Eucommia ulmoides leaf (EUL) was introduced as a novel fermentation substrate to replace traditional tea in kombucha. High-performance liquid chromatography, untargeted metabolomics, and high-throughput sequencing were applied to understand the potential relationships during fermentation. EUL kombucha exhibited slower sugar consumption rate and superior in vitro antioxidant activity compared with traditional kombucha. Total polyphenols, geniposidic acid, pinoresinol diglucoside, and rutin demonstrated an increasing trend, whereas total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid contents considerably decreased. Metabolite profiling revealed 211 positive and 165 negative ion components in samples fermented for 0, 4, and 8 days. Komagataeibacter and Gluconobacter were the dominant bacterial genera while Hanseniaspora, Dekkera, and Kregervanrija dominated the yeast community. The dominant microbial genera could have regulated nucleotide metabolism, pentose and glucuronic acid-related conversions, ascorbic acid and aldehyde metabolism, and flavonoid biosynthesis, leading to changes in the expression of differential metabolites of EUL kombucha. The findings support innovation in kombucha development.
This study elucidates the thermodynamic-driven flavor transformation mechanisms in non-centrifugal sugar processed via Traditional Pan (TP) and Vacuum Evaporation (VE) systems. Dynamic analysis revealed that 73 volatiles were detected in two processing systems: VE's sealed heating process concentrates pyrazine/aldehyde compounds (such as 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine), imparting caramel/nutty flavors; whereas TP's shorter heating duration preserves heat-sensitive furan compounds (such as furfural), yielding fresh/fruity aromas - a conclusion validated by sensory testing. Eight characteristic biomarkers were identified through orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (Orthogonal PLS-DA, OPLS-DA), enabling process differentiation. From the nutritional perspective, more minerals (Ca, Zn) are retained in VE group, while higher vitamin B3 are remained in TP group. However, the content of acrylamide exhibited strong positive correlations with pyrazines/furanones, revealing the Maillard reaction's dual role in flavor enhancement and safety risks. These findings propose a synergistic "flavor-nutrition-safety" control strategy for process optimization, supporting brown sugar industry advancement.

