# Insights into Native Fermentation Process of Apples (_Malus domestica_) in Low Sodium Conditions
## 3 Results
### Color Analysis  
The changes in the flesh color of apple samples (fresh and pickled) during fermentation are shown in Table 5. The \(L^{\star}\), \(a^{\star}\), and \(b^{\star}\) color parameters decreased for all the samples during fermentation, indicating that the color of apple flesh samples degraded with the fermentation period. The total color difference (\(\Delta\)E) is a quality parameter used to determine color changes in food items [26]. In the present study, the \(\Delta\)E (Figure 6) of all brine-pickled apples changed significantly during the fermentation process, showing that the brightness of the fermented samples was reduced and the color difference was more evident. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
\begin{tabular}{c} **Days of** \\ **Fementation** \\ \end{tabular} & **0** & **7** & **14** & **21** & **28** & **35** \\ \hline \multicolumn{8}{c}{**NaCl**} \\ \hline Firmness, N & 2.53 \(\pm\) 0.08 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 2.13 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 2.01 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 0.95 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.93 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.95 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) \\ \hline Cohesiveness & 0.64 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 0.52 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 0.48 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.45 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.45 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.45 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline Springiness, mm & 2.53 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 2.16 \(\pm\) 0.06 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 1.98 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.47 \(\pm\) 0.03 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.46 \(\pm\) 0.03 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.44 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline Chewiness, mJ & 4.27 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 3.12 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 2.17 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.06 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.05 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.03 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline \multicolumn{8}{c}{**KCl**} \\ \hline Firmness, N & 2.53 \(\pm\) 0.08 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 2.06 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 1.93 \(\pm\) 0.09 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 0.73 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.72 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.72 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) \\ \hline Cohesiveness & 0.64 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 0.50 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 0.46 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.41 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline Springiness, mm & 2.53 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 2.07 \(\pm\) 0.07 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 1.82 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.26 \(\pm\) 0.05 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.24 \(\pm\) 0.03 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.25 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline Chewiness, mJ & 4.27 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 3.03 \(\pm\) 0.08 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 1.92 \(\pm\) 0.08 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.74 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.74 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.73 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline \multicolumn{8}{c}{**MgCl\({}_{2}\)**} \\ \hline Firmness, N & 2.53 \(\pm\) 0.08 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 2.11 \(\pm\) 0.05 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 2.00 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 1.12 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.12 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.11 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{C}}\) \\ \hline Cohesiveness & 0.64 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 0.51 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 0.47 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 0.45 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.44 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 0.44 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline Springiness, mm & 2.53 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 2.18 \(\pm\) 0.05 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 1.99 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.49 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.47 \(\pm\) 0.01 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.49 \(\pm\) 0.05 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline Chewiness, mJ & 4.27 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 3.14 \(\pm\) 0.06 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 2.09 \(\pm\) 0.09 \({}^{\text{C}}\) & 1.03 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.02 \(\pm\) 0.02 \({}^{\text{D}}\) & 1.02 \(\pm\) 0.05 \({}^{\text{D}}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
\end{table}