Characteristics of vinegar include
(1) Adds acidity and flavor
(2) Affects the color of ingredients
● Green chlorophyll pigments (such as spinach) fade due to acidity.
●The anthocyanin pigment (eggplant) is acidic and develops a reddish color and is stable and resistant to fading.
●Prevent enzymatic browning of vegetables. (lotus root and burdock root)
(3) Affects hardness
Since vinegar is acidic, it suppresses the decomposition of pectin and does not soften easily (add vinegar when boiling lotus root).
Adding vinegar softens the meat (marinating)
●If you add vinegar when boiling kombu, it will become softer. Alginic acid is contained in the cell walls of brown algae such as kelp, hijiki and wakame. Free or calcium-bound alginic acid is an insoluble dietary fiber and a polysaccharide that serves to retain algal bodies. Softening due to organic acids occurs because alginic acid is highly eluted into the seasoning liquid, the degree of polymerization and water absorption of alginic acid is significantly reduced, and a large amount of calcium is released.
(4) Weaken the fishy smell (volatilization of basic components such as trimethylamine) (volatile acid and non-volatile acid)
(5) Degenerate the protein of the meat and tighten the meat. Due to the properties of myosin in the fish meat protein, the salted meat loses hydration on the acidic side of the isoelectric point of raw meat, resulting in low swelling, while the swelling increases on the alkaline side. (Fish marinated in vinegar)
(6) Helps heat denaturation of proteins (eggs tend to harden)
(7) Suppress the oxidation of vitamin C
(8) It has bactericidal and antibacterial action
(9) Interaction with saltiness (relaxes strong saltiness and compensates for weak saltiness)