The spoilage characteristics and key metabolites of Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus plantarum in ready-to-eat chicken feet.

Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus plantarum are key spoilage microorganisms in vacuum-packaged ready-to-eat chicken feet (RTECF). This study explored the impact of single-strain inoculation with  L. brevis andL. plantarum on the physicochemical properties, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and non-volatile metabolites of RTECF. The results showed that inoculation with L. brevis and L. plantarum decreased the pH, L⁎ value, and textural properties of RTECF while having little effect on TVBN, TBARS, a⁎, and b⁎ values. A total of 62 VOCs were identified across all samples, with L. brevis primarily increasing alcohol concentrations, while L. plantarum elevated the levels of acids, esters, and alcohols. The results of metabolomics analysis revealed that 403 and 370 metabolites with significant differences, were identified in RTECF inoculated L. brevis and L. plantarum, respectively. In addition, nucleotide metabolism, purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism were key pathways with L. brevis spoilage, whereas phenylalanine metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, and lysine degradation were key pathways with L. plantarum spoilage. This study characterized the spoilage behaviors of L. brevis and L. plantarum, providing deeper insights into microbial spoilage mechanisms in vacuum-packed RTECF.