Microbial Communities and Their Interaction in Traditional Vinegar Fermentation Process: A Review

Vinegar is traditionally produced by fermentation with a mixed system composed of naturally inoculated microorganisms. The complex microbial communities in the fermentation system are crucial to the formation of vinegar flavor. Studies on the microbial communities and their interactions are helpful to reveal the relationship between microorganisms and the quality of vinegar and are of great significance for targeted regulation of microorganisms in the fermentation process, productivity enhancement and vinegar quality improvement. Therefore, recent studies on the microbial diversity and the interactions among core functional microorganisms in the traditional fermentation process of vinegar are reviewed in this paper. Moreover, the positive effects of the interaction among core functional microorganisms on the flavor of vinegar are discussed. Finally, the problems existing in the current research are summarized. This review is expected to provide a reference for targeted regulation of vinegar quality.