Metabolic Changes in Minnan Pickled Radish During Long-Term Aging Revealed by Widely Targeted Metabolomics

Minnan pickled radish is a traditional aged fermented food with significant cultural and traditional value. In this study, we employed widely targeted metabolomics to characterize the dynamic metabolic profiles of Minnan pickled radish across five aging stages (0 to 8 years). Among the 339 core set, amino acids and their derivatives, alkaloids, and lipids were depleted at every aging stage relative to MPR0, whereas phenolic acids and organic acids responded divergently, with the upregulated subset accumulating progressively and peaking at MPR8. KEGG pathway analysis revealed pronounced carbon metabolic reprogramming at year 8: upregulated metabolites were primarily enriched in pyruvate metabolism and related pathways, whereas downregulated metabolites were associated with starch and sucrose degradation. Based on these findings, we proposed a metabolomics-driven model that establishes a conceptual framework linking carbohydrate catabolism to metabolic remodeling, providing a foundation for quality control of traditional fermented vegetables.