Effects of Sequential Fermentation with Metschnikowia sp. Mp58 Belonging to the M. pulcherrima Clade and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Cro3-2 on the Quality Characteristics of a Fermented Apple Beverage
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study developed an ABTS-targeted sequential fermentation strategy for fermented apple beverages using Metschnikowia sp. Mp58 belonging to the M. pulcherrima clade (Mp) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Cro3-2 (Lp). Thirteen Metschnikowia isolates and ten Lactiplantibacillus isolates were initially screened according to their effects on ABTS radical-scavenging activity, after which Mp58 and Cro3-2 were selected for further investigation. Different fermentation strategies were compared, and sequential inoculation of Mp followed by Lp produced the highest ABTS radical-scavenging activity. Single-factor experiments, an orthogonal design, and response surface methodology were subsequently used to optimize the inoculation interval, fermentation temperature, and total fermentation time, with ABTS radical-scavenging activity as the sole response variable. The selected conditions consisted of Mp inoculation at 0 h, Lp inoculation after 25 h, and fermentation for a total of 46 h at 21.50 °C. The experimentally obtained ABTS radical-scavenging activity was 78.17 ± 0.49%, which was close to the model-predicted value. Under the selected conditions, Mp–Lp sequential fermentation significantly altered the physicochemical, bioactive, in vitro functional, and volatile characteristics of the apple beverage. Compared with the uninoculated control, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and ascorbic acid content increased by 73.08%, 32.97%, and 7.14%, respectively. These changes were accompanied by increases of 41.00%, 39.77%, and 37.86% in ABTS radical-scavenging activity, DPPH radical-scavenging activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power, respectively. The Mp–Lp beverage also exhibited the highest α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities, reaching 85.97% and 78.35%, respectively, as well as bile salt-binding capacities of 51.57% for sodium glycocholate and 54.97% for sodium taurocholate. Ethanol accumulation remained limited under the tested conditions, although concentrations below the measurement capability of the distillation–hydrometer method could not be excluded. A total of 95 volatile compounds were tentatively identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS. The sequentially fermented beverage contained a larger number of detected volatile compounds than the single-strain fermented beverages and showed treatment-associated changes in the relative distribution of esters, alcohols, and fatty acids. Exploratory PCA and OPLS-DA indicated differences in volatile composition among treatments, while nonanoic acid, ethyl hexanoate, n-decanoic acid, isophorone, and (E)-2-hexen-1-ol were identified as candidate compounds associated with group separation. These chemical changes should not be interpreted as direct evidence of improved aroma or sensory quality in the absence of sensory evaluation. Overall, Mp–Lp sequential fermentation represents a potentially useful bioprocessing strategy for modifying the bioactive properties, in vitro functional indicators, and volatile composition of fermented apple beverages.
Source: Fermentation
Authors: Hongxin Ji, Fei Li, Xiqing Guo, Pengbao Shi, Hejing Yan
Institution: Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,534
Funder: Hebei Normal University
OpenAlex ID: W7171560669