Red Beetroot Fermentation with Different Microbial Consortia to Develop Foods with Improved Aromatic Features.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Microbiology
• Fermentation Technology

Background:

• European cuisine heavily features plant-based fermented foods, often using spontaneous fermentation.
• Spontaneous fermentation lacks standardization, leading to variable results.
• Commercial starter cultures offer a path to reproducible fermentation outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare different fermentation methods for red beets (Beta vulgaris L. var. conditiva).
• To evaluate the microbiological, physico-chemical, structural, and volatilome characteristics of fermented red beets.
• To explore the potential for standardizing red beet fermentation using starter cultures.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of various red beet fermentation techniques.
• Analysis of microbiological and physico-chemical parameters.
• Volatilome profiling using multi-variate analysis to correlate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with fermentation variables.

Main Results:

• Successful lactic acid fermentation of red beets was achieved across methods.
• Volatilome analysis effectively distinguished metabolic profiles based on starter cultures.
• Fermentation with a mixed starter culture yielded the most complex and diverse volatilome.
• Red beet structural integrity was maintained; samples did not soften.

Conclusions:

• Starter cultures can successfully ferment red beets, yielding distinct flavor profiles.
• The study provides a foundation for standardizing artisanal red beet fermentation.
• Standardization can enhance the quality and safety of fermented red beet food products.