Exploring aroma producing microflora in shalgam using next generation sequencing and statistical evaluation

Shalgam is a red fermented sour beverage produced in homes, small facilities and industrial plants and obtained by lactic acid fermentation of black carrots. In this study, color, pH, titration acidity, brix, and microbial counts of the shalgam samples were determined and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was applied to shalgam samples taken from an industrial şalgam production plant where fermentation process is determined as 20 days. Dominant lactic acid bacteria and yeast-mold species and their composition were determined using next generation sequencing methods and volatile compounds profiles analyses of industrially produced shalgams were performed during fermentation process. The pH and the titratable acidity values were found to be between 4.24-3.82 and 4.03-8.33 g / L respectively and the brix value was found to be 2.7 throughout the fermentation. It was observed that the total number of bacteria decreased gradually and the number of LAB and fungi increased gradually. The dominant types of LAB in the fermentation process were determined as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides and dominant fungi species were determined as S. cerevisiae and C. boidinii. The highest and lowest concentrations in volatile compounds belong to ethyl alcohol and phenol, 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) respectively.