DIA quantitative proteomics reveals the regulatory mechanism of aroma-producing yeast on the formation of Xuanwei ham flavour: microbial fermentation and protein degradation.

Abstract

To clarify the regulatory effects of three aroma-producing yeasts (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Yamadazyma triangularis, and Debaryomyces hansenii) on microbial community structure and muscle protein expression during Xuanwei ham fermentation, this study used Xuanwei ham inoculated with the three yeasts as the research material. High-throughput sequencing was applied to analyze changes in microbial community composition and diversity. Data-independent acquisition (DIA) quantitative proteomics was used to identify differentially expressed proteins, combined with Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses. The results showed that inoculated yeasts significantly reshaped the bacterial and fungal communities of ham, markedly inhibited the overgrowth of Aspergillus, and enriched functional microorganisms such as Staphylococcus and Serratia, with significant differences among groups (P < 0.05). A total of 3401 proteins were identified, were screened. These proteins were mainly enriched in pathways including carboxylic acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, myofibril depolymerization, mitochondrial energy metabolism, and regulated muscle protein degradation and flavour precursor formation through the core protein interaction network. These findings indicate that aroma-producing yeasts improve the quality of Xuanwei ham by optimizing microbial community structure and regulating muscle protein metabolism, providing a scientific basis for the development of starter cultures suitable for dry-cured ham and precise quality control.

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