Immature Green Fruits Kimchi, Apricot Plum Kimchi and the Methods for Preparation thereof FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for preparing green fruit kimchi using green fruits, to a method for preserving the green fruit kimchi by using gourmet oil and to a method for preparing apricot plum kimchi and fermented apricot plum kimchi prepared by maturing the apricot plum kimchi, and selecting well-matured kimchi, then flavoring the kimchi with spice or herb.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has been reported that green fruits can improve health and have medical effects on treating various disease. Especially, an apricot plum, sometimes called Japanese apricot, has been used in a medical treatment for about 2000 years as shown in an ancient Chinese medical book named <ShinNongBonKwonKyung>, and there are records showing that the apricot plum had been used from Three Kingdoms period in Korea. In addition, Korean ancient medical books named <DongEuBoGam> and <BonChoGangMok> state the medical effects of the <BR> <BR> apricot plum. The apricot plum is a fruit of a Prunus mume Sieb. & Zucc. , a broadleaf small forest tree belonging to Rosaceae family, which is also called Prunus mume or Japanese apricot tree. Specifically, organic acids of the apricot plum that make a sour taste are known to have effects on controlling noxious bacteria in the intestine and preventing aging of the living bodies.

Apricot plum is widely produced in Korea, especially in Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeonggi-do. However, because the apricot plum has an astringent and sour taste and makes harm to teeth, it is not proper to ingest raw-state. In addition, because the apricot plum is harvested for

about 2-3 weeks from late spring to early summer, it is impossible to take apricot plum throughout a year. Therefore, a method for improving the taste of the apricot plum and a method for preserving the apricot plum product for more than 1 year without decaying have been researched. For example, concentrated apricot plum extract, apricot plum brandy or apricot plum vinegar has been suggested; and as oriental medicine applications, a black apricot plum prepared by smoking a peeled apricot plum and a white apricot plum prepared by salting the apricot plum then drying have been suggested. However, most of these apricot plum products are easily decayed, and the applications in oriental medicines have limitations, and therefore, apricot plums were not widely used.

As apricot plum products, extracts, salted and/or fermented food products such as a sliced apricot plum preserved in soy-salt sauce, an apricot plum brandy, a concentrated apricot plum fruit extract, a sliced apricot plum preserved in sugar, or the like have been invented. In addition, apricot plum was added into a vegetable-wrapping sauce [Journal of Culinary Society of Korean Academy (2001) ], and added when making bean curd [Journal of Korean Society of Food<BR> Science and Technology 2000] ]. Further, Korean Registered Patent No. 10- 223974 (Application No 1997-44070) discloses a sliced apricot plum preserved in soy sauce. In case of a sliced apricot plum preserved in soy sauce, Japanese has prevented dysentery by taking a sliced apricot plum preserved in soy/salt sauce, but because Koreans prefer kimchi to a sliced apricot plum preserved in soy sauce, it has been rarely consume in Korea.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a purpose of the present invention is to provide green fruit kimchi prepared by using green fruit and a method for preparing the kimchi.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for preserving the green fruit kimchi by using gourmet oil.

Further another purpose of the present invention is to provide fermented apricot plum kimchi prepared by selecting well-matured apricot plum kimchi and then conducting second flavoring with spice or herb for more improved taste and to provide a method for preparing the fermented apricot plum kimchi.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION To accomplish the purposes above, the present invention provides a method for preparing green fruit kimchi prepared by a using green fruit, which was conventionally deserted or not used widely and a method for preserving the green fruit kimchi using gourmet oil.

The method for preparing the green fruit kimchi of the present invention comprises the following steps of : (1) Washing green fruits, and drying; (2) Preserving the green fruits in salt water and/or sugar water to pickle; and (3) Washing the above-preserved green fruits, drying, then mixing with spices to make kimchi : As green fruits, conventional green fruits having solid flesh and rich tastes may be used, for example, an apricot plum, an apricot, a peach, a cherry, a fruit of Schisandra chine, a fruit of the Chinese matrimony vine, a fruit of Cornus officinal, a mountain wild berries, a fruit of a mulberry, an apple, a wild grape and a grape may be used, but not limited thereto. In addition, immature or fallen fruits thereof may be used.

