Quality standards of kimchi products according to TCVN 13120:2020 in Vietnam

Hello, Lawnet would like to answer as follows:

1. What is kimchi?

According to TCVN 13120:2020, kimchi is defined as the product:

- Prepared from Chinese cabbage, Brassica pekinensis Rs.; Chinese cabbage must not have significant defects, be trimmed to remove inedible parts, salted, washed with clean water, and drained; may or may not be cut into pieces/portions of appropriate sizes;

- Prepared with a spice mixture mainly red chili powder (Capsicum annuum L.), garlic, ginger, radish, and other edible Allium species besides garlic. These seasoning ingredients can be chopped, sliced, and crushed into pieces;

- Fermented before or after packaging in suitable containers to ensure appropriate ripeness and preserve the product during lactic acid production at low temperatures.

The product is presented in one of the following formats:

- Whole plant: whole Chinese cabbage;

- Half plant: cabbage is split into two halves.

- A quarter of a plant: Chinese cabbage is split lengthwise into a quarter of a plant;

- Round or thin pieces: cabbage leaves are cut into pieces with length and width ranging from 1 cm to 6 cm.

2. Main ingredients of kimchi in Vietnam

Based on the regulations in TCVN 13120:2020, the main ingredients of kimchi are as follows:

- Basic ingredients

+ Chinese cabbage and spice mixture as described in Article 2 of TCVN 13120:2020;

+ Salt (sodium chloride).

- Other permitted ingredients

+ Fruit;

+ Sticky rice lake;

+ Nuts;

+ Salted or fermented seafood;

+ Sesame seeds;

+ Sugar (carbohydrate sweetener);

+ Vegetables other than those described in Article 2;

+ Paste of wheat flour.

-  Other components

3. Quality, pollutant, and hygiene criteria of kimchi in Vietnam

Quality criteria of kimchi are specified in TCVN 13120:2020 as follows:

- Kimchi must have a common color, flavor, and odor and be characteristic of the product.

- Other quality indicators:

+ Color: the product must have the red color of red pepper.

+ Taste: the product must have a spicy and salty taste; it can also have a sour taste.

+ Condition: product must be hard, brittle, and chewy.

TCVN 13120:2020 also regulates pollutant and hygiene criteria for kimchi as follows:

- Regarding pollutants:

+ Products specified in this standard must comply with the maximum allowable limit of heavy metal pollution according to current regulations.

+ Products specified in this standard must comply with the maximum allowable limit of pesticide residue according to current regulations.

- Regarding hygiene:

+ Products specified in this standard should be prepared and handled according to the corresponding regulations of TCVN 5603 (expired and replaced by TCVN 5603:2023 (CAC/RCP 1) Code of practice on general principles of food hygiene and other relevant codes of practice.

+ The product must comply with microbiological criteria established according to TCVN 9632 (CAC/GL 21) Principles for establishing and applying microbiological criteria for food.

Best regards!

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