Dynamics of microbial communities and non-volatile metabolites during fermentation of traditional Gengma sour meat

Gengma sour meat (GMSM) is a traditional Dai fermented meat from Gengma County, Yunnan, with a short fermentation period of 3–6 days. This study analyzed the dynamics of microorganisms, and non-volatile metabolites of traditional GMSM at 0, 2, 4, and 6 days of fermentation. The results showed that Trichosporon , Candida , Lactococcus , Pediococcus , and Lactobacillus were the dominant microorganisms during GMSM fermentation. 3 free amino acids (Glu, Lys, and Met) were identified as taste-contributing compounds. Through untargeted metabolomics analysis, 1437 non-volatile metabolites were identified. Linoleic acid metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism were revealed as main pathways. In addition, 41 bioactive substances were found to increase significantly during the fermentation process. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that 7 fungal and 8 bacterial genera were highly correlated with changes in 52 key differential metabolites.