Among the fruits, apricot plum, a fruit of a Japanese apricot tree (Prunus mume) that is a broadleaf small forest tree belong to Rosaceae family, has been known to have effects on discharging phlegm, stopping diarrhea, treating biliary ache due to invasion of adult ascariasis into a biliary tract, treating anorexia by gastric anachlorhydria or indigestion, restricting intestine activity, antibacterial

activity, antioxidation, removing alcohol poisoning, treating apoplexy, or the like, and to have effects on the skin.

The green fruits of the present invention are preserved in salt water or sugar water to be pickled for the process of fermentation to make pickle type for eating.

As a pickling solution, 1-10 wt% of sugar water is preferable, and 2-6 wt% is more preferable. When using salt water, 1-20 wt% of salt water is preferable, and 6-10 wt% is more preferable. More preferably, mixed solution of sugar water and salt water may be applied. To prevent the green fruits from floating, the green fruits may be wrapped with a nylon net, then pressed under a heavy stone in the sugar water or salt water.

In the above step (3), as an example of the spices, a conventional spice made by mixing sugar, salt, a garlic, a ginger, a red pepper, an onion, a green onion, red-pepper powder, salted seafood, parched sesame seeds mixed with salt, sesame oil and thick soypaste mixed with red peppers may be used, but not limited thereto. The spice may be changed according to tastes. For example, the green fruit kimchi may be prepared by preserving lkg of green fruits in a 3Q mixed solution of 2-6 wt% of sugar water and 6-10 wt% salt water, drying, then mixing the preserved green fruits with 10-20g chopped garlic and 5-15g of sliced wet red and blue hot peppers, and adding 2-8g of green onion and 10-30g of onion thereto. Even when the amount of kimchi changes, the ratio would be the same.

The present invention provides a gourmet oil to preserve the green fruit kimchi. In the gourmet oil, tastes and nutrients of spices are permeated to the oil.

A method for preparing gourmet oil of the present invention may comprise the following steps of : (1) Heating edible oil; (2) Adding pepper powder to the oil and heating again; and (3) Adding spices and/or herbs to the oil of step (2) and filtering.

Preferably, the above gourmet oil may comprise 50-90 wt% of edible oil, 10-40 wt% of pepper powder and 5-10 wt% of spices or herbs.

Specifically, the gourmet oil of the present invention may be prepared by after heating oil in fry pan, adding pepper powder to the oil and frying the oil for 2-8 minutes until the oil becomes red, then adding herb or spices according to the tastes while cooling.

When preparing gourmet oil, all-edible oils can be used, and preferably, cold pressed olive oil, soybean oil or com oil may be used as the oil of step (1).

In addition, as the spices of the step (3), conventional edible spices may be used, preferably, ginger, garlic, pepper or the like may be used.

The above-prepared green fruit kimchi is sterilized at a low temperature then coated with or soaked in gourmet oil to preserve for a long time.

The method for preserving the green fruit kimchi of the present invention may comprises the following steps of : (1) Sterilizing green fruit kimchi at a low temperature by placing the kimchi in a low-temperature steam of 55-65 °C for 7-13 minutes; and (2) Preserving the sterilized kimchi in gourmet oil; In the preserving step, soaking method or coating method may be applied.

The coating method is applied to preserve for 1-2 months of comparably short time, and the soaking method is applied to preserve for more than 6-12 months of comparably long time.

In the coating method, the sterilized kimchi of step (1) is mixed with 1.5 times amount of gourmet oil, and shaken to entirely coat the surface of the kimchi with gourmet oil, then preserved at a room temperature of 18~28°C after removing remained-gourmet oil.

In addition, the present invention provides fermented apricot plum kimchi prepared by selecting well-matured apricot plum kimchi according to a visual and an organic functional standard, and second flavoring the kimchi with spice or herb to improve taste.

In order to prepare the fermented apricot plum kimchi, color, shape, size

and change of apricot plum kimchi during the preservation are examined by visual test; and sourness (acidity), salt content, taste of conventional kimchi, original smell of apricot plum, change of flesh of the apricot plum, change of taste during preservation and fermentation of taste are examined by organic functional test.

