Metagenomic and metabolomic profiling of dried shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) prepared by a procedure traditional to the south China coastal area.

Sun-drying is a traditional process for preparing dried shrimp in coastal area of South China, but its impacts on nutrition and the formation of flavor-contributory substances in dried shrimp remain largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the effects of the production process on the microbiota and metabolites in dried shrimp. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was employed to identify 170 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with Vibrio, Photobacterium, and Shewanella emerging as the primary pathogenic bacteria in shrimp samples. Lactococcus lactis was identified as the principal potential beneficial microorganism to accrue during the dried shrimp production process and found to contribute significantly to the development of desirable shrimp flavors. LC-MS-based analyses of dried shrimp sample metabolomes revealed a notable increase in compounds associated with unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and flavonoid and flavanol biosynthesis throughout the drying process. Subsequent exploration of the relationship between metabolites and bacterial communities highlighted the predominant coexistence of Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, and Photobacterium contributing heterocyclic compounds and metabolites of organic acids and their derivatives. Conversely, Arthrobacter and Staphylococcus were found to inhibit each other, primarily in the presence of heterocyclic compounds. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into the dynamic changes in the microbiota and metabolites of dried shrimps spanning different drying periods, which we expect to contribute to enhancing production techniques and safety measures for dried shrimp processing.