Actinidia arguta, known for its distinctive flavor and high nutritional value, has seen an increase in cultivation and variety identification. However, the characterization of its volatile aroma compounds remains limited. This study aimed to understand the flavor quality and key volatile aroma compounds of different A. arguta fruits. We examined 35 A. arguta resource fruits for soluble sugars, titratable acids, and sugar–acid ratios. Their organic acids and volatile aroma compounds were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and headspace gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS). The study found that among the 35 samples tested, S12 had a higher sugar–acid ratio due to its higher sugar content despite having a high titratable acid content, making its fruit flavor superior to other sources. The A. arguta resource fruits can be classified into two types: those dominated by citric acid and those dominated by quinic acid. The analysis identified a total of 76 volatile aroma substances in 35 A. arguta resource fruits. These included 18 esters, 14 alcohols, 16 ketones, 12 aldehydes, seven terpenes, three pyrazines, two furans, two acids, and two other compounds. Aldehydes had the highest relative content of total volatile compounds. Using the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant method (OPLS-DA) analysis, with the 76 volatile aroma substances as dependent variables and different soft date kiwifruit resources as independent variables, 33 volatile aroma substances with variable importance in projection (VIP) greater than 1 were identified as the main aroma substances of A. arguta resource fruits. The volatile aroma compounds with VIP values greater than 1 were analyzed for odor activity value (OAV). The OAV values of isoamyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and butanal were significantly higher than those of the other compounds. This suggests that these four volatile compounds contribute more to the overall aroma of A. arguta. This study is significant for understanding the differences between the fruit aromas of different A. arguta resources and for scientifically recognizing the characteristic compounds of the fruit aromas of different A. arguta resources.

Genetic and environmental factors influence the growth and quality of medicinal plants. In recent years, rhizosphere microorganisms have also emerged as significant factors affecting the quality of medicinal plants. This study aimed to identify Schisandra resources with high lignan content and analyze the microbial diversity of the rhizosphere soil. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the lignan content in nine Schisandra fruits. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the 16S rDNA sequences of rhizosphere bacteria to identify bacterial species diversity. The total lignan content of the nine Schisandra resources ranged from 9.726 mg/g to 14.031 mg/g, with ZJ27 having the highest content and ZJ25 the lowest. Among the six lignan components, Schisandrol A had the highest content, ranging from 5.133 mg/g to 6.345 mg/g, with a significant difference between ZJ25, ZJ27, and other resources (p < 0.05). Schizandrin C had the lowest content, ranging from 0.062 mg/g to 0.419 mg/g, with more significant differences among the resources. A total of 903,933 sequences were obtained from the rhizosphere soil of the nine Schisandra resources, clustered into 10,437 OTUs at a 97% similarity level. The dominant bacterial phyla were Actinobacteriota, Acidobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadota, and Verrucomicrobiota. The dominant bacterial genera were Candidatus_Udaeobacter, Candidatus_Solibacter, RB41, Bradyrhizobium, Gaiella, and Arthrobacter. ZJ27 is the Schisandra resource with the highest lignan content, and the rhizosphere bacteria of Schisandra are rich in diversity. Schisandra B is negatively correlated with Bryobacter, Candidatus_Solibacter, and unnamed genera of Gaiellales.

The seasonal changes in environmental conditions can alter the growth states of host plants, thereby affecting the living environment of endophytes and forming different endophytic communities. This study employs Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing to analyze the 16SrRNA and ITS rDNA of endophytes in 24 samples of Actinidia arguta stem tissues across different seasons. The results revealed a high richness and diversity of endophytes in Actinidia arguta, with significant seasonal variations in microbial community richness. This study identified 897 genera across 36 phyla for bacteria and 251 genera across 8 phyla for fungi. Notably, 69 bacterial genera and 19 fungal genera significantly contributed to the differences in community structure across seasons. A distinctive feature of coexistence in the endophytic community, both specific and conservative across different seasons, was observed. The bacterial community in winter demonstrated significantly higher richness and diversity compared to the other seasons. Environmental factors likely influence the optimal timing for endophyte colonization. Solar radiation, temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity significantly impact the diversity of endophytic bacteria and fungi. In addition, seasonal variations show significant differences in the nutritional modes of fungal endophytes and the degradation, ligninolysis, and ureolysis functions of bacterial endophytes. This study elucidates the potential role of endophytes in assisting Actinidia arguta in adapting to seasonal changes and provides a theoretical basis for further exploration of functional microbial strains.