Further, after selecting well-matured apricot plum kimchi according to above tests, the apricot plum kimchi is flavored with powdered garlic, pulverized onion, pepper powder, herbs or a mixture thereof to prepare fermented apricot plum kimchi. Before flavoring the apricot plum kimchi, the seeds of the apricot plums from the apricot plum kimchi may be removed or not.

The method for preparing the fermented apricot plum kimchi of the present invention comprises the following steps of : (1) Washing apricot plum, and drying ; (2) Preserving the apricot plum in salt water and/or sugar water to pickle; (3) Washing the above-preserved apricot plum, drying, and mixing with spices to prepare apricot plum kimchi: (4) Maturing the apricot plum kimchi while preserving in gourmet oil; (5) Selecting well-matured kimchi from the first-matured apricot plum kimchi of step (4); and (6) Second flavoring the kimchi selected in step (5).

The apricot plums of the step (2) are preserved in salt water or sugar water for the process of fermentation to make pickle type for eating. As a pickling solution, 1-10 wt% of sugar water is preferable, and 2-6 wt% is more preferable.

When using salt water, 1-20 wt% of salt water is preferable, and 6-10 wt% is more preferable. More preferably, mixed solution of sugar water and salt water may be applied. To prevent the apricot plums from floating, the apricot plums may be wrapped with a nylon net, and pressed under a heavy stone in the sugar water or salt water.

In the present invention, the apricot plum is preserved for 18-28 days or 6- 10 days in sugar water or in salt water.

In the above step (3), as an example of the spices, a conventional spice made by mixing sugar, salt, a garlic, a ginger, a red pepper, an onion, a green onion, red-pepper powder, salted seafood, parched sesame seeds mixed with salt, sesame oil and thick soypaste mixed with red peppers may be used, but not limited thereto. The spice may be changed according to tastes. For example, the apricot plum kimchi may be prepared by preserving lkg of apricot plum in a 3 mixed solution of 2-6 wt% of sugar water and 6-10 wt% salt water, drying, and mixing the preserved apricot plum with 10-20g chopped garlic and 5-15g of sliced wet red and blue hot pepper, then adding 2-8g of green onion and 10-30g of onion thereto.

The above-prepared apricot plum kimchi may be preserved and matured in gourmet oil and fermented. The gourmet oil for preserving and fermenting the apricot plum kimchi may the same as that used in green fruit kimchi above.

A method for standardizing apricot plum kimchi is provided hereinafter; comprising examination of color, shape, size and change of first-matured apricot plum kimchi prepared in steps (1)- (4) with visual test; and examination of the sourness (acidity), salt content, conventional taste of kimchi, original smell of apricot plum, change of flesh of the apricot plum, change of taste during the preservation, and fermentation of taste with organic functional test. Further, a method for selection well-matured apricot plum kimchi according to above tests is described.

The change of the apricot plum kimchi during mature or fermentation by visual test is described as follow.

1) When green apricot plum is preserved in salt or sugar water, the color of apricot plum is changed from thick green to bright green. If the color of the apricot plum is changed to bright green, the color dose not change in the preservation or further processes. (It is a standardized apricot plum kimchi) 2) In the processes of pickling, neutralization of souness, fermentation

and preservation of the kimchi, the shape or size of the apricot plum is not changed. But, if the apricot plum is not mature (i. e. harvested before 60 days from blooming) or not mature too much, the apricot its size decreases and the shape becomes shrink, which does not satisfy the standard. (Unsatisfactory apricot plum kimchi) 3) When the apricot plum of the apricot plum kimchi is not coated with gourmet oil, mildew is generated after 2-3 days even at a temperature of below 10 °C. Even if the apricot plum is coated with gourmet oil, the apricot plum kimchi may decay when preserved in non-vacuumed condition of below 10 °C,. (Fig. 9).

The standardization of the apricot plum kimchi by organic functional test may be described as follows.

