Foods最新文献

{"title":"Development and Characterization of Litchi Seed Polyphenol-Loaded Camellia Oil Oleogels Based on Citrus Pectin–Lecithin Emulsion Templates","authors":"Xinglong Zhao, Hong Niu, Xiujuan Fu, Siwei Chen, Hao Liu, Guozheng Nie, Lihua Hu, Hui Lei, Dan Zhang, Yu Luo","doi":"10.3390/foods15173014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15173014","url":null,"abstract":"Traditional plastic fats are rich in saturated and trans fatty acids, which can lead to chronic diseases. In contrast, camellia oil and litchi seed polyphenols are valuable natural functional ingredients. This work aimed to construct stable camellia oil oleogels using citrus pectin as the gel-forming component, lecithin as the emulsifier for constructing the emulsion template, and litchi seed polyphenols as both auxiliary gel-strengthening and antioxidant components. The oleogels were fabricated via emulsion templating combined with freeze-drying and shear forming. Effects of oil–water ratio and pectin concentration on microstructure, texture, rheology, oil-holding and thermal stability were investigated, with antioxidant activity evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging activity, acid value, and peroxide value. The optimal emulsion was obtained at oil–water ratio 5:5 and 4.0% pectin with uniform W/O droplets of 3.90 ± 0.24 μm. Oleogels with 3.0% pectin showed the best comprehensive performance, presenting dense network, favorable thermal stability and superior oil-binding capacity, along with a DPPH scavenging rate of 83.07 ± 0.06%. FTIR suggested that the oleogel network was primarily stabilized by non-covalent interactions without the formation of new chemical bonds. The prepared oleogels exhibited stable physicochemical properties and enhanced DPPH radical scavenging activity and oxidative stability, showing great potential in functional foods and topical delivery systems.","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 17","pages":"3014-3014"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148861324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated Protein–Lipid Digestion Profiles of Human Milk, Infant Formulas, and Dairy Ingredients Under Infant In Vitro Digestion","authors":"Bingyu Chen, Qi Qi, Xuteng Wang, Xinyi Zhang, Xuchun Zhu, Chao Yan, Huiwen Guan, Rong Jin, Yu An, Jie Yang, Fei Xu, Hongzhi Liu","doi":"10.3390/foods15172999","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15172999","url":null,"abstract":"Human milk (HM) represents the physiological reference for infant digestion, whereas infant formulas (IFs) differ in protein composition and lipid architecture. This study compared the gastric and intestinal digestion of HM, five commercial IFs, whole milk powder (WMP), and protein ingredients using a standardized infant in vitro model. Protein hydrolysis was assessed through digestibility and residual subunit patterns, and lipid digestion was evaluated through free fatty acid release and fatty acid profiling. Gastric digestion revealed pronounced differences driven by intrinsic structure and processing, whereas intestinal digestion reduced these disparities, although distinct subunit patterns persisted. Lipid analyses showed clear source-dependent separation before digestion and partial convergence during intestinal lipolysis. Several IFs containing structured lipid and vegetable-oil systems showed intestinal fatty acid or free fatty acid profiles closer to HM than WMP, whereas samples with stronger bovine-fat signatures remained more distinct. Overall, the results demonstrate that digestion-product patterns provide mechanistic insight into structure-driven digestion behavior in complex dairy-based matrices, beyond compositional comparison alone.","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 17","pages":"2999-2999"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148861323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Screening, Physiological Characterization, Genomic Analysis and Optimization by Conjugated Linoleic Acid Bioconversion of Two Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains","authors":"Mengting Hu, Qingbang Li, Zhiyang Chen, Shan Lin, Pei Liu, Lin Zhou, Chuanjin Zheng, Xiaoyong Wu","doi":"10.3390/foods15172987","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15172987","url":null,"abstract":"Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) comprises a group of C18 fatty acids containing conjugated double bonds and has been associated with potential anti-obesity and antitumor effects. In this study, 116 presumptive lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates were recovered from homemade Sichuan pickles. Primary screening identified 28 CLA-producing isolates, among which strains 7# and 31# showed the highest absorbance at 233 nm (A233). CLA production by both strains was subsequently optimized and quantified using gas chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-Q-TOF). Under the optimized conditions, strain 31# produced 66.50 ± 3.80 μg/mL total CLA, including 52.70 ± 3.29 μg/mL c9,t11-CLA and 13.80 ± 0.51 μg/mL t10,c12-CLA. Strain 7# produced 26.79 ± 1.09 μg/mL total CLA, including 14.05 ± 0.49 μg/mL c9,t11-CLA and 12.74 ± 0.60 μg/mL t10,c12-CLA. Physiological, biochemical, and safety assessments showed that strain 31# outperformed strain 7# overall, supporting its use in further product development and mechanistic studies. Functional annotation using the COG database and pathway mapping with KEGG identified candidate genes encoding an enzyme associated with linoleic acid isomerization in both strains. Potential mechanisms underlying their