How Microbiome Composition Correlates with Biochemical Changes during Sauerkraut Fermentation: a Focus on Neglected Bacterial Players and Functionalities
Ali Zein Alabiden Tlais, Wilson José Fernandes Lemos, Pasquale Filannino, Stefano Campanaro, Marco Gobbetti, Raffaella Di Cagno
Abstract
Our study was not limited to describe the succession pattern of the microbial community during sauerkraut fermentation, but also revealed how some neglected bacterial players belong to the core species during sauerkrauts processing, especially at low temperature. Such species might have a role as potential starters to optimize the fermentation processes and to obtain sauerkrauts with improved and standardized nutritional and sensory features. Furthermore, our correlations between microbiome composition and phenolics profile might also represent new references for sauerkraut biotechnology, aiming to identify new metabolic drivers of potential sauerkraut functionalities. Finally, sauerkraut ecosystem is a tractable model, although with high level of complexity, and resultant ecological information might be extended to other plant ecosystems.