Abstract
Vinegar is one of the most widely used acidic condiments. In recent decades, rapid advances have been made in the area of vinegar research, and the intellectual structure pertaining to this domain has significantly evolved. Thus, it is important that scientists keep abreast of associated developments to ensure an appropriate understanding of this field. To facilitate this current study, a bibliometric analysis method was adopted to visualize the knowledge map of vinegar research based on literature data retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. In total, 883 original research and review articles from between 1998 and 2019 with 19,663 references were analyzed by CiteSpace. Both a macroscopical sketch and microscopical characterization of the whole knowledge domain were realized. According to the research contents, the main themes that underlie vinegar research can be divided into six categories, that is, microorganisms, substances, health functions, production technologies, adjuvant medicines, and vinegar residues. In addition to the latter analysis, emerging trends and future research foci were predicted. Finally, the evolutionary stage of vinegar research was discerned according to Shneider’s four-stage theory. This review will help scientists to discern the dynamic evolution of vinegar research, as well as highlight areas for future research.
Highlights
Vinegar is one of the most familiar acidic condiments around the world [1]
On the basis of the above analysis and discussion, we suggest that vinegar research is a specialized research area in the third stage of the aforementioned development course
In this study, the vinegar research knowledge domain was visualized for the first time using CiteSpace
Summary
Vinegar is one of the most familiar acidic condiments around the world [1]. It has been widely used in almost all civilizations since ancient times and plays important roles as a food-flavoring, medicinal, preservative, and cleaning agent. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) define vinegar as an edible liquid exclusively produced from starchy and/or sugary raw materials by two sequential processes including alcohol and acetic acid fermentation [4]. Throughout the world, vinegar is traditionally brewed initially from fruits, cereals, vegetables, animal products (e.g., honey and whey) or alcohol, and vinegar production strategies can be divided into solid-state fermentation (SSF) and liquid-state fermentation (LSF) methods (Table 1, Figure 1).
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