Effects of Different Salt Treatments on the Fermentation Metabolites and Bacterial Profiles of Kimchi.

The effects of purified salt (PS) and mineral-rich sea salt (MRS), both with different mineral profiles, on kimchi fermentation were studied using a culture-dependent 16S rRNA sequencing technique and mass-based metabolomic analysis. The different mineral profiles in the fermentation medium caused changes in the bacterial profiles of the 2 kimchi products. An increase of Leuconostoc species in MRS-kimchi decreased the Lactobacillus/Leuconostoc ratio, which led to changes in metabolites (including sugars, amino acids, organic acids, lipids, sulfur compounds, and terpenoids) associated with kimchi quality. Although further studies on the relationship between these salt types and kimchi fermentation are needed, these results suggested that the MRS treatment had positively affected the changes of the kimchi mineral contents, bacterial growth, and metabolite profiles, which are linked to kimchi quality.

Mass-Based Metabolomic Analysis of Lactobacillus sakei and Its Growth Media at Different Growth Phases.

Changes in the metabolite profiles of Lactobacillus sakei and its growth media, based on different culture times (0, 6, 12, and 24 h), were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS) and liquid chromatography-MS with partial least squares discriminant analysis, in order to understand the growth characteristics of this organism. Cell and media samples of L. sakei were significantly separated on PLS-DA score plots. Cell and media metabolites, including sugars, amino acids, and organic acids, were identified as major metabolites contributing to the difference among samples. The alteration of cell and media metabolites during cell growth was strongly associated with energy production. Glucose, fructose, carnitine, tryptophan, and malic acid in the growth media were used as primary energy sources during the initial growth stage, but after the exhaustion of these energy sources, L. sakei could utilize other sources such as trehalose, citric acid, and lysine in the cell. The change in the levels of these energy sources was inversely similar to the energy production, especially ATP. Based on these identified metabolites, the metabolomic pathway associated with energy production through lactic acid fermentation was proposed. Although further studies are required, these results suggest that MS-based metabolomic analysis might be a useful tool for understanding the growth characteristics of L. sakei, the most important bacterium associated with meat and vegetable fermentation, during growth.

Mass-based metabolomic analysis of soybean sprouts during germination.

We investigated the metabolite profile of soybean sprouts at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4days after germination using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-MS (LC-MS) to understand the relationship between germination and nutritional quality. Data were analyzed by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and sprout samples were separated successfully using their PLS-DA scores. Fifty-eight metabolites, including macromolecular derivatives related to energy production, amino acids, myo-inositol metabolites, phytosterols, antioxidants, isoflavones, and soyasaponins, contributed to the separation. Amino acids, myo-inositol metabolites, isoflavone aglycones, B soyasaponins, antioxidants, and phytosterols, associated with health benefits and/or taste quality, increased with germination time while isoflavone glycosides and DDMP soyasaponins decreased. Based on these metabolites, the metabolomic pathway associated with energy production in soybean sprouts is suggested. Our data suggest that sprouting is a useful processing step to improve soybean nutritional quality, and metabolomic analysis is useful in understanding nutritional change during sprouting.