Microbial composition and correlation between microbiota and quality-related physiochemical characteristics in chongqing radish paocai.

Abstract Chongqing radish paocai (paocai) is produced by fermentation of fresh vegetables. It gained attention for its non-negligible contribution in Sichuan cuisine and potential health benefits. This study explored microbial structures in six home-made paocai using high through-put sequencing. Key microbial communities were identified based on significant correlations with quality-related physiochemical attributes. Results suggest bacterial diversity level significantly decreased during fermentation, while fungal diversity level were inconsistent across different alpha-diversity indexes. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant bacterial phylum in all samples. Lactic acid bacteria, namely Lactobacillus and L. plantarum were the predominant bacteria at genus and species levels. Fungi had overall weak correlations with physiochemical attributes, several bacterial species significantly correlated with physiochemical attributes, including Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acetotolerans, and Weissella cibaria. Overall, this study identified key microbial communities and discussed their functional roles that could contribute to consistent production of high-quality Chongqing radish paocai.