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Article | Open Access

Discovery of taste-active metabolites in Lactobacillus plantarum-fermented chili sauce via web-based computational analysis

Jiaqi Wanga, Sen Meia, Chi Jina, Muhammad Aamer Mehmoodb, Qing Zhanga, Weili Lia(), Tao Wua()
Food Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan

Peer review under responsibility of Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.

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Highlights

• Fermented chili sauce was evaluated via FBMN combined with a metabolomics approach.

• The dynamic Changes of non-volatile substances during fermentation with LP B5 were described.

• The analysis annotated 205 metabolites from 12 subclasses.

• 33 metabolites were significantly different during the fermentation process.

• The biosynthetic patterns of amino acids and sphingolipids during fermentation were annotated.

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Abstract

The utilization of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) in chili sauce production is well-known for its capacity to enhance product quality and sensory attributes. However, there is still limited knowledge regarding the taste-active metabolites in the sauce. To bridge this gap, our study employed metabolomics and web-based computational tools to investigate the dynamic changes of taste-active metabolites during chili sauce fermentation. By leveraging the advantages of the feature-based molecular network (FBMN), we conducted a rapid annotation of metabolites, successfully identifying 205 metabolites, a considerable portion of which were previously unreported. Through the utilization of the VirtualTaste tool, we identified dihydrosphingosine, lactic acid, isoleucine, phytosphingosine, and gluconic acid as potential taste indicators for quality control. Pathway enrichment analysis further supported their primary involvement in key biochemical pathways, including amino acid tRNA biosynthesis, phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan biosynthesis, and sphingolipid metabolism. This investigation provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms contributing to the distinctive flavor profile of chili sauce.

Keywords

Chili sauceLactobacillus plantarumFeature-based molecular networkMetabolomicsTaste

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Food Science and Human Wellness
Volume 14 Issue 2,
February 2025
Article number: 9250048
DOI: 10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250048
Cite this article:
Wang J, Mei S, Jin C, et al. Discovery of taste-active metabolites in Lactobacillus plantarum-fermented chili sauce via web-based computational analysis. Food Science and Human Wellness, 2025, 14(2): 9250048. https://doi.org/10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250048
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Taste traits and contents of metabolite markers during LP fermented chili sauce.

RT (min) m/z VIP scores Formula Compounds Tastetrait 0 day (mg/g) 3 days (mg/g) 5 days (mg/g)
Note: *Values in parentheses indicate probabilities, and ND stands for not detected.
4.037 131.0672 1.851 C6H12O3 2-Hydroxy-4-methylpentanoic acid Sour (0.918) ND 40.85 43.79
5.486 165.0507 1.846 C9H10O3 3-Phenyllactic acid Sour (0.969) ND 32.85 32.59
1.460 193.0310 1.446 C6H10O7 D-Sorbosonic acid Sour (0.999) ND 6.29 ND
1.440 195.0464 2.517 C6H12O7 Gluconic acid Sour (0.968) ND 47.36 30.43
1.709 89.0216 4.500 C3H6O3 Lactic acid Sour (0.980) ND 185.24 117.54
2.911 181.0461 1.191 C9H10O4 3-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)lactic acid Sour (0.941) ND 14.92 13.66
1.594 203.0520 2.427 C7H8N4O2 Theophylline Bitter (0.999) 106.70 51.18 38.17
1.619 175.1188 1.717 C6H14N4O2 Arginine Sweet (0.893) ND 9.73 ND
7.272 211.1428 1.058 C11H18N2O2 Cyclo(proline-leucine) Bitter (0.940) ND 4.00 ND
2.757 132.1007 1.994 C6H13NO2 D-Alloisoleucine Sweet (0.813) 15.15 35.33 20.43
1.763 145.0588 2.192 C5H10N2O3 Glutamine Sweet (0.964) 44.31 ND 5.66
2.436 132.1008 2.629 C6H13NO2 Isoleucine Sweet (0.813) 47.36 ND 24.15
1.622 128.0313 2.189 C5H7NO3 L-5-Oxoproline Sweet (0.648) 23.77 55.06 67.82
2.487 180.0619 1.429 C9H11NO3 m-Tyrosine ND 0.27 8.50 2.25
4.686 164.0662 2.462 C9H11NO2 Phenylalanine Sweet (0.931) ND 53.46 60.57
5.822 203.0766 1.447 C11H12N2O2 Tryptophan Sweet (0.971) 29.16 26.52 18.72
2.367 182.0801 1.078 C9H11NO3 Tyrosine Bitter (0.507) ND 3.61 ND
8.223 565.1525 2.129 C26H28O14 Ambocin Sweet (0.641) ND ND 14.81
8.269 431.0876 1.353 C21H20O10 Kaempferol-7-O-deoxyhexoside Sweet (0.505) ND 16.90 14.63
8.476 287.0539 1.276 C15H10O6 Luteolin Bitter (1.000) ND 5.03 ND
13.859 302.3032 5.618 C18H39NO2 Dihydrosphingosine Sweet (0.575) ND 107.95 233.32
8.590 329.2247 1.490 C18H34O5 FA (18:1; 3O) Sour (0.776) 20.50 ND ND
15.542 269.2432 1.371 C17H34O2 Heptadecanoic acid Sour (1.000) 3.63 20.05 21.59
12.940 318.2981 2.550 C18H39NO3 Phytosphingosine Sweet (0.547) ND 66.03 52.86
5.278 268.1034 1.581 C10H13N5O4 Adenosine Bitter (0.814) 26.33 ND 1.51
9.155 353.2274 2.441 C22H28N2O2 Anileridine Bitter (0.930) 8.13 20.73 ND
1.573 104.1069 1.236 C5H14NO Choline Bitter (0.751) 29.50 23.61 17.00
11.983 330.2037 1.052 C20H27NO3 Hetisine Bitter (0.865) ND 3.43 ND
6.916 177.0148 2.142 C9H6O4 6, 7-Dihydroxycoumarin Bitter (0.656) ND 42.66 41.77
6.647 109.0265 1.016 C6H6O2 Catechol Sweet (0.685) ND 14.98 15.34
11.422 294.2067 1.067 C17H27NO3 N-Vanillylnonanamide ND ND ND 3.68
3.678 163.0353 1.819 C9H8O3 trans-4-Coumaric acid Sour (0.654) ND ND 9.63
1.985 360.1497 1.287 C12H22O11 Isomaltulose Sweet (0.996) 1.73 4.93 ND