Lactic acid bacteria incubation and aging drives flavor enhancement of goji berry juice

• Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation affected the volatile profile of goji berry. • Different LAB species and strains exhibited significantly diverse aromatic potential. • Properties of LAB affected the aroma and taste characteristics of goji berry juice. • Aldehydes, an alcohol and a terpene correlated positively with ‘goji berry’ odor. • L. helveticus 6024 was the most optimal strain to enhance the ‘goji berry’ note. The effects of lactic acid bacteria strains from Lactiplantibacillus , Lactobacillus , Fructobacillus and Weissella on the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of goji berry juice were evaluated. The goji berry juice was fermented for 24 h at 30 °C and aged 21 days at 4 °C. All studied strains showed good growth in goji berry juice. The chemical components (93 volatile compounds, seven non-volatile acids and two sugars) exhibited 8 evolution groups, and different strains resulted in different flavor features. The juices fermented with L. plantarum or L. acidophilus were described with ‘honey’, ‘wild jujube’ odors and ‘sour’ taste in Flash-Profile test, whereas the juices with L. helveticus presented ‘goji berry’, ‘floral’ and sweetness, and the juices with F. fructosus or W. cibaria had ‘vinegar’ and sweetness. In a PLS regression model, the ‘goji berry’ odor correlated positively with hexanal, ( E )-2-hexenal, 5-ethylcyclopent-1-enecarboxaldehyde, benzaldehyde, 1-octen-3-ol, α-calacorene and negatively with acetoin and acetic acid. In this study, L . helveticus strain 6024 was more effectively able to retain or enrich the key compounds positively associated with ‘goji berry’ note compared to other strains. This study enables more extensive utilization of goji berry in the food industry and helps to improve the flavor of goji berry products.