Abstract
Fermented vegetables are typically traditional foods made of fresh vegetables and their juices, which are fermented by beneficial microorganisms. Herein, we applied high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent technology to describe the diversities of microbiota and identify core microbiota in fermented vegetables from different areas of Hainan Province, and abundant metabolic pathways in the fermented vegetables were simultaneously predicted. At the genus level, Lactobacillus bacteria were the most abundant. Lactobacillus plantarum was the most abundant species, followed by Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria. These species were present in each sample with average absolute content values greater than 1% and were thus defined as core microbiota. Analysis results based on the alpha and beta diversities of the microbial communities showed that the microbial profiles of the fermented vegetables differed significantly based on the regions and raw materials used, and the species of the vegetables had a greater effect on the microbial community structure than the region from where they were harvested. Regarding microbial functional metabolism, we observed an enrichment of metabolic pathways, including membrane transport, replication and repair and translation, which implied that the microbial metabolism in the fermented vegetables tended to be vigorous. In addition, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum were calculated to be major metabolic pathway contributors. Finally, we constructed a network to better explain correlations among the core microbiota and metabolic pathways. This study facilitates an understanding of the differences in microbial profiles and fermentation pathways involved in the production of fermented vegetables, establishes a basis for optimally selecting microorganisms to manufacture high-quality fermented vegetable products, and lays the foundation for better utilizing tropical microbial resources.
Highlights
Vegetables are a primary source of nutrition for the human body, as they provide a variety of necessary vitamins and minerals
Of all the microorganisms involved in vegetable fermentation, lactic acid bacteria are the predominant genera utilized for the fermentation process (Nguyen et al, 2013)
Lactobacillus crustorum, Lactobacillus farciminis, and Lactobacillus mindensis were isolated as important microorganisms in Taiwanese mustard products by Chao et al (2012). (Yu et al, 2012) isolated 185 lactic acid bacteria from pickles collected from six regions of Sichuan Province and accurately identified 81 Lactobacillus plantarum, 38 Lactobacillus pentosus, and 24 Lactobacillus brevis
Summary
Vegetables are a primary source of nutrition for the human body, as they provide a variety of necessary vitamins and minerals. In addition to being cooked, vegetables can be pickled, dried, canned, frozen, and converted into liquid forms These processes extend their storage life, facilitate their transport, increase their value, and improve their flavor. Cho et al (2006) studied the fermentation process of kimchi and demonstrated that kimchi fermentation is governed by the distinct population dynamics of a subset of Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Weissella species, such as Leuconostoc citreum and Weissella cibaria. These studies demonstrated that the microbial diversities of traditional fermented foods are abundant
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