different CLA-producing capacities were also examined, providing a basis for the selection and development of high-CLA-producing strains.","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 17","pages":"2987-2987"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148861322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined Inhibition of Polyphenol Oxidase by Oxyresveratrol and Epigallocatechin Gallate: A Natural Anti-Browning Strategy for Fresh-Cut Pears","authors":"Ruobing Liu, Zhiqiang Ren, Nuoran Rong, Jingyu Wei, Xiaoyan Zhang, Yong Peng","doi":"10.3390/foods15172960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15172960","url":null,"abstract":"Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a key enzyme responsible for enzymatic browning in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, severely compromising their quality and shelf life. This study aimed to investigate the combined inhibitory mechanism of oxyresveratrol (OXY) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on PPO through multi-spectroscopic analyses, molecular docking, TEM, and XRD, with the goal of developing a natural and effective anti-browning strategy for fresh-cut fruits. The results showed that the optimal combined effect was achieved at an OXY:EGCG ratio of 1:2, where the inhibition rate was significantly enhanced by 43.72% and 14.36% compared to using OXY or EGCG single treatment, respectively. The combined treatment exhibited enhanced chelation capacity of copper ion and DPPH radical scavenging activity, and enhanced hydrogen-bonding interactions while lowering binding energy, exhibiting characteristics of mixed inhibition kinetics. Structural characterization showed that the combined treatment drastically reduced the enzyme’s fluorescence intensity to 39.81% of that of the native enzyme, induced rearrangements in α-helix and random coil structures, triggered obvious protein aggregation, and weakened the intensity of crystal diffraction peaks. Importantly, the combined treatment effectively delayed browning in fresh-cut pear slices, demonstrating its practical application potential. These findings provide a promising natural combined approach for controlling enzymatic browning and extending the shelf life of fresh-cut produce.","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 17","pages":"2960-2960"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148861318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative Analysis of the Structural and Digestibility Properties of Starches from Ten Common Coarse Grains","authors":"Zulipiya Maimaiti, Hong‐Yan Mao, Hongnan Sun, Li Yue, Jiamin Wang, Tingting Zhang, Yueren Xu, Ming Yu, Taihua Mu","doi":"10.3390/foods15172946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15172946","url":null,"abstract":"Coarse-grain starches are promising raw materials for developing diversified functional food ingredients, particularly low-glycemic products. However, the systematic structure–function relationships among multiple coarse-grain varieties remain poorly understood. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize the structural, processing, and digestive properties of ten coarse-grain starches to provide a fundamental basis for their targeted industrial utilization. Multiple analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rapid visco analysis (RVA), and in vitro simulated digestion, were employed to characterize the structural, thermal, rheological, pasting, and digestive properties of the starches. The tested starches were classified into two crystalline types, and significant differences were observed among samples in short-range molecular order, gelatinization behavior, gel rheological properties, pasting characteristics, and the distribution of three digestion fractions. Pearson correlation analysis revealed structure–function correlations, showing that crystalline ordering plays an important role in starch gelatinization behavior, whereas molecular packing is closely associated with pasting performance and in vitro digestibility. The distinct differences in starch properties, together with the identified structure–function relationships, provide a basis for targeted raw material selection in food processing and the development of functional foods with tailored digestibility characteristics.","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 17","pages":"2946-2946"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148861321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Algal and Cyanobacterial Hydrolysates as Serum-Reducing Supplements Across Mammalian, Avian and Fish Cells with Identification of Bioactive Chromopeptides.","authors":"Nikolina Sibinčić-Georgieva, Ljubodrag Aleksić, Nađa Grozdanić Stanisavljević, Lora Tubić, Boško Tanasković, Nikola Gligorijević, Marija Stojadinović, Simeon Minić","doi":"10.3390/foods15162941","DOIUrl":"10.3390/foods15162941","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Maintaining sustainable production of healthy and nutritious food represents a major global challenge. Cultivated meat could reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, but it remains costly, largely due to the expense of fetal bovine serum, a common cell culture media supplement. Algal and cyanobacterial proteins, particularly phycobiliproteins, represent promising sustainable sources of potentially bioactive peptides that may contribute to the development of serum-reduced or serum-free culture media. This study investigated the potential of hydrolysates prepared using the protein extracts of the red alga <i>Porphyra haitanensis</i> and the cyanobacterium <i>Arthrospira platensis</i> as functional supplements for cell cultivation in a low-serum environment. Twelve hydrolysates were generated by treating protein extracts from <i>Arthrospira platensis</i> and <i>Porphyra haitanensis</i> with six proteolytic enzymes: pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, subtilisin, thermolysin and proteinase K. The effects of these hydrolysates were studied in three cell models of mammalian (CHO-K1), avian (QM7), and fish (MACK1) origin. The effects of hydrolysates on cell viability, proliferation, and antioxidant activity were evaluated. <i>A. platensis</i>-chymotrypsin hydrolysate significantly improved QM7 cell viability compared to control in both 80% reduced-serum and tryptose phosphate broth conditions (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.0001). Additionally, peptide composition analysis and identification of amino acid sequences provided preliminary insights into potentially bioactive chromopeptides associated with the maintenance and promotion of cellular growth. Algae/cyanobacteria-derived hydrolysates positively regulated cell viability and proliferation in serum-reduced conditions, although effects were dependent on the algal species, enzymatic treatment, and cell type. These findings highlight their potential as sustainable supplements for alternative cell culture media.</p>","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13512191/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148826351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Ligusticum chuanxiong</i> CO₂ Oil as a Natural Antimicrobial Agent for Postharvest Preservation of Fresh White Radish: <i>In Vitro</i>, <i>In Situ</i> and Storage Evaluation.","authors":"Miroslava Kačániová, Yunke Yu, Minhang Qiao, Zhaojun Ban, Li Li, Chen Cunkun, Stefania Garzoli, Alessandro Bianchi","doi":"10.3390/foods15162936","DOIUrl":"10.3390/foods15162936","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study investigated the chemical composition, antimicrobial, insecticidal, and food preservation potential of <i>Ligusticum chuanxiong</i> CO₂ oil (LCCO) standardised to a ligustilide content of ≥35%. The volatile composition of LCCO was characterised by GC-MS and found to be dominated by cis-ligustilide (63.3%), senkyunolide (15.8%), 3-butylidenephthalide (5.4%), and trans-neocnidilide (4.9%). <i>In vitro</i> antimicrobial activity was evaluated by disc diffusion and broth microdilution against six bacterial and five yeast reference strains. The largest inhibition zones were observed against <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> (14.33 mm) and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (13.67 mm). MIC₅₀ values ranged from 0.064 mg/mL (<i>Yersinia enterocolitica</i>) to 3.492 mg/mL (<i>Candida tropicalis</i>), while MIC₉₀ values ranged from 0.151 to 3.800 mg/mL. <i>In situ</i> vapour-phase antimicrobial activity was evaluated on pear, banana, white radish, and carrot at concentrations of 62.5-500 µL/L, demonstrating a clear concentration-dependent inhibitory effect across all tested food matrices and microorganisms. Insecticidal activity against <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> and <i>Megabruchidius dorsalis</i> was confirmed under fumigation conditions, with LC₅₀ values of 17.50% and 20.99% and LC90 values of 83.10% and 87.60%, respectively. The effect of LCCO, applied alone and in combination with vacuum packaging, on the microbiological quality of fresh white radish was evaluated over 28 days of refrigerated storage at 4 °C. The combined treatment resulted in the lowest total viable count (2.75 log CFU/g) and coliform bacteria count (2.58 log CFU/g) on day 28. A total of 404 bacterial isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper, comprising 22 species. <i>Acinetobacter pittii</i> was the predominant species (33%), followed by <i>Pantoea agglomerans</i> (7%) and <i>Serratia nematodiphila</i> (7%). No <i>Pseudomonas</i> species were recovered from the EO vacuum treatment. Overall, these findings demonstrate the potential of LCCO, particularly in combination with vacuum packaging, as a natural antimicrobial agent for the postharvest preservation of fresh white radish.</p>","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13511980/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148826651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the Physical and Nutritional Profiling of Grains in Maize Landraces and Hybrids.","authors":"Aldo Rosales, Juan Burgueño, Valeria Gómez-Pérez, Aide Molina, Luisa Cabrera-Soto, Alberto Chassaigne, Natalia Palacios-Rojas","doi":"10.3390/foods15162933","DOIUrl":"10.3390/foods15162933","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) landraces are rich sources of genetic and nutritional diversity, yet their compositional traits remain undercharacterized compared to modern hybrids. This study compiled and analyzed data from 1554 maize samples-995 landraces and 559 hybrids-evaluated at the CIMMYT Maize Quality Laboratory over more than a decade. Traits assessed included kernel structure, macronutrients, iron, zinc, carotenoids, and anthocyanins. Landraces showed greater variability and higher average concentrations of protein (10.88 vs. 9.92%), iron (17.63 vs. 13.91 mg kg^-1), zinc (22.70 vs. 18.98 mg kg^-1), and anthocyanins, whereas hybrids, particularly those developed through provitamin A biofortification programs, exhibited higher average provitamin A (3.33 vs. 1.84 µg g^-1) and total carotenoid concentrations. Correlations between kernel structural components and nutrient composition highlighted the structural basis