The potential correlation between the succession of microflora and volatile flavor compounds during the production of Zhenba bacon

Microbial composition plays an important role in the quality and flavor of bacon. The aims of this study were to detect bacterial community succession using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and volatile flavor compound changes using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) during the production of Zhenba bacon. The results showed that a total of 70 volatile compounds were detected. Among them, ketones, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, esters and alcohols were the main substances in the curing and smoking stages. In addition, the fungal abundance was greater than the bacterial abundance, and there was obvious succession of the microbial community with changes in fermentation time and processing technology. The main functional bacterial genera in the curing and smoking stages were Staphylococcus, Psychrobacter and Latilactobacillus, and the main fungal genera were Fusarium and Debaryomyces. Through correlation analysis, we found that pyrrole, 2-pentanol, methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and ethyl acetate (EA) were significantly correlated with Staphylococcus, Psychrobacter, Pseudomonas and Myroides (p < 0.01), and it is speculated that they contribute significantly to flavor formation. The results of this study are helpful for understanding the microbial dynamics and characteristic volatile flavor compounds in Zhenba bacon, and provide new insights into the relationship between microorganisms and flavor through potential correlations.