Metabolomic profiles of the liquid state fermentation in co-culture of A. oryzae and Z. rouxii.

Aspergillus oryzae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii are the perquisites microorganisms in food fermentation due to the broad application prospects of their secondary metabolites. The co-culture strategy simulates the naturally occurring ecology by developing artificial microbial communities. This strategy has also been widely adopted to investigate the novel secondary metabolites. In the present study, the effects of co-culture on extracellular and intracellular secondary metabolites of fungi in liquid culture were investigated through UPLC-QTOF-MS. Notably, A. oryzae could significantly inhibit the growth of Z. rouxii when A. oryzae and Z. rouxii were co-cultured. The results further indicated that the co-culture of fungi could affect the secondary metabolites and produce various metabolic pathways. Overall, this study will provide insights into fungal interactions and cell metabolism mechanisms, contributing to supplementing and enriching the fermentation potential of fungi.