Effect of Weissella cibaria co-inoculation on the quality of Sichuan Pickle fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum

Abstract

The effect of Weissella cibaria co-inoculation on the quality of Sichuan Pickle (SCP) fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum was evaluated. The fresh cowpea and seasoning ingredients were sterilized firstly by 70% (v/v) edible alcohol solution, and then respectively fermented with W. cibaria or L. plantarum or their mixed inoculums in brine containing 6.0% salt for 7 days at 25 °C. The cell growth, pH, non-volatile organic acids, volatile flavor compounds, residual nitrite and biogenic amines were monitored during fermentation. Compared to mono-inoculation of L. plantarum, co-inoculation accelerated cell proliferation, pH decrease and production of non-volatile organic acids in initial fermentation, and also significantly promoted the formation of volatile flavor compounds in types and contents during fermentation, especially for the aroma-active and key volatile compounds, thus improved the overall sensory quality of SCP. Furthermore, the co-inoculation decreased the concentration of nitrite and biogenic amines by 5–12% and 6–12%, respectively. Therefore, co-inoculating W. cibaria has improved the food quality of SCP fermented by mono-inoculation of L. plantarum.