Role of lactic acid bacteria in flavor development in traditional Chinese fermented foods: A review

Abstract

Traditional Chinese fermented foods are favored by consumers due to their unique flavor, texture and nutritional values. A large number of microorganisms participate in the process of fermentation, especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are present in almost all fermented foods and contribute to flavor development. The formation process of flavor is complex and involves the biochemical conversion of various food components. It is very important to fully understand the conversion process to direct the flavor formation in foods. A comprehensive link between the LAB community and the flavor formation in traditional Chinese fermented foods is reviewed. The main mechanisms involved in the flavor formation dominated by LAB are carbohydrate metabolism, proteolysis and amino acid catabolism, and lipolysis and fatty acid metabolism. This review highlights some useful novel approaches for flavor enhancement, including the application of functional starter cultures and metabolic engineering, which may provide significant advances toward improving the flavor of fermented foods for a promising market.

Keywords:

• Traditional Chinese fermented foods
• bacterial diversity
• lactic acid bacteria
• flavor development
• metabolic pathway

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author contributions

Yingying Hu identified and interpreted the literature sources and drafted the manuscript. Lang Zhang and Rongxin Wen collected relevant research and review papers, and designed the figure and prepared the content of tables. Qian Chen and Baohua Kong completed proof-reading and final editing of the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31972139 and 31771990) and the National Key Research and Development Program during the 13th Five-year Plan in China (2016YFD0401504-03).