of grain quality variation. These findings demonstrate that landraces and hybrids provide complementary nutritional profiles that can jointly support breeding, food innovation, and sustainable food systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13512079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148826386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rare Biosphere Reveals a Decoupling Between Microbial Abundance and Intrinsic Physiological Potential in Shanxi Aged Vinegar Fermentation.","authors":"Yanfang Wu, Yan Li, Hanlin Chen, Xiuhong Zhang, Jia Song, Menglei Xia, Yu Zheng, Min Wang","doi":"10.3390/foods15162942","DOIUrl":"10.3390/foods15162942","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The discrepancy between in situ microbial abundance and actual metabolic performance represents a critical challenge for interpreting microbial function from meta-omic data. Here, we integrated metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing to investigate this decoupling between microbial abundance and cultivation-based physiological potential in Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV) solid-state fermentation. <i>Lactobacillus acetotolerans</i> dominated the community at both the genomic (40.89%) and transcriptomic (55.36%) levels, whereas <i>Pediococcus acidilactici</i> accounted for only 0.11%-a canonical rare-biosphere member. Source tracking via Sankey analysis showed that genes involved in acetate production were primarily attributed to <i>Acetobacter pasteurianus</i>, whereas genes involved in lactate production were predominantly associated with <i>Lactobacillus</i> spp. However, <i>L. acetotolerans</i> exhibited limited acid tolerance and lactic acid production, whereas the low-abundance <i>P. acidilactici</i> AAF1-5 displayed robust stress tolerance and superior lactic acid production under fermentation-relevant conditions-a striking contrast between microbial abundance and physiological performance. Metabolic interaction network analysis predicted that <i>P. acidilactici</i> may be co-inhibited by <i>L. acetotolerans</i> (<i>I_xy</i> = -2.737, resource competition) and <i>A. pasteurianus</i> (<i>I_xy</i> = -1.887, acid stress). To test whether ecological constraints, rather than intrinsic metabolic capacity, underlie this low abundance, we heterologously expressed the heat shock co-chaperone gene <i>grpE</i> from <i>A. pasteurianus</i> in <i>P. acidilactici</i> AAF1-5 as an experimental tool. The recombinant strain <i>P. acidilactici</i>-<i>grpE</i> exhibited significantly enhanced viability under acetic acid stress and, in simulated SAV fermentation, lactic acid content increased by 23.63% compared with the wild-type control. These results demonstrate that meta-omic abundance does not necessarily predict physiological performance and that low abundance may reflect ecological constraints rather than intrinsic functional deficiency. Our study provides an ecological framework for linking microbial abundance with physiological function beyond sequence-based abundance inference in complex fermentation microbiomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13512557/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148826541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unraveling the Microbial Associations of Volatile Flavor Profiles in Spontaneously Fermented Camel Milk from Three Regions of Xinjiang, China.","authors":"Yating Wu, He Chen, Fulan Wang, Henigul Osman, Shiqi Zhang, Hongyan Zhang, Shuai Wang, Nan Zheng, Yankun Zhao","doi":"10.3390/foods15162937","DOIUrl":"10.3390/foods15162937","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spontaneously fermented camel milk from Xinjiang is valued for its nutrition but faces quality inconsistency due to complex microbial ecosystems. This study investigated how regional microbial communities correlate with volatile flavor profiles. Nine samples from three distinct areas-Dabancheng, Hami, and Keping-were analyzed using bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS region amplicon sequencing combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF MS). Bacterial communities were dominated by <i>Firmicutes</i> and <i>Proteobacteria</i>, while <i>Ascomycota</i> and <i>Basidiomycota</i> prevailed among fungi. Dominant genera varied by region: <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Dekkera</i> in Dabancheng; <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Dipodascus</i> in Hami; <i>Lactococcus</i> and <i>Cutaneotrichosporon</i> in Keping. Flavor profiles also diverged, with Dabancheng being rich in esters, alcohols, and ketones; Hami featuring hydrocarbons and alcohols; and Keping containing elevated hydrocarbons, alcohols, and esters. Key statistical associations were identified: <i>Lactobacillus</i>, <i>Rahnella</i>, and <i>Acetobacter</i> were positively associated with propene and 3-decyn-2-ol (VIP > 1.0, |r| > 0.8), while <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Lactococcus</i>, and <i>Klebsiella</i> showed negative correlations with vinyl n-caproate. These findings reveal statistical associations between geographic origin, specific microbial taxa, and flavor attributes, providing a scientific foundation that may inform future efforts toward developing targeted starter cultures pending microbial isolation and functional validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12386,"journal":{"name":"Foods","volume":"15 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13512556/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148826268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}