Permutative categories, multicategories and algebraic \(K\)-theory (Q1048470)

\textit{A. D. Elmendorf} and \textit{M. A. Mandell} [Adv. Math. 205, No.~1, 163--228 (2006; Zbl 1117.19001)] introduced a \(K\)-theory functor from permutative categories (symmetric strict monoidal categories) to symmetric spectra. The multiplicative structure was described by a multicategory structure. The present paper embeds the category \(\mathbf{P}\) of permutative categories fully and faithfully as a subcategory of a multicategory, namely the category \(\mathbf{Mult}_*\) of based multicategories, and extends the \(K\)-theory map to this new category. The multiplicative structure on \(\mathbf{P}\) is preserved in the embedding. The new source category for \(K\)-theory, \(\mathbf{Mult}_*\) is symmetric monoidal, closed, complete and cocomplete, and the \(K\)-theory map is a lax symmetric monoidal functor.