## 4 Discussion
Apart from the effect on the organoleptic quality of the final product, both assist in brine formation through the physical damage of the plant tissue during mixing. As far as sodium chloride is concerned, its addition was not mentioned in any ancient text. However, its function as a selective agent favoring growth of LAB led to its use at relevant amount (1.3% \(w/w\)). The production procedure was directed by the description of the texture of the final product, as well as the selection of cabbage as the major ingredient. The texture was described as grass-like, occurring after mixing and grinding together the raw materials. However, the extend of grating and grinding was not revealed. Coarse grating would lead to a texture similar to modern day sauerkraut; on the other hand, fine grating would lead to a paste-like product that is rarely reported for fermented vegetables and is most common for soybean preparations. Therefore, coarse grating was selected. When leafy vegetables are used, grating aims for the formation of brine. This is facilitated by mixing with small particles, such as cardamom and mustard seeds as well as carbohydrate-rich ingredients, such as raisins and pomergnate seeds. In modern days, brine formation is also facilitated by NaCl addition. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microecosystem of avyrtake already from the first day of fermentation. The concomitant reduction of the pH value and the development of acidity resulted in the decrease in the Enterobacteriaceae population. On the contrary, enterococci retained high population levels due to their tolerance to acidic environments [36]. _Lactiplantobacillus plantarum_ dominated the lactic acid microbiota from the third day of fermentation, with _Lv. brevis_ forming the secondary biota. The dominance of _Lp. plantarum_ may be attributed to its large metabolic capacity and tolerance to acidic conditions [37]. Indeed, its participation and, in many cases, dominance of the LAB microecosystem was reported in a wide range of spontaneously fermented vegetables [38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45]. Similarly, _Lv. brevis_ is very often reported as background microbiota, mainly due to its ability to tolerate stressful conditions [39]. The sensorial evaluation of the final product revealed its sour character, which matched the organoleptic description available from the ancient texts. Overall, the product was characterized as highly acceptable, despite the combination of several ingredients with intense flavors and the further enrichment by lactic acid fermentation. Texture received the lowest score, which can be attributed to the NaCl addition. Indeed, NaCl has been extensively reported to affect the texture of sauerkraut in a concentration-dependent way [46; 47]. More accurately, [PERSON] et al. [46] reported that sauerkraut produced with 15 g/kg of NaCl had better texture, in terms of firmness, compared to that produced with a lower NaCl content (9 g/kg). In addition, [PERSON] et al. [48] reported a significant loss of firmness as the concentration of NaCl decreased from 20 to 5 g/kg. Despite the textural defects encountered in sauerkraut produced with only 10 g/kg NaCl, the application of _Leuconstoc mesenteroides_ as a starter culture contributed to the manufacture of a final product with a perceived texture similar to that obtained with higher NaCl concentrations. This, probably, was also the case of the present study. Although the NaCl content in avyrtake was not low enough (13.5 g/kg) to cause a potential loss of firmness with concomitant softening of the cabbage or leek, the use of an appropriate starter culture could compensate for the aforementioned textural imperfections.