Microbial communities related to sensory characteristics of commercial drinkable yogurt products in Korea

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the sensory characteristics of commercial drinkable yogurt products and their microbial communities. A metagenomic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and a descriptive sensory analysis using a highly trained panel were carried out on six commercially available drinkable yogurts from Korea. A metagenomic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that Streptococcus thermophilus, a member of Streptococcaceae, was dominant (67–98%), followed by Lactobacillus delbrueckii (0–12% in concentration) compared to other bacterial population. The differences in the sensory characteristics of the drinkable yogurts were observed (p < 0.05). The drinkable yogurts high in Streptococcus thermophilus showed a high correlation to strong sweet and sour tastes, while the samples high in Lactobacillus delbrueckii correlated well with cheesy, potato brothy, and Yakult/FFA aromatics. The drinkable yogurts relatively high in L. casei, L. paracasei, and L. acidophilus, compared to other yogurt products had high creamy aromatics. The results of this study can add valuable insights to the fermented dairy food industry by providing sensory characteristics associated with specific microbiota. Industrial relevance text: In this study, predominant microbiota associated with commonly consumed plain drinkable yogurt products in Korea was identified as Streptococcus thermophilus, followed by Lactobacillus delbrueckii. The results of this study can add valuable insights to the fermented dairy food industry by providing sensory characteristics associated with specific microbiota. Dairy processors who are producing fermented milk products can utilize this information for selecting starter cultures to produce the yogurt products with desirable aroma characteristics.