{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T03:47:49Z","timestamp":1790394469186,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fermented apple juice demonstrates significant potential as a functional beverage with health-promoting benefits; however, optimizing its sensory quality remains challenging. This study investigated the effects of fermentation using single and mixed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains on the quality of \u2018Red Fuji\u2019 apple juice (AJ) from Aksu, Xinjiang.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Flavor characteristics were assessed using electronic nose, electronic tongue, and HS-SPME\/GC\u2013MS, and underlying mechanisms were investigated via non-targeted metabolomics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The results revealed that \u2018Red Fuji\u2019 AJ is an excellent fermentation substrate, with post-fermentation total colony counts consistently exceeding 8.5 log CFU\/mL. Mixed fermentation outperformed single fermentation. At the\n                      <jats:italic>L. helveticus<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>L. plantarum<\/jats:italic>\n                      ratio of 1:2, yielding higher viable cell counts (&amp;gt;9.26 log CFU\/mL), superior overall sensory acceptance (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05), and a more complex and pleasant flavor profile characterized by increased levels of esters, aldehydes, and alcohols, along with significantly reduced bitterness (65.3%) and astringency (74.1%). Metabolomic analysis identified key differential metabolites and metabolic pathways (amino acid metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and flavonoid biosynthesis), providing a theoretical basis for the flavor enhancement mechanism.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study demonstrates that specific mixed LAB fermentation can effectively address common sensory acceptance issues in fermented fruit juices by simultaneously enhancing probioticviability, enriching flavor complexity, and reducing undesirable tastes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1730713","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T22:42:58Z","timestamp":1769553778000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Mixed fermentation improved apple juice quality: juice characteristics and mechanism"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Keyu","family":"Lei","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]},{"name":"Production & Construction Group Key Laboratory of Special Agricultural Products Further Processing in Southern Xinjiang, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yinglong","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]},{"name":"Production & Construction Group Key Laboratory of Special Agricultural Products Further Processing in Southern Xinjiang, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunfeng","family":"Pu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]},{"name":"Production & Construction Group Key Laboratory of Special Agricultural Products Further Processing in Southern Xinjiang, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liling","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]},{"name":"Production & Construction Group Key Laboratory of Special Agricultural Products Further Processing in Southern Xinjiang, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ying","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]},{"name":"Production & Construction Group Key Laboratory of Special Agricultural Products Further Processing in Southern Xinjiang, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xujie","family":"Hou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]},{"name":"Production & Construction Group Key Laboratory of Special Agricultural Products Further Processing in Southern Xinjiang, Tarim University","place":["Alar, Xinjiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/J.LWT.2022.114303","article-title":"Sensory quality and consumer perception of high pressure processed orange juice and apple 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