1) Sourness of the apricot plum kimchi : When the apricot plum kimchi is fermented and neutralized in the presence of a ferment agent mainly comprising Bacillus subtilis X and an acid-neutralizing with 0. 5-5. 0 % of concentration and 243. 0°C for 3-5 days, fermented apricot plum kimchi with a taste of conventional Chinese cabbage kimchi without strong sourness of apricot plum is obtained.

2) Salt content of the apricot plum kimchi: Generally, 2.0 wt% of salt and 1.0 wt% of sugar cause too weak taste, and more than 4.0 wt% of salt and 2.0 wt% of sugar make proper salty taste, and preferably, 8. 0 wt% of salt and 4.0 wt% of sugar are preferable.

3) Specific taste of apricot plum kimchi : After preserving, pickling and fermenting, the apricot plum kimchi has a taste similar to that of Chinese cabbage kimchi without sourness of apricot plum. However, addition of excessive ferment agent, acid-neutralizing agent or ferment accelerators such as chlorella sacrifices the specific taste of kimchi.

4) Specific smell of apricot plum: The smell of apricot plum is its own property. Although, the strong sour taste of apricot plum is removed

during the fermentation and acid-neutralization, but the smell of apricot plum still remains.

5) Flesh of apricot plum: The change of the flesh of the apricot plum of apricot plum kimchi varies according to the maturity of the green apricot plum used. That is, the change of flesh is very different whether the seeds of the apricot plums are not mature, mature, or too matured. If apricot plums harvested after 60-75 days from blooming were used for the preparation of kimchi, the flesh will not change after preservation and fermentation even though the flesh becomes soft.

6) Change of taste and degree of fermentation during preservation: When apricot plum kimchi is preserved at a low temperature of below 10°C with gourmet oil, the taste of the apricot plum kimchi does decay for 3 years. The taste of the apricot plum kimchi matures during 1 month after preservation very much, and further matures until 1 year after preservation. However, the taste of the kimchi does not change so much after 1 month. For reference, when the kimchi is preserved at room temperature of 2510. 0°C under the sun, color of the kimchi changes and the taste may change.

In conclusion, if the apricot plum kimchi is preserved with gourmet oil below 10 °C, the taste of the apricot plum kimchi matures but not decays.

Hereinafter, a method for preparing fermented apricot plum kimchi comprising the steps of : selection well-matured apricot plum kimchi; removing or not removing the seeds from the apricot plum of the apricot plum kimchi; and second flavoring with powdered garlic, pulverized onion, pepper powder, herbs or a mixture thereof.

First, fermented apricot plum kimchi second-flavored with hot spices may be prepared by a method comprising the steps of : (1) Chopping garlic, onion and pepper powder, and mixing them with a

specific ratio to make spice mixture; (2) Adding salt (0. 5-3. 0 wt%) to the spice mixture, and fermenting at 25 10. 0°C for 48-72 hours; (3) Removing water generated during fermentation, and adding gourmet oil to the fermented spice of step (2); and (4) Adding the fermented spice of step (3) into apricot plum kimchi, then mixing and wrapping.

In step (1), ratio of garlic, onion and pepper powder may be preferably 2: 3-5 : 0. 5-2. 0. In step (3), the amount of gourmet oil may be 1. 5-2. 0 times the amount of the fermented spice, but not limited thereto. In addition, in step (4), the amount of the fermented spice may be 10-20 wt% to the total amount of the apricot plum kimchi, but not limited thereto.

Second, fermented apricot plum kimchi second-flavored with herb may be prepared by a method comprising the steps of : (1) Slicing herb and drying; (2) Adding gourmet oil to the sliced herb; (3) Adding the mixture of herb and gourmet oil of step (2) into apricot plum kimchi, then mixing and wrapping.

In step (1), any edible herbs may be used according to taste. For example, lemon verbena, marshmallow, dill, angelica, chervil, horseradish, southernwood, catmint, sweet basil, sweet marjoram, nettle, garden thyme, dandelion, winter sarory, comfery, oregano, tarragon, borage, mustard, marigold, caraway, coriander, pink, fennel, hyssop, bay, elder, clary sage, sorrel, salad burnet, rosemary, parsley, lavender, lovage, lemon balm, penny royal, garden mint, bergamot, sweet cicely, or the like may be used in the present invention, but not limited thereto.

