Dynamic Changes and Potential Correlations between Microbial Diversity and Volatile Flavor Compounds in Chinese...

Area of Science:

• Food Microbiology
• Fermentation Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Chinese medium-temperature Daqu (MTD) is crucial for traditional fermented foods.
• Understanding microbial dynamics and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is key to MTD quality.
• Dynamic changes during MTD manufacturing require detailed investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate dynamic changes in microbial diversity and VOCs during MTD manufacturing.
• To identify correlations between specific microorganisms and VOCs.
• To discover potential biomarkers for MTD fermentation stages and quality improvement.

Main Methods:

• High-throughput sequencing (HTS) for microbial diversity analysis.
• Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) for VOC profiling.
• Statistical analysis to determine correlations between microbes and VOCs.

Main Results:

• Identified dominant bacterial genera (e.g., *Weissella*, *Staphylococcus*, *Kroppenstedtia*) and fungal genera (e.g., *Aspergillus*, *Saccharomyces*).
• Detected 61 VOCs, with 13 identified as potential biomarkers for MTD fermentation stages.
• Established correlations between specific genera (*Kroppenstedtia*, lactic acid bacteria, fungi) and key VOCs, revealing flavor formation mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• Specific microbial genera and VOCs are significantly correlated during MTD fermentation.
• Identified VOCs can serve as biomarkers for assessing MTD quality and fermentation stage.
• Findings provide a basis for selecting functional microorganisms to enhance MTD quality and flavor.