Abstract
As a member of the Brassicaceae family, mustard plant is an annual herbaceous plant rich in diverse nutrients. Traditionally, it is often processed through spontaneous fermentation to improve its unique spicy flavor. However, spontaneous fermentation has certain problems, such as a long cycle, unstable quality, and safety risks. To promote the standardization and efficiency of mustard plant fermentation, the screening and application of inoculation fermentation using dominant strains have become research hotspots. This study reviews the isolation, screening, and identification methods of dominant strains in mustard plant fermentation (such as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Weissella, Lactobacillus brevis, and yeast), including traditional culturing technology, physicochemical analysis, and molecular biology technology (such as Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing and 16S rDNA sequencing). Research shows that lactic acid bacteria have outstanding acid production, acid and salt resistance, nitrite degradation, and antioxidant and flavor regulation abilities during the fermentation process, which significantly improve the safety, flavor, and quality of the products. The mechanism of action of dominant strains in the fermentation process is further discussed, including organic acid metabolism, amino acid transformation, volatile flavor formation, and microbial community dynamic evolution. This article provides a theoretical basis and technical reference for the change from traditional natural fermentation to high-quality and high-efficiency inoculation fermentation of mustard plant.