Dried herb may be stored in a vinyl bag containing dehumidifying agent such as silica and preserved at room temperature.

In step (2), to 100g of herb, preferably 150-200ml of gourmet oil may be added, but not limited thereto.

In step (3) the amount of gourmet oil may be 10-20 wt% to the total amount of the apricot plum kimchi, but not limited thereto.

The fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with spice or herb, or treated with gourmet oil of the present invention may be preserved for a long time in a low temperature under 10°C.

The present invention standardizes the apricot plum kimchi to manage the quality of the apricot plum kimchi effectively. In addition, standardized apricot plum kimchi can be commercial goods by treating with gourmet oil or by adding spice or herb to the kimchi, which can satisfy various tastes of the consumers.

The present invention uses green fruits that were wasted away or used in very narrow applications, and has the following advantages. First, because the present invention uses immature green fruits that were wasted away due to their toxicities, sour tastes or short harvest time, commercial value increases. Second, because the natural components of the green fruits can be ingested, the apricot plum kimchi is good for health. Third, because the sour taste is removed, the green fruit kimchi has increased taste. In addition, the green fruit kimchi of the present invention is preserved by soaking into or coating with gourmet oil prepared by vegetable oil and red pepper or so, the green fruit kimchi can be preserved for a long time without decaying or changing the taste or flesh. And, gourmet oil remained after consuming the green fruit kimchi can be re-used.

The fermented apricot plum kimchi of the present invention is standardized, and therefore, their qualities are effectively managed. In addition, because the kimchi is prepared as a state being fermented with spice or herb, which can satisfy various tastes of the consumers BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a graph showing the change of the flesh of the apricot plum after salting, according to the degree of the mature of the apricot plum.

Fig. 2 shows the change of intensity of sourness and taste of apricot plum kimchi tested by organic functional test, according to the concentration of the salt water and sugar water.

Fig. 3 is a graph showing layers of mildew generated on a pickling solution comprising 8 wt% of salt water and 4 wt% of sugar water to find proper pickling concentration by visual test.

Fig. 4 shows layers of mildew generated on a pickling solution of a proper concentration of salt water and sugar water according to the apricot plums.

Fig. 5 shows the end-date of mature determined by measuring the layer of mildew and sourness of the apricot plum kimchi after preparing kimchi.

Fig. 6 shows the result of preservation test for the kimchi preserved by 4 different methods of; soaking in gourmet oil; coating with gourmet oil, soaking in a solution used when preparing kimchi without treating; and preserving in a bag without specific preserving solution.

Fig. 7 shows the changes of the taste of the apricot plum kimchi preserved at a room temperature in Pusan.

Fig. 8 shows the changess of colors of the apricot plum kimchi treated with gourmet oil then preserved at a room temperature and in a refrigerator.

Fig. 9 shows the degree of decay of the apricot plum kimchi according to the preservation methods of preventing air or not.

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in detail with reference to examples, but the scope of the present invention is not restricted by the examples, and conventional modifications or applications are within the scope of the present invention.

PREFERED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION [Example 1] Preparation of apricot plum kimchi

Step 1: Selecting apricot plum Apricot plums were obtained in Gyungnam hadong and wondong and divided according to the dates of harvest after blooming, that is, apricot plums of; 70 days (June 4), 80 days (June 14) and 90 days (June 24) after blooming were classified as; green, yellow-green and yellow apricot plum respectively. lkg of each of the apricot plums were pickled in 3Q of 10 wt% salt water, and the changes of their flesh were observed.

As a result of 10 days observation, the flesh-change of green apricot plum showed less than 10%, which was the least change and most suitable for kimchi.

Yellow green apricot plum showed more change and yellow apricot plum showed the most change of flesh, which are not proper for preparation of kimchi. (Fig. 1) Therefore, green apricot plums having diameters of 3-4cm maintaining freshness without hurt were used.

