Abstract: Fermented kidney bean milk made from germinated kidney bean was prepared with six strains of lactic acid bacteria producing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at high yield separately. Sensory evaluation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) coupled with odor activity value (OAV) analysis were employed to explore the effect of different lactic acid bacteria on the flavor of fermented kidney bean milk. The results showed that a total of 17 volatile flavor compounds were identified in the six fermented kidney bean milk samples, among which, hexanol, benzaldehyde, eugenol, 4-vinyl-2-methoxyphenol, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, and benzoic acid were identified as key aroma compounds. The sensory evaluation results indicated that lactic acid bacteria fermentation could enhance the sour, fermented, beany, and sweet aromas of fermented kidney bean milk, while significantly reducing the beany odor. Among the six strains, kidney bean milk fermented with Pediococcus pentosaceus Z-6-2 possessed the highest GABA content (225.50 mg/L) and the best flavor, offering significant potential for further development. This study provides valuable strain resources for the development of fermented kidney bean milk beverage with lactic acid bacteria.

Key words: lactic acid bacteria; kidney bean; fermentation; γ-aminobutyric acid; flavor