Sun-drying is a traditional process for preparing dried shrimp in coastal area of South China, but its impacts on nutrition and the formation of flavor-contributory substances in dried shrimp remain largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the effects of the production process on the microbiota and metabolites in dried shrimp. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was employed to identify 170 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with Vibrio, Photobacterium, and Shewanella emerging as the primary pathogenic bacteria in shrimp samples. Lactococcus lactis was identified as the principal potential beneficial microorganism to accrue during the dried shrimp production process and found to contribute significantly to the development of desirable shrimp flavors. LC–MS-based analyses of dried shrimp sample metabolomes revealed a notable increase in compounds associated with unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and flavonoid and flavanol biosynthesis throughout the drying process. Subsequent exploration of the relationship between metabolites and bacterial communities highlighted the predominant coexistence of Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, and Photobacterium contributing heterocyclic compounds and metabolites of organic acids and their derivatives. Conversely, Arthrobacter and Staphylococcus were found to inhibit each other, primarily in the presence of heterocyclic compounds. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into the dynamic changes in the microbiota and metabolites of dried shrimps spanning different drying periods, which we expect to contribute to enhancing production techniques and safety measures for dried shrimp processing.

晒干是我国南方沿海地区制备虾米的传统工艺，但其对虾米营养和风味物质形成的影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在研究生产过程对虾干微生物群和代谢物的影响。采用 16S rDNA 扩增子测序来鉴定 170 个操作分类单位 (OTU)，其中弧菌、发光杆菌和希瓦氏菌成为虾样品中的主要致病菌。乳酸乳球菌被确定为在虾干生产过程中产生的主要潜在有益微生物，并且被发现对开发所需的虾风味有显着贡献。基于 LC-MS 的干虾样品代谢组分析显示，在整个干燥过程中，与不饱和脂肪酸生物合成、花生四烯酸代谢、氨基酸生物合成以及类黄酮和黄烷醇生物合成相关的化合物显着增加。随后对代谢物和细菌群落之间关系的探索强调了双歧杆菌、梭菌和发光杆菌的主要共存，贡献了杂环化合物和有机酸及其衍生物的代谢物。相反，节杆菌和葡萄球菌被发现相互抑制，主要是在杂环化合物存在的情况下。这项全面的调查为虾米在不同干燥时期的微生物群和代谢物的动态变化提供了有价值的见解，我们希望这有助于提高虾米加工的生产技术和安全措施。