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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1516594

Characterization of Microbial Communities in Flavors and Fragrances During Storage

Provisionally accepted
Yingjie Feng Yingjie Feng 1Tingting Zhang Tingting Zhang 1Jinchu Yang Jinchu Yang 1Wenzhao Liu Wenzhao Liu 1Yongfeng Yang Yongfeng Yang 1Shen Huang Shen Huang 2Zongcan Yang Zongcan Yang 1Qianjin Liu Qianjin Liu 1Wenchao Zheng Wenchao Zheng 1Qing Zhou Qing Zhou 1*
  • 1 China Tobacco Henan Industrial Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
  • 2 Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Flavors and fragrances are essential for product quality, yet they are highly susceptible to contamination due to high moisture content and rich nutrients. This study investigates microbial growth, pH changes, volatile compound dynamics, and microbial community changes during the storage of flavors and fragrances. Results indicate that total viable counts (TVC) remained stable for the first three days but increased rapidly afterward, exceeding the acceptable limit of 5 log CFU/mL by day 7. The pH levels initially rose slightly, followed by a steady decline, which indicates spoilage progression. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed significant degradation of key aromatic compounds, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), vanillin, and its derivative ethyl vanillin. Whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing demonstrated a marked increase in microbial community richness and diversity as storage progressed, with a notable shift in composition. Early storage stages were dominated by fungal species from the Ascomycota phylum, while later stages saw a rise in spoilage-associated bacteria, particularly from the Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla. Throughout the storage process, Zygosaccharomyces and its dominant species, Zygosaccharomyces bailii, remained prevalent, though their average relative abundance decreased from 81.26% to 32.29%. In addition, the bacterial species Oceanobacillus sojae and Niallia nealsonii showed significant increases in relative abundance, suggesting that bacteria were one of the key contributors to the spoilage of flavors and fragrances. Functional analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database indicated a shift in metabolic pathways within the microbial community, with heightened metabolic activity correlating with spoilage. These findings provide valuable insights for improving storage methods and quality control of flavors and fragrances.

    Keywords: Flavors and fragrances, Whole genome shotgun (WGS), high-throughput sequencing, spoilage, GC-MS

    Received: 24 Oct 2024; Accepted: 03 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Feng, Zhang, Yang, Liu, Yang, Huang, Yang, Liu, Zheng and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Qing Zhou, China Tobacco Henan Industrial Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou, 450016, Henan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.