Comparison of two types of vinegar with different aging times by NMR-based metabolomic approach

Correlating Microbial Dynamics with Key Metabolomic Profiles in Three Submerged Culture-Produced Vinegars

Although vinegar is a product obtained by a well-known bioprocess from a technical point of view, the complex microbiota responsible for its production and their involvement in the organoleptic profiles are not clear yet. In this work, three acetification profiles in submerged culture using both synthetic and raw materials from Andalusia (Spain) were characterized by metagenomic (16S rRNA amplicon sequencing) and metabolomic tools (stir-bar sorptive extraction with thermo-desorption coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SBSE-TD-GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)). A total of 29 phyla, 208 families, and many more genera were identified, comprising bacteria and archaea as well as 75 metabolites, including minor volatile compounds, amino acids, biogenic amines, and other nitrogenous compounds. It can be concluded that Komagataeibacter and Acetobacter were not only the predominant genera but also the ones that most influenced vinegar metabolite profiles by using different metabolic strategies for mutual collaboration, and together with other microbial groups, some of them were previously practically unknown in vinegar. These results can be of interest not only to deepen the basic knowledge about vinegar but also to the vinegar industry by elucidating microbial succession and the key associated metabolites.

Exploring the potential of sorghum with reference to its bioactivities, physicochemical properties and potential health benefits

Sorghum, belonging to the Poaceae family, is a widely consumed grain, particularly in Africa. Sorghum grains have been used in traditional African diets for centuries. These grains, along with their products, are known for their high nutritional value and possess various bioactive properties, including antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities. Despite these benefits, sorghum grains face challenges due to the presence of certain anti-nutritional components such as tannins, phytates, trypsin inhibitors, and protein crosslinkers. Processing techniques such as soaking, germination, fermentation, thermal processing, and irradiation can improve the nutritional quality of sorghum by reducing anti-nutritional factors. Among these, fermentation, particularly when combined with other methods like soaking and germination, is considered most effective in enhancing the grain's nutritional value. This review addresses the current knowledge gaps regarding sorghum's nutritional and phytochemical composition and its potential health benefits. It also emphasizes the importance of further research to enhance sorghum's inherent nutritional attributes and promote its use as a sustainable crop to address global food security challenges. The findings highlight sorghum's potential in improving dietary quality and contributing to better health outcomes worldwide.

Fruit vinegar as a promising source of natural anti-inflammatory agents: an up-to-date review

OBJECTIVES

Fruit vinegar is one of the most famous fruit byproducts worldwide with several unique properties. There are two types of fruit vinegar, artisanal and industrial, for consumers to choose from. This review aims to assess for the first time the phytochemistry of fruit vinegar and its anti-inflammatory effects.

METHOD

The present work was conducted based on a literature search that selected the relevant papers from indexed databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, MDPI, PubMed, Hindawi, and Web of Science. We used numerous terms to assure a good search in different databases, including fruit vinegar, phytochemistry, bioavailability and bioaccessibility, and anti-inflammatory effect. All articles were selected based on their relevance, quality, and problematic treatment.

RESULTS

Literature data have shown that vinegar has a long medicinal history and has been widely used by different civilizations, due to its richness in bioactive molecules, vinegar plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis, mastitis, asthma, arthritis, acute pancreatitis, and colitis. Fruit vinegar consumption benefit is highly dependent on its chemical composition, especially organic acids and antioxidants, which can act as nutraceuticals.

CONCLUSION

Fruit vinegar has a rich chemical composition, including organic acids that can be transformed in the digestive system into compounds that play an important role in health-promoting features such as anti-inflammatory effects throughout the control of intestinal microbiota and pro-inflammatory cytokine production.

Spectralprint techniques coupled with chemometric tools for vinegar classifications

Vinegar is a versatile product used for food preservation, cooking, healthcare, and cleaning. In this study, 80 vinegar of different raw materials, aging time, and for the first time by the agronomic method of raw material cultivation were classified by spectralprint techniques with chemometrics. Datasets were obtained by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), Fourier transforms mid-infrared (FT-IR), near-infrared (NIR), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis); then evaluated by common dimension (ComDim) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). NMR with PLS-DA had the best prediction performance compared to other techniques, with accuracy values between 92.3 and 100 %, followed by FT-IR and UV-vis of 80.8 and 96.0 % and NIR between 69.2 and 84.0 %. The results indicated that the classification of vinegar according to the agronomic cultivation method is more complex than aging time or raw material. However, any of these spectralprint techniques have demonstrated that they can be used in the classification of vinegar.

Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in Milk during Heat Treatment Based on E-Nose, E-Tongue and HS-SPME-GC-MS

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) make up milk flavor and are essential attributes for consumers to evaluate milk quality. In order to investigate the influence of heat treatment on the VOCs of milk, electronic nose (E-nose), electronic tongue (E-tongue) and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technology were used to evaluate the changes in VOCs in milk during 65 °C heat treatment and 135 °C heat treatment. The E-nose revealed differences in the overall flavor of milk, and the overall flavor performance of milk after heat treatment at 65 °C for 30 min is similar to that of raw milk, which can maximize the preservation of the original taste of milk. However, both were significantly different to the 135 °C-treated milk. The E-tongue results showed that the different processing techniques significantly affected taste presentation. In terms of taste performance, the sweetness of raw milk was more prominent, the saltiness of milk treated at 65 °C was more prominent, and the bitterness of milk treated at 135 °C was more prominent. The results of HS-SPME-GC-MS showed that a total of 43 VOCs were identified in the three types of milk-5 aldehydes, 8 alcohols, 4 ketones, 3 esters, 13 acids, 8 hydrocarbons, 1 nitrogenous compound, and 1 phenol. The amount of acid compounds was dramatically reduced as the heat treatment temperature rose, while ketones, esters, and hydrocarbons were encouraged to accumulate instead. Furfural, 2-heptanone, 2-undecanone, 2-furanmethanol, pentanoic acid ethyl ester, 5-octanolide, and 4,7-dimethyl-undecane can be used as the characteristic VOCs of milk treated at 135 °C. Our study provides new evidence for differences in VOCs produced during milk processing and insights into quality control during milk production.

Investigating the mechanism of the flavor formation in Sichuan sun vinegar based on flavor-orientation and metagenomics

Fermentation and aging are the key stages of flavor formation in Sichuan sun vinegar (SSV), but the generation mechanisms of the flavor produced by these processes are unknown. However, complex microbial metabolism is critical to the flavor development of SSV. In this study, we analyzed the key flavor compounds present in SSV. Combined with odor activity value (OAV), the main aroma components of SSV were screened, and the relationship between microorganisms and key flavor formation was predicted using metagenomic sequencing technology. The results revealed 38 key flavor compounds in SSV. Lactobacillus, Weissella, Acetobacter, Lichtheimia, Pediococcus, Oenococcus, Brettanomyces, Kazachstania, Pichia, Xanthomonas, Lenconostoc are widely involved in the production of key flavor compounds such as 2,3-butanediol, 2-Furanmethanol, phenylethanol, 3-(Methylthio)-1-propanol, acetic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid and other organic acids. Among them, Lichtheimia and Lactobacillus are important genera for the degradation of starch, arabinoxylan and cellulose. The acetaldehyde,4-ethyl-2-methoxy-phenol and 2-methoxy-4-methyl-phenol production pathway may be related to Lactobacillus, Acetobacter and Brettanomyces. This study provides a new understanding of the key flavor-formation stage and flavor compound generation mechanism of SSV and provides a reference for the screening and isolation of functional strains and the reconstruction of microbial communities.

Application progress of intelligent flavor sensing system in the production process of fermented foods based on the flavor properties

Fermented foods are sensitive to the production conditions because of microbial and enzymatic activities, which requires intelligent flavor sensing system (IFSS) to monitor and optimize the production process based on the flavor properties. As the simulation system of human olfaction and gustation, IFSS has been widely used in the field of food with the characteristics of nondestructive, pollution-free, and real-time detection. This paper reviews the application of IFSS in the control of fermentation, ripening, and shelf life, and the potential in the identification of quality differences and flavor-producing microbes in fermented foods. The survey found that electronic nose (tongue) is suitable to monitor fermentation process and identify food authenticity in real time based on the changes of flavor profile. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance technology can be used to analyze the flavor metabolism of fermented foods at various production stages and explore the correlation between flavor substances and microorganisms.

Comparative Metabolite Profiling of Traditional and Commercial Vinegars in Korea

Vinegar, composed of various organic acids, amino acids, and volatile compounds, has been newly recognized as a functional food with health benefits. Vinegar is produced through alcoholic fermentation of various raw materials followed by acetic acid fermentation, and detailed processes greatly vary between different vinegar products. This study performed metabolite profiling of various vinegar products using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify metabolites that are specific to vinegar production processes. In particular, seven traditional vinegars that underwent spontaneous and slow alcoholic and acetic acid fermentations were compared to four commercial vinegars that were produced through fast acetic acid fermentation using distilled ethanol. A total of 102 volatile and 78 nonvolatile compounds were detected, and the principal component analysis of metabolites clearly distinguished between the traditional and commercial vinegars. Ten metabolites were identified as specific or significantly different compounds depending on vinegar production processes, most of which had originated from complex microbial metabolism during traditional vinegar fermentation. These process-specific compounds of vinegars may serve as potential biomarkers for fermentation process controls as well as authenticity and quality evaluation.