YAH! Es ist, wie Sie das kraut bilden, das unterscheidet.
[It's how you make the kraut that makes the difference. The above translation into German may stink, it came from Babelfish!]
http://www.splammo.net/foodapplmicro/applkraut.html
"Throughout the fermentation, it is critical that oxygen be excluded. The presence of oxygen would permit the growth of some spoilage organisms, particularly the acid-loving molds and yeasts.
As no starter cultures are added to the system, this is referred to as a wild fermentation. The normal flora of the cabbage leaves is relied upon to include the organisms responsible for a desirable fermentation, one that will enhance preservation and organoleptic acceptability. The floral succession is governed mainly by the pH of the growth medium.
Initially, a coliform starts the fermentation. Coliforms which have contributed to our lab-made sauerkraut in recent years have included Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. oxytoca and Enterobacter cloacae. As acid is produced, an environment more favorable for Leuconostoc is quickly formed. The coliform population declines as the population of a strain of Leuconostoc builds. As Leuconostoc is a heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium, much gas (carbon dioxide) accompanies the acid production during this stage. The pH continues to drop, and a strain of Lactobacillus succeeds the Leuconostoc. (On occasion a strain of Pediococcus arises instead of Lactobacillus.) The complete fermentation, then, involves a succession of three major groups or genera of bacteria, a succession governed by the decreasing pH."
http://www.splammo.net/foodapplmicro/FBimages/fkraut.jpg