Step 2: Washing and drying apricot plum The apricot plumss selected in step 1 was washed while wrapped in a nylon net to prevent from hurting, and shaken. And then, the apricot plums were taken out of water and left at a room temperature for 5-15 minutes to dry Step 3: Pickling (Salting) apricot plum According to a concentration test using salt water and sugar water to measure the changes of the intensity of sourness and taste, it was found that a mixture of 8wt% of salt water and 4wt% of sugar water showed the best condition, which reduced the sourness up to 50% and showed preferable salty taste. (Fig. 2) In addition, yellow green apricot plums and yellow apricot plums were pickled in a mixture of 8wt% of salt water and 4wt% of sugar water, and layers of mildew generated on the surface of the pickling solution were observed. In case of green apricot plums, a layer of mildew was rarely observed even after 10 days.

However, layers of mildew increased in yellow green apricot plums and yellow apricot plums. It was found that the most suitable pickling period is about 8 days.

In addition, mildew generation was observed after 7 days of pickling

according to the concentration of salt water, and it was found that the generation of mildew decreases as the concentration of salt water increases.

Based on the above results, the above washed apricot plum was pickled in 3. C of a mixture solution of 4wt% of sugar water and 8wt% of salt water.

Step 4. Making apricot plum kimchi Apricot plums pickled for 7 days were washed in water and dried. 4 wt% of sugar water, 8 wt% of salt water, 15g of chopped garlic, lOg of hot pepper, 20g of onion and 5g of green onion were added to the dried apricot plum in a method of preparing conventional water-kimchi, and then matured.

In order to find end-date of mature, sour taste of kimchi was checked by organic functional test and generation of mildew layer was observed. In Pusan, 3 days of preservation at a room temperature resulted in the best mature of apricot plum kimchi. That is, 3 days of mature at a room temperature of 18~28°C makes the best taste.

[Example 2] Preparation of apricot kimchi An apricot has a diameter of about 3cm and has fuzzes on the surface. It ripens as yellow or yellow red color and has sour and sweet taste. 90% of the apricot fruit is flesh and its main component is sugar. Because it has effects on cough-remedy and discharging phlegm, it has been conventionally used to treat cough, asthma, bronchitis, acute hepatitis, etc. Further, the apricot has effects on the skin, and has been used to treat freclcles or discoloration of face; nowadays its anti-cancer effect is reported. Ripe apricot is ingested by raw or produced as jam, dried fruit, drink, cracker or the like.

In the present invention, apricot kimchi is prepared by using immature green apricot as follows, which has good medical effects as apricot plum.

Step 1: Selecting apricot In order to determine harvest time of apricot for the preparation of kimchi, apricots were divided according to the dates of their harvest, that is, early June,

middle of June and middle of July, and conducted same tests as done in Step 1 of Example 1. As the harvest time becomes late, the apricots have more wrinkles after pickling and the fleshes changed more, which tuned out to be insufficient for kimchi. Therefore, green apricots having diameters of 3-4cm that were harvested in Gyungnam Hadong in May 24-early June with solid flesh were used.

Step 2: Washing and drying apricot 1 kg of the apricots selected in step 1 was wrapped in a nylon net and washed in water three times. And then, the apricots were taken out of water and leave at a room temperature for 5-15 minutes to dry.

Step 3: Pickling (Salting) apricot The apricots washed and dried in Step 2 were pickled in a mixture of 2wt% of black sugar water 6wt% of salt water, because the apricots have higher sugar contents and thin skin, lower concentrated solution compared with that of apricot plum was applied.

In addition, it was found that the most suitable pickling period to produce excellent taste and pickling is 4 days.

Step 4. Making apricot plum kimchi The apricots pickled in Step 3 were washed in water and dried for 10 minutes in a nylon-net. The above-dried pickled apricots were added into 3Q of mixed solution of 2wt% of black sugar and 8 wt% of salt; and 15g of chopped garlic, lOg of hot pepper, 20g of onion and 5g of green onion also were added thereto, then matured in Pusan for 3 days in June, that is, about a temperature of 18-28°C. The apricot kimchi has lower sour taste and higher sweet taste compared with that of apricot plum kimchi.

