Quantification of functional aromatic amino acid metabolites in fermented foods and their production by food microorganisms

Abstract

Aromatic amino acid metabolites, including aromatic pyruvates and aromatic lactates, have been shown to be antioxidants with high radical scavenging activity. We surveyed the occurrence and distribution of these metabolites in foods and beverages, focusing on fermented products. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-fermented products showed high concentrations of aromatic lactates and much lower concentrations of aromatic pyruvates, while yeast-fermented products showed relatively high levels of aromatic pyruvates. The results were in accordance with the production of aromatic lactates and pyruvates by LAB and Saccharomyces cerevisiae under standard experimental culture conditions. Our findings therefore indicate the importance of utilizing the metabolic activities of fermenting microorganisms for developing foods with beneficial functions.