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Special Issue "Food Quality Control: Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Regulation"

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2024 | Viewed by 2855

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wanping Chen

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Guest Editor

Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Gottingen, Germany
Interests: fungi; Asepergillus; secondary metabolites; food fermentation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Bin Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Food Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
Interests: microbiology; transcriptome; genome; metabolome; proteome
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Xuewei Shi

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Guest Editor

School of Food Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
Interests: microbiology; food fermentation; secondary metabolites; metagenomics; flavors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food quality control is always a hot topic in the food industry, especially in fermented foods. During food fermentation, microbial communities vary with regular processes, accompanied by converting substrates, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, into raw materials and beneficial metabolites (organic acids, alcohols, amino acids, peptides, fatty acids, etc.). These beneficial metabolites have a main nutritional composition and sensory and functional properties. Obviously, microbial diversity and metabolic regulation in fermented foods have become the main factors controlling food quality.

Therefore, this Special Issue aims to present recent advances in microbial diversity and the metabolic regulation of fermented foods. We encourage the submission of manuscripts that include, but are not limited to:

the succession of microbial communities during food fermentation;
dynamic changes in organoleptic, nutritional, and functional characteristics during food processing;
the relationship between microbes and the metabolic activities of fermented products;
the effects of microbes on food safety and quality;
main metabolisms and their regulation during food fermentation;
the industrial transformation of traditional fermented food;
screening and applying functional microbes;
the correlation of microbes with environment and gut health;
the development of characteristic functional metabolites in fermented foods.

Dr. Wanping Chen
Dr. Bin Wang
Prof. Dr. Xuewei Shi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

food fermentation
microbial diversity
food quality
metabolic engineering
metabolic regulation
food microbiology
microbe application
food flavors

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Metagenomic Insights into the Regulatory Effects of Microbial Community on the Formation of Biogenic Amines and Volatile Flavor Components during the Brewing of Hongqu Rice Wine

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Foods 2023, 12(16), 3075; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12163075 - 16 Aug 2023

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Abstract

As one of the typical representatives of Chinese rice wine (Huangjiu), Hongqu rice wine is produced with glutinous rice as the main raw material and Hongqu as the fermentation starter. The complex microbial flora in the brewing process may have a great influence on the formation of the flavor quality and drinking safety of Hongqu rice wine. Previous studies have shown that high biogenic amine (BA) content in rice wine has potential physiological toxicity and has become a bottleneck problem restricting the development of the rice wine industry. This study aimed to evaluate the regulatory effects of the microbial community on the formation of BAs and volatile flavor components during the brewing of Hongqu rice wine. The results demonstrated that histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, tryptamine, spermine, and spermidine were the main BAs in Hongqu rice wine. The contents of putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, and spermidine in Hongqu rice wine of HBAs (with higher BAs content) were significantly higher than those in LBAs (with lower BAs content). GC-MS testing results showed that there were significant differences in the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) between HBAs and LBAs. Among them, VOCs such as 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, ethyl caprate, phenethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, ethyl myristate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl n-octadecanoate, ethyl oleate, and ethyl linoleate were identified as the characteristic volatile components with significant differences between HBAs and LBAs. Microbiome analysis based on metagenomic sequencing revealed that unclassified_g_Pantoea, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Panobacter disperse, unclassified_f_Enterobacteriaceae, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were the dominant microbial species in the HBA brewing process, while Weissella confuse, Pediococcus acidilactici, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Aspergillus niger were the dominant microbial species in the LBA brewing process. Furthermore, correlation heatmap analysis demonstrated that BAs were positively related to Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactococcus lactis, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Bioinformatical analysis based on the KEGG database revealed that the microbial genes encoding enzymes involved in BAs’ synthesis were more abundant in HBAs, and the abundances of microbial genes encoding enzymes related to BAs’ degradation and the metabolism of characteristic volatile components were higher in LBAs. Overall, this work provides important scientific data for enhancing the flavor quality of Hongqu rice wine and lays a solid foundation for the healthy development of the Hongqu rice wine industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Quality Control: Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Regulation)

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Open AccessArticle

Microbial Community Dynamics and the Correlation between Specific Bacterial Strains and Higher Alcohols Production in Tartary Buckwheat Huangjiu Fermentation

