Effect of Hericium erinaceus on bacterial diversity and volatile flavor changes of soy sauce

At present, the consumer demand for high-quality soy sauce is growing. Hericium erinaceus, an edible mushroom with many health benefits, was used for soy sauce fermentation. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were identified as the main phyla, while, Bacillus and Stenotrophomonas as the predominant genera during soy sauce fermentation. H. erinaceus decreased the richness and diversity of bacteria during soy sauce fermentation due to its antimicrobial effect. Especially, Stenotrophomonas, a common opportunistic pathogen, was replaced by Bacillus during soy sauce fermentation by adding H. erinaceus. Moreover, H. erinaceus significantly promoted the esters and alcohols accumulation, and had positively influenced on a sensory constituent. However, pyrazines, ketones, and alkanes were rich in the control samples. Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Psychrobacter showed a positive correlation to flavor formation with the addition of H. erinaceus. This study provided new insight into regulating the quality and microbial community of soy sauce by changing the raw material ingredients.

Automated summary

This study investigates the regulation of soy sauce quality and microbial community by adding Hericium erinaceus during fermentation process. It was found that Hericium erinaceus had antimicrobial effects, decreased bacterial richness and diversity, and promoted the accumulation of esters and alcohols in soy sauce. Additionally, it positively influenced sensory constituents in soy sauce production.