[Example 3] Preparation of gourmet oil 100ml of cooking oil was heated in fry pan on a low flame, 30g of red hot pepper powder (30wt%) was added, then heated again for 10-15 minutes to extract hot taste and red color from the red hot pepper into the oil. After putting

out the flame, additional cooking oil was added to control the color, and 5-1 Og of garlic and 5-1 Og of ginger was added to enrich the taste of the gourmet oil.

[Example 4] Preservation of apricot plum kimchi using gourmet oil The apricot plum kimchi of Example 1 matured for 3 days were sterilized in a low temperature steam of 55-65°C for 7-13 minutes. Then the sterilized kimchi were dried and coated with and soaked in the gourmet oil prepared in Example 3. Coating method can be applied when preserving 1-2 months of comparably short time, and soaking method can be applied when preserving 6 months to more than 1 year of comparably long time. The coated or soaked kimchi were preserved at a room temperature and in a refrigerator, while the air is prevented.

The kimchi coated with the gourmet oil or soaked in the gourmet oil were not decayed after 1 year of preservation (Fig. 6). That is, the apricot plum kimch was preserved by the following 4 different methods of; soaking in gourmet oil; coating with gourmet oil; soaking in a solution used in preparing kimchi without treating; and preserving in a bag without preserving solution. As a result of the preservation test, when the kimchi was not treated with gourmet oil, mildew was generated after 3 days of preservation, half of the kimchi was decayed after 1 week, and all of the kimchi was decayed after 10 years. However, when the kimchi was treated with gourmet oil by coating or soaking, the kimchi was not decayed after 12 months of preservation.

In addition, as a result of testing the taste of apricot plum kimchi while preserving at a room temperature and in a refrigerator, when the apricot plum kimchi was treated with gourmet oil by coating or soaking, sour and conventional taste of kimchi was found; and because the flesh of apricot plum was not changed, the feeling of chewing was excellent; in addition, the taste was improved because of the addition of gourmet oil, and the taste did not changed. (Fig. 7) When the kimchi was preserved in refrigerator, the bright green color of the apricot plum

was remained well compared with that preserved at a room temperature. (Fig. 8) [Example 5] Visual test of the apricot plum kimchi The apricot plum kimchi prepared in Example 1 was matured for 3 days at a room temperature of 243. 0°C, and gourmet oil prepared in Example 3 was added thereto, then matured for 30 days while observing color, shape, preservation state and change of size of the apricot plum with naked eye. The results are shown in Table 1.

[Table 1] Green apricot Apricot plum Comparing before and after mature plum kimchi after mature Color Dark green Bright green A color middle of green apricot plum and yellow apricot plum Change Seeds Oval shape Oval shape with Not changed. of being with holes at holes at each ends But yellow green or yellow apricot shape removed each ends plum became wrinkled Seeds Oval-Sphere Oval-Sphere Not changed. not But yellow green or yellow apricot removed plum became wrinkled Size (Seeds not 30-50mm of 30-50mm of Not changed removed) diameter diameter Preservation Impossible Preserved for a Better preservation with preserving long time agent or low temperature [Example 6] Organic functional test of the apricot plum kimchi The apricot plum kimchi prepared in Example 1 was matured for 3 days at a room temperature of 243. 0 °C, and gourmet oil prepared in Example 3 was added thereto, then matured for 30 days. Sour taste, degree of salt, taste of conventional kimchi, original taste of apricot plum, change of flesh, degree of mature according to preservation time and change of taste according to preservation time were observed. The results are shown in Table 2.

[Table 2] Green Apricot plum Comparing before and after apricot kimchi after mature mature plum Sour taste (acidity) Very strong Very weak-not sour 95-100% of sour taste was Not edible Edible removed Degree of salt Nothing Weak-strong Salt is controlled during pickling or mature Taste of conventioanl nothing generated taste of kimchi is preserved kimchi for more than 1 year Original taste of apricot Exist-not Exist In case of green apricot plum, plum exist original taste is not shielded by its strong sour taste. Degree of mature during Nothing Exist Preserved at a low preservation time temperature under 10°C Change Mature green Flesh of Flesh of fruit state Not changed of flesh apricot plum fruit state Immature green Flesh of Soft type Not edible due to the change or yellow fruit type of flesh apricot plum Long-time preservation Impossible Possible Low temperature under 10°C Change of taste during decayed Taste does not Low temperature under 10 C preservation time change

[Example 7] Preparation of fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with spice, with the seeds of the apricot plum removed.

