Untargeted metabolomics reveals phenolic compound dynamics during mung bean fermentation

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biotechnology
• Plant Biochemistry

Background:

• Mung beans are a rich source of bioactive compounds.
• Fermentation can modify and enhance the nutritional profile of legumes.
• Understanding phenolic compound enrichment is crucial for food processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the changes and enrichment mechanisms of phenolic compounds in mung beans during solid-state fermentation (SSF) by Aspergillus Niger.
• To quantify the impact of SSF on total phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity.
• To identify specific phenolic metabolites and their correlation with antioxidant activity.

Main Methods:

• Solid-state fermentation of whole mung bean seeds using Aspergillus Niger.
• Measurement of total phenolic and flavonoid content.
• Assessment of antioxidant capacity.
• Untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-fourier transform mass spectrometry (UHPLC-FTMS) for phenolic profiling.

Main Results:

• SSF significantly increased total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05).
• 61 differential phenolic metabolites were identified; 22 showed significant upregulation over time.
• 32 phenolic compounds were positively correlated with enhanced antioxidant capacity.
• Biosynthesis pathways of flavonoids, flavonols, isoflavones, and phenylpropanoids were key drivers of phenolic enrichment.

Conclusions:

• Solid-state fermentation with Aspergillus Niger is an effective strategy for improving the phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of mung beans.
• The study elucidated key metabolic pathways responsible for phenolic compound enrichment during fermentation.
• This fermentation approach holds potential for developing functional food ingredients from mung beans.