Abstract:
Fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a promising approach to meet the
increasing demand for meat or dairy plant-based analogues with realistic flavours. However, a
detailed understanding of the impact of the substrate, fermentation conditions, and bacterial
strains on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during fermentation is lacking. As a
first step, the current study used a defined medium (DM) supplemented with the amino acids L-
leucine (Leu), L-isoleucine (Ile), L-phenylalanine (Phe), L-threonine (Thr), L-methionine (Met),
or L-glutamic acid (Glu) separately or combined to determine their impact on the VOCs
produced by Levilactobacillus brevis WLP672 (LB672). VOCs were measured using headspace
solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
VOCs associated with the specific amino acids added included: benzaldehyde, phenylethyl alcohol, and benzyl alcohol with added Phe; methanethiol, methional, and dimethyl disulphide
with added Met; 3-methyl butanol with added Leu; and 2-methyl butanol with added Ile. This research demonstrated that fermentation by LB672 of a DM supplemented with different amino acids separately or combined resulted in the formation of a range of dairy- and meat-related VOCs and provides information on how plant-based fermentations could be manipulated to generate desirable flavours.
