Progress of Research on the Relationship between Characteristic Flavor and Microorganisms in Fermented Meat Products

Fermented meat products are products made from fresh meat under natural or artificially controlled conditions through microbial or enzymatic fermentation. There are many kinds of characteristic flavor compounds in fermented meat products, which mainly include esters, aldehydes, alcohols, acids and free amino acids. Due to the improvement of consumers' requirements for flavor quality of fermented meat products, the control of flavor substances has become one of the key indicators to improve the quality of fermented meat products. Some microorganisms in fermented meat products, especially lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and staphylococci, promote the decomposition of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in meat products, so as to enhance the formation of unique flavors of fermented meat products. This article introduces in detail the main flavor substances, flavor formation ways and detection methods in different fermented meat products at home and abroad, further summarizes the key microorganisms that can produce these flavor compounds and the screening methods of flavor-producing strains, in order to provide reference for the subsequent improvement of flavor quality of fermented meat products.