The microbial succession and their correlation with the dynamics of flavor compounds involved in the natural fermentation of suansun, a traditional Chinese fermented bamboo shoots

Suansun is a typical fermented bamboo shoot product widely consumed in southern China. Complex microorganisms are involved during spontaneous fermentation of suansun. However, little is known about the succession and roles of these microbiota throughout the fermentation process, especially for the functional microbiota involved in aroma formation. Thus, in this study, the dynamic changes in physicochemical parameters, flavor compounds, and microbiota community during the natural production of suansun were investigated. The principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that physicochemical parameters and flavor compounds varied substantially during the 30-day fermentation. Moreover, the microbial flora exhibited a dynamic change from the acid-sensitive genera of Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Weissella, and Enterobacter to an acid-resistant genus of Lactobacillus due to lactic acid and acetic acid accumulation. Furthermore, bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares (O2PLS) indicated that four bacterial genera, namely, Lactobacillus, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Enterobacter, and Leuconostoc, showed strong connections with various characteristic flavors, thus playing crucial roles in the unique flavor formation of suansun. These results may shed light on the development of effective starter cultures for the industrial manufacture of high-quality suansun products.