Research on the Quality Variation Patterns During the Fermentation Process of Coffee-Grounds Craft Beer

To investigate the metabolic differences and mechanisms during the fermentation process of coffee-grounds craft beer, HS-SPME-GC/MS untargeted metabolomics technology was used to study the metabolic differences during the fermentation process of coffee-grounds craft beer. Multivariate statistical analysis and pathway analysis were combined to screen for significantly different metabolites with variable weight values of VIP ≥ 1 and <i>p</i> < 0.05. The results indicate that at time points T7, T14, T21, and T28, a total of 183 differential metabolites were detected during the four fermentation days, with 86 metabolites showing significant differences. Its content composition is mainly composed of lipids and lipid-like molecules, organic oxygen compounds, and benzoids, accounting for 63.64% of the total differential metabolites. KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed metabolites showed a total of 35 metabolic pathways. The top 20 metabolic pathways were screened based on the corrected <i>p</i>-value, and the significantly differentially expressed metabolites were mainly enriched in pathways such as protein digestion and absorption, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis heparan sulfate/heparin, and benzoxazinoid biosynthesis. The different metabolic mechanisms during the fermentation process of coffee-grounds craft beer reveal the quality changes during the fermentation process, providing theoretical basis for improving the quality of coffee-grounds craft beer and having important theoretical and practical significance for improving the quality evaluation system of coffee-grounds craft beer.