Dynamic profiling of bioactive compounds, flavor metabolites, and quality-related microorganisms during the freshening-drying-aging process of citri reticulatae pericarpium: Implications for quality formation mechanisms
Yuan Hu, Ding Hu, Lei Yin, Zhi Deng, Yingying Cheng, Hanxi Li, Fu Wang, Youping Liu
Abstract
This study systematically explored the dynamic evolution of bioactive components, flavor metabolites, and microbial communities in citri reticulatae pericarpium (CRP) throughout its processing from fresh materials through drying to controlled aging. Using UPLC, GC–MS, and high-throughput sequencing, we found that during the fresh-to-dry phase (0–7 days), water activity decreased significantly ( p < 0.05), while total flavonoids, hesperidin, and volatile oil yield increased by 3.3 %–10.8 %. Drying at 30 °C enhanced microbial diversity ( p < 0.05). In the dry-to-aged phase (7–360 days), total flavonoids accumulated, while volatile oil decreased by 50.7 %. Aspergillus emerged as a dominant species from 270 to 360 days. Correlation analysis showed positive links between Aspergillus and flavonoid levels ( p < 0.05). This research provides a framework for monitoring CRP processing and highlights the impact of drying methods on quality through microbial diversity. • The quality of CRP is formed through freshening-drying-aging process. • Compared the effects of 5 drying methods on the fungal diversity of CRP. • CRP significantly enhanced fungal diversity under drying conditions at 30 °C. • Wallemia and Aspergillus are quality-related microorganisms for CRP. • The 270 to 360-day aging period is crucial for CRP quality.