Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains on the metabolomic profiles of Guangan honey pear cider

In recent years, the interest in cider produced from pear has considerably increased as a way to add value to fruits unsuitable for direct consumption or to valorize pear varieties grown in restricted regions. In the current study, with the China National Geographic Indication Products Guangan honey pear as raw material, four commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, namely RW, SY, DV10 and Drop Acid Yeast (DAY), were used to produce pear cider, comparing their taste characteristics and metabolomic profiles changes through the combination of GC-MS, 1H-NMR and E-tongue. The results showed that there was a clear classification from the data obtained according to different yeast strains fermented Guangan honey pear cider, represented by a high discrimination index. Several pathways were altered during fermentation due to the distinct yeast strains, namely arginine and proline metabolism, glycine and serine metabolism, urea cycle, alanine metabolism, citric acid cycle, amino sugar metabolism, carnitine synthesis and warburg effect. This study could help improve the quality of Guangan honey pear cider by selecting different Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts and, in turn, it could shed lights on the large-scale production of pear cider.