli seed culture

Tomato vinegar was manufactured by mixing different ratios of tomato wine and Makgeolli seed culture (SC) produced using Acetobacter pasteurianus JAC002. The total acidity of tomato vinegar according to the ratio of SC increased by more than 4% after 20 days of fermentation. In addition, the acetic acid content of the 20 day fermented product increased with increasing amounts of SC (from 10.08 to 5,173.82 mg%). The lycopene content, which was higher in tomato vinegars (1.38∼1.79 mg/kg) than that of tomato wine (1.38 mg/kg), decreased with increasing amounts of SC. However, the total phenolic content increased with increasing amounts of SC (23.07 to 31.01 mg/100 mL), while the antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS^･+ radical scavenging activity) showed a decreasing tendency. These results showed that the antioxidant activity was more influenced by lycopene content. The antimicrobial activity was highest when the SC content was 40% and was dependent on the total acidity. The anti-obesity effects of tomato vinegar (with different ratio of SC) based on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes was assessed using Oil Red O staining, which revealed that lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes was inhibited by increasing amounts of SC. However, there was no significant difference in 3T3-L1 adipocytes of samples containing less than 20% SC had and the control. Taken together, these results suggest that tomato vinegar manufactured with SC may be useful as a functional food for enhancing health.