Effects of autochthonous starter cultures on bacterial communities and metabolites during fermentation of Yu jiangsuan, a Chinese traditional fermented condiment

Abstract

The study on the bacterial community structure and metabolite effects of fermentation of Yu jiangsuan（YJS）by autochthonous starter cultures has been rarely reported. In this study, the bacterial community structure and metabolites were dynamically explored by high-throughput sequencing and LC-MS/MS during the fermentation of Yu jiangsuan (YJS) by inoculation of autochthonous starter cultures. The results demonstrated that the presence of interactions between bacterial genera accelerated the fermentation process and caused an increase in bacterial diversity and metabolite production. Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, while Weissella, Lactobacillus and Fructobacillus were the dominant genera. The growth of Cyanobacteria and Fructobacillus was reduced in the inoculated fermentation group (HY). Totally 47 major differential metabolites were screened. Pearson correlation analysis showed that seven major bacterial genera were significantly associated with 15 differential metabolites. Carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism exerted a vital influence in the formation of metabolites. Moreover, this study contributes to the investigation of the bacterial community structure and metabolite composition in the fermentation of YJS by inoculation with autochthonous starter cultures, and helps to illuminate the potential value of core functional bacterial genera in the industrial controlled production of YJS.