Targeted and untargeted metabolomics reveal dynamic purine metabolism in soy whey fermented by yeast

This study explored how yeast fermentation can reduce purine content in soy whey and regulate associated metabolic pathways. By combining both targeted and untargeted metabolomics, we examined changes in purines, amino acids, and organic acids during fermentation using different yeast strains. Among them, one strain significantly reduced the total purine content in soy whey by over 35 %. We observed that fermentation influenced the balance of key nutrients and bioactive compounds, including sugars and organic acids. Further analysis revealed that the yeast modified central metabolic pathways, such as purine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and energy production. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of purine degradation during fermentation and suggest a promising strategy for developing low-purine functional foods using soy whey as a nutritional substrate.