Metabolite and microbial community composition of normal and sensory defect Nuodeng hams characterized based on metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing

Sensory defects dry-cured ham usually has an unpleasant taste and smell. To deepen the understanding of the formation mechanism of sensory defect ham, the metabolites and microbial community composition were investigated between normal and sensory defect ham. The results of high-throughput sequencing showed that the excessive accumulation of Enterobacteriaceae and Yeasts and reduced abundance of flavor-related microorganisms may be one of the reasons for the sensory defect hams. 42 differential metabolites were screened by metabolomics, among which amino acids and their derivatives and organic acids were the key metabolites to distinguish sensory defect hams from normal hams. KEGG pathway analysis showed that amino acid metabolism, TCA cycle, purine metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism were the main metabolic pathways of defect hams. These results indicated that small molecule metabolites and microorganisms were closely related to the quality of Nuodeng ham, which provides a scientific basis for the quality control of Nuodeng ham. •The metabolites and metabolite pathway were evaluated in sensory defect hams.•Amino acids and organic acids were key biomarkers for defective hams.•Overaccumulation of Enterobacteriaceae and Yeasts in sensory defect hams.•Amino acid and purine metabolism were the key metabolic pathways of defective ham.