Changes in Physicochemical Characteristics and Microbial Diversity of Traditional Fermented Vinasse Hairtail

Abstract

Fermented foods may confer several benefits to human health and play an important role in a healthy and balanced diet. Vinasse hairtail is a farmhouse-fermented food product with cultural and economic significance to locals in Zhoushan China. It is traditionally produced and subjected to 0–8 days of fermentation. In this study, we aimed to characterize the microbiota and physicochemical profiles of vinasse hairtail across different stages of fermentation. With the increase of fermentation time, pH, total sugar content, reducing sugar content, fat content, salt content, total protein content, myofibrillar protein content, TVB-N, and TBARS index increased, while the peroxide value decreased. The addition of vinasse significantly intensified the lipid and protein oxidation and protein degradation of hairtail, thereby increasing the flavor of its products. The microbial diversity and succession characterization during the fermentation of vinasse hairtail by high-throughput sequencing was measured. Results showed that Firmicutes was the predominant phylum and Lactobacillus was the main genera of bacterial diversity. Ascomycota was the main phylum of fungi and the main fungal genera detected in the samples were Saccharomyces. Additionally, the correlation between microbial community and physicochemical properties was found. Our study revealed that Lactobacillus was the major lactic acid bacteria present throughout the fermentation process. The results may provide a theoretical basis for improving the overall quality of vinasse hairtail.