Fermented shrimp paste is a popular food in Asian countries. However, biogenic amines (BAs) are a typically associated hazard commonly found during the fermentation of shrimp paste and pose a food-safety danger. In this work, an autochthonic salt-tolerant Tetragenococcus muriaticus TS (T. muriaticus TS) strain was used as a starter culture for grasshopper sub shrimp paste fermentation. It was found that with the starter culture, putrescine, cadaverine, and histamine concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.05) with a maximal reduction of 19.20%, 14.01%, and 28.62%, respectively. According to high-throughput sequencing data, T. muriaticus TS could change the interactions between species and reduce the abundance of bacterial genera positively associated with BAs, therefore inhibiting the BA accumulation during shrimp paste fermentation. Moreover, the volatile compounds during the fermentation process were also assessed by HS-SPME-GC-MS. With the starter added, the content of pyrazines increased, while the off-odor amines decreased. The odor of the shrimp paste was successfully improved. These results indicate that T. muriaticus TS can be used as an appropriate starter culture for improving the safety and quality of grasshopper sub shrimp paste.
Keywords: Tetragenococcus muriaticus; biogenic amine reduction; grasshopper sub shrimp paste; microbial community regulation; volatile compound.