Step 1: Preparation of garlic, onion and hot pepper powder Powdered garlic and sliced raw garlic with a diameter of 2~4mm were prepared. Brown onion, which has higher sugar content and lower spicy taste compared with white onion, was selected and sliced with a diameter of 2-4mm.

As pepper powder, red hot pepper with low spicy taste was grinded smaller than 100 mesh after removing the seeds.

Step 2: Preparation of fermented mixture of garlic, onion and hot pepper powder The garlic, onion and hot pepper powder prepared in Step 1 were mixed with a ratio of 2: 5: 0.5 to be 100g, and 2 wt% (2g) of salt was added theerto, and then fermented 60 hours at a temperature of 24 +3. 0 C. After fermentation, liquid stock generated during the fermentation was removed, and 1.5 time the

amount of gourmet oil to the fermentation was added to make thick spice.

Step 3: Preparation of apricot plum for fermentation Seeds of apricot plums from the apricot plum kimchi of Example 1,2, 3 and 4 were removed for the preparation of fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with spices.

Step 4: Mixing with spice Mixed spice of garlic, onion and hot pepper powder prepared in Step 2 was added to the apricot plum kimchi prepared in the Step 3 in an amount of 15 wt% to the weight of the apricot plums kimchi.

Step 5: Wrapping and preserving the fermented apricot plum kimchi The fermented apricot plum lcimchi flavored with spice prepared in step 4 were wrapped in sterilized bags and stored at a low temperature under 10 °C.

[Example 8] Preparation of fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with spice, without removing the seeds of the apricot plum Fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with spice were prepared as the same method of Example 7, except that the seeds of the apricot plums were not removed.

[Example 9] Preparation of fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with herb, with the seeds of the apricot plum removed.

Apricot plum kimchi itself has a taste of conventional vegetable kimchi and specific smell of apricot plum, however, for the consumers who do not like spices, apricot plum kimchi flavored with herb can be prepared. In the present example, fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with herb and having excellent tastes was prepared.

Step 1: Preparation of herb Parsley, sweet marjoram, garden mint and coriander were washed, sliced and dried under shadow at a temperature of lower than 50 °C. The dried herbs

can be preserved in a vinyl bag with a dehumidification agent such as silicagel.

Step 2: Mixing herb and gourmet oil This step can be proceeded just before eating the kimchi or before wrapping, and preferably, proceeded before eating.

150-200ml of gourmet oil prepared in Example 3 was added to 100g of herb of Step 1, and mixed to obtain thick oily phase.

Step 3: Preparation of fermented apricot plum kimch flavored with herb The seeds of apricot plums from the apricot plum kimchi of Example 1,2, 3 and 4, which were fermented in gourmet oil, were removed. The mixture of herb and gourmet oil prepared in Step 2 was added to the apricot plum kimchi, whose seed are removed, in an amount of 15 wt% to the weight of the apricot plum kimchi, and sealed in sterilized bags and stored at a low temperature under 10°C.

[Example 10] Preparation of fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with herb, without removing the seeds of the apricot plum Fermented apricot plum kimchi flavored with herb were prepared as the same method of Example 9, except that the seeds of the apricot plums were not removed.

As seen above the present invention provides a method for preparing green fruit kimchi using green fruit, a method for preserving the green fruit kimchi using gourmet oil and fermented apricot plum kimchi prepared by maturing the apricot plum kimchi, and selecting well-matured kimchi, then fermenting the kimchi with spice or herb. The present invention provides methods for using apricot plum, which has excellent medical effects but not widely used due to its strong toxicity, by preparing kimchi and flavoring the kimchi with spice or herb, and provides a method for preserving the apricot plum product.