ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Food Science Technology
This article is part of the Research TopicHigh-Value Utilization of Food Components to Improve Glucose and Lipid MetabolismView all articles
Impacts of high-temperature and humidity transportation on rice quality: an integrated analysis of microbial community succession and flavor compound alterations
Provisionally accepted
Disha Jiang1
Yulin Wang1Yun Ling2
Sergei Alexandrovich EREMIN3
Liliya I. Mukhametovac3Jinglin Du4
Hao Hu1*- 1Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
- 2Zhejiang Institute of Economics and Trade, Hangzhou, China
- 3M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- 4Zhejiang Provincial Grain and Oil Product Quality Inspection Center, Hangzhou, China
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This study investigated the dynamic changes in rice quality, microbial communities, and volatile compound profiles during simulated summer transportation (35°C, 70% RH, 15 days). Indica rice samples were systematically collected every 3 days and analyzed using HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS, HS-GC-IMS, and metagenomic sequencing. Prolonged transportation significantly altered the physicochemical properties of the rice. Moisture content plateaued on day 12, while germination rates declined significantly starting from day 6. Furthermore, fatty acid values increased continuously due to accelerated lipid hydrolysis and oxidation. Visible mold growth became evident on day 12, marking a critical tipping point for quality deterioration. The odor activity value (OAV) and relative odor activity value (ROAV) analyses revealed that the decline in unsaturated fatty aldehydes such as (E)-2-nonenal and the significant accumulation of alcohols, ketones, and short-chain esters, including 1-octen-3-ol and ethyl acetate, drove the transition from a "fresh and fatty" aroma to one characterized by moldy, fermented, and pungent notes. Metagenomic analysis demonstrated a profound ecosystem shift from bacterial dominance (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria) to fungal dominance. Notably, Lichtheimia surged from <0.01% to 23.95%, becoming the dominant genus, while Aspergillus increased from 0.03% to 4.57%. Correlation analysis indicated that while Pseudomonas was associated with elevated fatty acid levels, the flavor shift was primarily linked to microbial succession. These findings provide insights into the synergistic mechanisms of rice spoilage and suggest that specific volatile markers could serve as early warning indicators for quality control in real-world grain logistics.
Keywords: High temperature and humidity, Metagenomics, microbial community, Rice quality, Transportation, volatile compounds
Received: 20 Jan 2026; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Jiang, Wang, Ling, EREMIN, Mukhametovac, Du and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hao Hu
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