Flavor and nutritional characteristics of surimi product with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum as a reinforcing starter culture

Abstract

Considering the microbial injury that occurred during the prior salt-curing stage of fermented surimi product (FSP) production, Lactiplantibacillus was investigated as a reinforcing starter in the post-fermentation stage to enhance the flavor, nutritional and safety characteristics of FSP. The results indicated that the addition of Lactiplantibacillus significantly influenced microbial community structures, leading to notable shifts in the physicochemical properties and metabolite profiles. With an abundance of 86.56%, the reinforcing Lactiplantibacillus emerged as the dominant microorganism at 6 months post-fermentation, which correlated with a 20% increase in ester content, thereby enriching the flavor of FSP. Metabolite analysis revealed that while Lactiplantibacillus caused the degradation of dipeptides, it significantly increased the contents of amino acids, N-acetyl-amino acids and organic acids in FSP. Furthermore, biogenic amines and nitrites decreased by 17% and 37%, respectively. This study provides valuable insights into the implementation of reinforcing starter cultures to mitigate the effects of microbial damage in multi-step natural food fermentation.