Background. Vegetables undergoing fermentation through the activity of lactic bacteria and mass exchange change their texture and structure. This study aimed to investigate the effect of salt in brine on the dry matter content, texture, degree of water binding and structure of yellow beetroots fermented with a dedicated strain of Latiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC4080. Diced  beetroots were lacto-fermented in brine with salt concentrations of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 %. The fermentation was monitored on days 0, 4, 6, 8, 11 and 60. After 11 days of the process, the  temperature was reduced from 30 to 25 oC, considering the 49 days to be a storage period at a temperature higher than the one traditionally used. The samples were evaluated for dry matter  content, texture, internal structure and the degree of water binding in the beetroot cells.
Results and conclusions. An analysis of the results showed the influence of both the fermentation time and the addition of salt to the brine on the textural and structural parameters. The  fermentation process decreased the dry matter content of the tissue, regardless of the salt concentration used in the brine. The samples fermented in 4 ÷ 6 % brine showed the smallest changes  in texture compared to fresh beetroots. Moreover, tissue stiffening was observed for these samples. A decrease in springiness, elasticity, cohesion and chewiness was observed as the  fermentation process progressed. A relationship was found between the amount of salt in the brine and the state of water binding in the tissue. An analysis of the internal structure also showed  that beetroot cubes fermented in 2 and 3 % brine were not overcooked, which was seen for the beetroot with 0 and 1 % brine. The storage time reduced the hardness and chewiness of the  samples considerably, regardless of the salt concentration in the brine.