Effects of lactic acid bacteria fermentation on the phytochemicals content, taste and aroma of blended edible rose and shiitake beverage

In this research, five commercial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were selected for the fermentation of blended edible rose and shiitake beverage for their frequent application and strong adaptability in plant-based beverages. The viable counts of all strains reached above 10.0 log CFU/mL in the blended beverage after fermentation (48 h). Meanwhile, higher contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, free amino acids, and flavor nucleotide as well as stronger antioxidant capacity were observed in the fermented samples than the control. The results of electronic tongue (E-tongue) analysis showed that LAB fermentation significantly (p＜0.05) lowered the signals of bitterness, astringency, aftertaste-A, and aftertaste-B, which ultimately improved the taste profiles of the fermented samples. Additionally, a total of 76 volatiles compounds were detected, among which alcohols were the dominant compounds. LAB fermentation also enriched the aroma complex of the fresh beverage, which resulted in new compounds, including 13 alcohols, 9 acids, 6 ketones, 4 esters, and 5 hydrocarbons in the fermented samples.