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Foods 2023, 12(14), 2664; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142664 - 11 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Tartary buckwheat is a healthy grain rich in nutrients and medicinal ingredients and consequently is commonly used for Huangjiu brewing. In order to reveal the correlation between microbial succession and higher alcohols production, in this study, Huangjiu fermentation was conducted using Tartary buckwheat as the raw material and wheat Qu as the starter culture. Microbial community dynamics analysis indicated that the bacterial diversity initially decreased rapidly to a lower level and then increased and maintained at a higher level during fermentation. Lactococcus was the dominant bacteria and Ralstonia, Acinetobacter, Cyanobacteria, and Oxalobacteraceae were the bacterial genera with higher abundances. In sharp contrast, only 13 fungal genera were detected during fermentation, and Saccharomyces showed the dominant abundance. Moreover, 18 higher alcohol compounds were detected by GC-MS during fermentation. Four compounds (2-phenylethanol, isopentanol, 1-hexadecanol, and 2-phenoxyethanol) were stably detected with high concentrations during fermentation. The compound 2-ethyl-2-methyl-tridecanol was detected to be of the highest concentration in the later period of fermentation. Correlation analysis revealed that the generation of 2-phenylethanol, isopentanol, 1-hexadecanol, and 2-phenoxyethanol were positively correlated with Granulicatella and Pelomonas, Bacteroides, Pseudonocardia and Pedomicrobium, and Corynebacterium, respectively. The verification fermentation experiments indicated that the improved wheat Qu QT3 and QT4 inoculated with Granulicatella T3 and Acidothermus T4 led to significant increases in the contents of 2-phenylethanol and pentanol, as well as isobutanol and isopentanol, respectively, in the Tartary buckwheat Huangjiu. The findings benefit understanding of higher alcohols production and flavor formation mechanisms in Huangjiu fermentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Quality Control: Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Regulation)

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Open AccessArticle

Flavor Characterization of Native Xinjiang Flat Peaches Based on Constructing Aroma Fingerprinting and Stoichiometry Analysis

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Foods 2023, 12(13), 2554; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12132554 - 29 Jun 2023

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Abstract

The flat peach is a high economic value table fruit possessing excellent quality and a unique aroma. This article investigated the quality characteristics and aroma fingerprinting of flat peaches (Qingpan, QP; Ruipan 2, R2; Ruipan 4, R4; Wanpan, WP) from Xinjiang in terms of taste, antioxidant capacity, and volatile aroma compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HS-SPME-GC-MS. The results showed that the flat peaches had a good taste and high antioxidant capacity, mainly due to the high sugar–low acid property and high levels of phenolic compounds. This study found that sucrose (63.86~73.86%) was the main sugar, and malic acid (5.93~14.96%) and quinic acid (5.25~15.01%) were the main organic acids. Furthermore, chlorogenic acid (main phenolic compound), epicatechin, rutin, catechin, proanthocyanidin B1, and neochlorogenic acid were positively related to the antioxidant activity of flat peaches. All flat peaches had similar aroma characteristics and were rich in aromatic content. Aldehydes (especially benzaldehyde and 2-hexenal) and esters were the main volatile compounds. The aroma fingerprinting of flat peaches consisted of hexanal, 2-hexenal, nonanal, decanal, benzaldehyde, 2,4-decadienal, dihydro-β-ionone, 6-pentylpyran-2-one, 2-hexenyl acetate, ethyl caprylate, γ-decalactone, and theaspirane, with a “peach-like”, “fruit”, and “coconut-like” aroma. Among them, 2,4-decadienal, 2-hexenyl acetate, and theaspirane were the characteristic aroma compounds of flat peaches. The results provide a theoretical basis for the industrial application of the special aroma of flat peaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Quality Control: Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Regulation)

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Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Buckwheat Resistant Starch on Intestinal Physiological Function

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Foods 2023, 12(10), 2069; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12102069 - 21 May 2023

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Abstract

Resistant starch appears to have promising effects on hypertension, cardiovascular and enteric illness. The influence of resistant starch on intestinal physiological function has drawn great attention. In this study, we first analyzed the physicochemical characteristics, including the crystalline properties, amylose content, and anti-digestibility among different types of buckwheat-resistant starch. The influence of resistant starch on the physiological functions of the mouse intestinal system, contained defecation, and intestinal microbes were also evaluated. The results showed that the crystalline mold of buckwheat-resistant starch changed from A to B + V after acid hydrolysis treatment (AHT) and autoclaving enzymatic debranching treatment (AEDT). The amylose content in AEDT was higher than in AHT and raw buckwheat. Moreover, the anti-digestibility of AEDT was also stronger than that in AHT and raw buckwheat. The buckwheat-resistant starch can promote bowel intestinal tract movement. The quantity of intestinal microbe was regulated by buckwheat-resistant starch. Our research demonstrates an effective preparation method for improving the quality of buckwheat-resistant starch and found that buckwheat-resistant starch has the role of adjusting the distribution of the intestinal flora and maintaining the health of the body. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Quality Control: Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Regulation)

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