SO₂ plays an important role in wine fermentation, and its effects on wine aroma are complex and diverse. In order to investigate the effects of different SO₂ additions on the fermentation process, quality, and flavor of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine, we fermented ‘Beibinghong’ picked in 2019. We examined the fermentation rate, basic physicochemical properties, and volatile aroma compound concentrations of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine under different SO₂ additions and constructed a fingerprint of volatile compounds in ice wine. The results showed that 44 typical volatile compounds in ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine were identified and quantified. The OAV and VIP values were calculated using the threshold values of each volatile compound, and t the effect of SO₂ on the volatile compounds of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine might be related to five aroma compounds: ethyl butyrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl 3-methyl butyrate-M, ethyl 3-methyl butyrate-D, and 3-methyl butyraldehyde. Tasting of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine at different SO₂ additions revealed that the overall flavor of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine was the highest at an SO₂ addition level of 30 mg/L. An SO₂ addition level of 30 mg/L was the optimal addition level. The results of this study are of great significance for understanding the effect of SO₂ on the fermentation of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (S. chinensis) is a widely used medicinal plant whose therapeutic efficacy is closely linked to its lignan content. While previous studies have focused on soil fertility and cultivar variation, the interplay among soil nutrients, rhizosphere microbiota, and lignan accumulation remains poorly understood. This study investigated S. chinensis grown across 20 cultivation sites to elucidate the relationships among soil nutrient profiles, fruit lignan composition, and rhizosphere microbial communities. Six major lignans were quantified using HPLC, soil nutrients were analyzed via standard chemical assays, and rhizosphere bacterial communities were profiled using 16S rRNA sequencing. Multivariate analyses revealed significant variation in soil properties and lignan content across sites. Notably, available phosphorus, organic matter, and total nitrogen showed strong correlations with specific lignan compounds. From the top 50 taxa ranked by relative abundance at the genus level, 18 bacterial genera associated with lignan components were identified. Among them, Mycobacterium, Arthrobacter, Haliangium, Bacillus, Sphingomonas, Rhodanobacter, Ellin6067, Bradyrhizobium, Pseudolabrys, Chujaibacter, Gemmatimonas, Bryobacter, MND1, Candidatus Sollbacter, Gaiella, Paenibacillus, RB41, and Candidatus_Udaeobacter were significantly associated with lignan levels, suggesting potential microbial involvement in lignan biosynthesis. These findings provide insights into the ecological factors shaping the medicinal quality of S. chinensis and offer a foundation for targeted cultivation and breeding strategies.

The effects of different shaping methods and loading treatments on the photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, fruit yield and quality, and volatile compound composition of the ‘Beibinghong’ grape were studied. In the experiment, 6-year-old ‘Beibinghong’ grapes were selected as the material, and two kinds of shaping methods were adopted: the double main vine upright tree (control) and the inclined horizontal dragon tree. The inclined horizontal dragon tree was treated with different loads. The volatile components in grapes were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The changes in quality and volatile components of ‘Beibinghong’ grape under different treatments were analyzed by multivariate statistics. The results showed that the inclined horizontal dragon tree significantly increased the net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content of leaves, and increased the soluble sugar content and sugar–acid ratio of fruits. The quality of grapes was better than that of the upright tree with double main vine. The results of loading showed that the plants with nine fruit branches had higher net photosynthetic rate and yield, and the best performance in reducing sugar content, titrable acid content and sugar–acid ratio, which was the most suitable loading treatment. The results of metabolomics study showed that 291 volatile metabolites were identified, of which 25 were considered to be the key differential metabolites affecting the flavor of ‘Beibing red’ fruit under different treatments. Further analysis showed that the inclined horizontal draconite tree was superior to the double main draconite tree in improving fruit quality and accumulation of volatile compounds in fruit. This study revealed the regulation mechanism of different shaping methods and loading loads on the growth and fruit quality of ‘Beibinghong’ grapes, which provided theoretical support for optimizing the viticulture management of ‘Beibinghong’ and improving the fruit quality and market competitiveness.