Study on Nutritional Characteristics, Antioxidant Activity, and Volatile Compounds in Non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae–Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Co-Fermented Prune Juice

The fermentation of prune juice significantly enhances its nutritional profile, antioxidant capacity, and flavor characteristics. In this study, <i>Non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> and <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> were used to co-ferment prune juice to systematically investigate the dynamic changes in physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity during fermentation. The evolution of volatile compounds across fermentation stages was analyzed using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectroscopy (GC-IMS) combined with chemometric methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The results showed that after fermentation, the total acidity (TA), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) increased by 37.35%, 20.28%, and 28.95%, respectively. Meanwhile, the pH, total soluble solids (TSS), and reducing sugars (RS) decreased by 16.87%, 23.36%, and 39.94%, respectively. Additionally, the DPPH radical scavenging capacity and ABTS radical scavenging capacity improved by 76.16% and 57.25% during fermentation process. A total of 37 volatile compounds were identified across the four fermentation stages of prune juice (PJ). These compounds included 14 esters, 8 alcohols, 7 aldehydes, 4 terpenoids, 3 ketones, and 1 amine. Considerable quantities of organic acids and free amino acids were detected in samples from all fermentation phases. Among these, lactic acid, citric acid, and D-glucuronic acid exhibited significant increases in their concentration (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In the free amino acid profile of fermented prune juice (FPJ), asparagine was the most abundant component, followed by glutamine and proline.