Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Eating Qualities of Fermented Rice Noodles

To ascertain the role of natural fermentation and its associated microorganisms in the eating quality of fermented rice noodles, we compared changes in main chemical components, microorganisms, and eating qualities of fermented rice noodles compared with unfermented ones. The results indicated that noodles made from rice grains fermented at 40°C have higher tensile strength, hardness, springiness, and chewiness. Statistical analyses show that fermentation significantly changed the content and composition of the starch, lipid, protein, amylose, and ash of the indica rice. High‐throughput sequencing analyses of the supernatant of the fermentation samples revealed the dynamic changes of the bacteria population during fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria are found to be the dominant bacteria (more than 90%) during the entire process. The relatively high abundance of Lactobacillus fermentum and L. delbrueckii at each phase of the fermentation suggests that the two species are likely to be the species that determine eating quality in the rice fermentation process. The results may provide guidance on the maintenance of quality consistency of fermented rice at the industrial scale.