Aging time-dependent non-volatile chemical and microbial dynamics in Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae 'Chachiensis' from multi-regional origins.

Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae 'Chachiensis' (PCRC), a renowned traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits enhanced efficacy following prolonged aging, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study employed metabolomics and microbiomics to analyze multi-source PCRC, elucidating the dynamic changes in non-volatile chemicals and microbial communities over a 7-year aging period. In the metabolomic analysis, a total of 306 differential metabolites were identified as potential indicators of aging, among which seven metabolites exhibited a consistent time-dependent increase in relative content over the seven-year period. Microbiomic analysis revealed that Bacillus and Xeromyces were significantly enriched in 7-year-aged PCRC and consistently dominated the microbial community throughout the aging. Spearman correlation analysis indicated a potential association between dominant microorganisms and aging time-dependent metabolites, suggesting that their interaction was a critical component of the PCRC aging process. These findings provide novel insights into PCRC aging mechanisms and establish a theoretical foundation for quality assessment and aging time classification.