Effect of microbial communities on the quality characteristics of northeast soybean paste: Correlation between microorganisms and metabolites

To systematically explore the impact of microbial community composition on the quality characteristics of northeast soybean paste, the microbial community structure was determined by high-throughput sequencing technology, and the flavor substance, free amino acid (FAA) and biogenic amine (BA) contents were determined by HS-SPME-GC-MS and HPLC. Furthermore, the correlation between microorganisms and metabolites was investigated. The results indicated that the core bacteria mainly included Tetragenococcus, Bacillus and Lactobacillus; Candida_f__norank, Wickerhamomyces and Aspergillus were the dominant fungi. A total of 139 flavor compounds were detected in all samples, and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, isoamyl phenylacetate and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane accounted for the highest proportion. A total of 24 FAAs were detected in the soybean paste. Pantoea, Kroppenstedtia and Kocuria were significantly positively correlated with most FAAs (p < 0.05). Additionally, 5 BAs were detected in the soybean paste, and the contents of BAs in Y4 were highest, which was affected by different microbes. This study provided relevant information for the microbial community composition and metabolites of northeast soybean paste, which was of great significance for understanding the characteristics and safety of soybean paste.

Automated summary

This study systematically explored the impact of microbial community composition on the quality characteristics of northeast soybean paste. The core bacteria and dominant fungi were identified, and the contents of flavor substances, free amino acids, and biogenic amines were determined. The study also investigated the correlation between microorganisms and metabolites, providing relevant information for understanding the characteristics and safety of soybean paste.