A comparative HS-SPME-GC-MS-based volatile fingerprint analysis of newly developed milk beverages fermented with autochthonous and commercial cultures.

In this study, three distinct fermented milk beverages of high sensory quality were developed using the autochthonous cultures Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ZGBP5-51, Enterococcus faecium ZGBP5-52 and Enterococcus faecalis ZGBP5-53 (AC beverage) and the commercial starter Bioprox DI-PROX M229 alone (CC beverage), and in combination (CAC beverage). The AC beverage showed the greatest 3-week storage stability, as reflected by the maintained bacterial cell viability and pH stability. A total of 103 aroma volatile compounds (AVCs), categorised into 17 chemical groups, were identified in the beverages by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Ketones constituted the predominant AVC group in both the CC (49.84 ± 12.29 %) and CAC (35.63 ± 31.65 %) beverages, whereas they were only the third most prevalent group in the AC beverage (15.25 ± 12.93 %). The principal component analysis revealed a cumulative explanatory variance of 64.94 %, emphasising the crucial role of starter culture selection in shaping the volatile profiles of fermented milk beverages.