Sweetness-related chemical changes and antioxidant enhancement in black bean-processed Polygonati Rhizoma revealed by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and molecular networking

Polygonati Rhizoma (PR), a traditional food and medicinal plant in China, is valued for nutrition and function; however, raw PR has limited palatability. Black bean-processed (BBP), a traditional food-processing technique, is widely used to enhance flavor and functionality. Using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, multivariate statistical analysis, and molecular networking, this study investigated the impact of BBP on the sweetness-related composition and antioxidant capacity of PR. BBP markedly altered the amino acid (AA) and carbohydrate: the total AA content decreased, while the proportion of sweet-tasting AAs increased significantly.BBP increased galactose and arabinose contents and promoted the degradation of polysaccharides into oligosaccharides. The antioxidant activity was significantly increased. Based on these findings, we infer that the increased sweetness and antioxidant activity following BBP are attributable to significant alterations in carbohydrates. These results provide evidence supporting BBP as a strategy to improve the sweetness and nutrients of PR for potential development into value-added food products.