Regulation of EC precursors in Huangjiu: Multi-omics deciphers the mechanism of synthetic microbial communities.
Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
Ethyl carbamate, a Group 2 A carcinogen, is naturally formed during Huangjiu brewing and poses a significant challenge in enhancing the quality and safety of the final product. Synthetic microbial communities can regulate the formation of ethyl carbamate during fermentation and effectively reduce its levels in Huangjiu. However, the underlying relationship between microbial communities and the formation of ethyl carbamate precursors remains to be elucidated. In this study, we employed integrated metatranscriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate the potential metabolic functions of microorganisms during fermentation with synthetic microbial communities, focusing on three key aspects: microbial composition, functional genes, and metabolites. Metabolomic analysis identified six key metabolites during fermentation: urea, arginine, citrulline, ornithine, homoarginine, and homocitrulline. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that total sugars, urea, and citrulline were the main factors driving microbial community succession during Huangjiu fermentation. Limosilactobacillus fermentum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were identified as the core functional species driving Huangjiu fermentation and were involved in regulating the formation of ethyl carbamate precursors. Furthermore, we successfully reconstructed the metabolic network for ethyl carbamate precursor formation. These findings contribute to refining the theoretical framework for the transport and metabolism of eth
Abstract
Ethyl carbamate, a Group 2 A carcinogen, is naturally formed during Huangjiu brewing and poses a significant challenge in enhancing the quality and safety of the final product. Synthetic microbial communities can regulate the formation of ethyl carbamate during fermentation and effectively reduce its levels in Huangjiu. However, the underlying relationship between microbial communities and the formation of ethyl carbamate precursors remains to be elucidated. In this study, we employed integrated metatranscriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate the potential metabolic functions of microorganisms during fermentation with synthetic microbial communities, focusing on three key aspects: microbial composition, functional genes, and metabolites. Metabolomic analysis identified six key metabolites during fermentation: urea, arginine, citrulline, ornithine, homoarginine, and homocitrulline. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that total sugars, urea, and citrulline were the main factors driving microbial community succession during Huangjiu fermentation. Limosilactobacillus fermentum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were identified as the core functional species driving Huangjiu fermentation and were involved in regulating the formation of ethyl carbamate precursors. Furthermore, we successfully reconstructed the metabolic network for ethyl carbamate precursor formation. These findings contribute to refining the theoretical framework for the transport and metabolism of ethyl carbamate precursors, thereby enabling the effective regulation of ethyl carbamate formation. Consequently, this study provides a theoretical foundation for the targeted safety enhancement of other fermented alcoholic foods through the application of synthetic microbial communities.