{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]],"date-time":"2026-02-20T03:03:32Z","timestamp":1771556612554,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]],"date-time":"2025-10-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761782400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Key Research and Development Program in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region","award":["2024B04041-2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024B04041-2"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Sour pomegranate, a distinctive product of Xinjiang, China, is characterized by its sour and astringent taste, which contributes to a low processing rate. This study utilized single-factor experiments to screen three strains: Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Through uniform design experiments, the mixed-strain ratio of L. fermentum:L. plantarum:L. acidophilus = 45%:31%:28% was determined. In addition, the amount of mixed inoculum was 2%, and the fermentation time was 11 h. Additionally, a mixed inoculation amount of 2% and a fermentation duration of 11 h were established. Utilizing electronic nose, electronic tongue, gas chromatography\u2013ion mobility spectrometry, and non-targeted metabolomics, comparative analyses were conducted on the flavors and metabolites pre- and post-fermentation. The findings indicated that post-fermentation, umami increased by 32%, richness was enhanced by 6%, and the positive aftertaste was significantly extended. Mixed-strain fermentation facilitated the enrichment of alkanes, alcohols, aldehydes, and terpene volatile compounds; notably, the content of hexanal (fresh fruity aroma) and limonene (citrus aroma) increased by 1.95 times and 1.45 times, respectively, thereby augmenting the complexity of the aroma. Furthermore, mixed-strain fermentation significantly upregulated terpenes, amino acids and their derivatives, steroids and their derivatives, and alkaloid metabolites. These results offer potential technical support for the high-value utilization of agricultural products.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14213733","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T03:33:07Z","timestamp":1761881587000},"page":"3733","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Development of a Mixed-Strain Fermentation Process for Sour Pomegranate: An Analysis of Metabolites and Flavor Compounds"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Yuting","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Smart Agriculture (Research Institute), Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ailikemu","family":"Mulati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Smart Agriculture (Research Institute), Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xinmeng","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Smart Agriculture (Research Institute), Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuanpeng","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Smart Agriculture (Research Institute), Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dilireba","family":"Shataer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Smart Agriculture (Research Institute), Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4212-2503","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Haipeng","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Intelligent Healthcare, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5RW, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5028-3470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jiayi","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Smart Agriculture (Research Institute), Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tinebra, I., Scuderi, D., Sortino, G., Mazzaglia, A., and Farina, V. 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