Understanding the microbial and chemical
diversities, as well as
what affects these diversities, is important for modern manufacturing
of traditional fermented foods. In this work, Chinese dark teas (CDTs)
that are traditional microbial fermented beverages with relatively
high sample diversity were collected. Microbial DNA amplicon sequencing
and mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics show that the
CDT microbial β diversity, as well as the nonvolatile chemical
α and β diversities, is determined by the primary impact
factors of geography and manufacturing procedures, in particular,
latitude and pile fermentation after blending. A large number of metabolites
sharing between CDTs and fungi were discovered by Feature-based Molecular
Networking (FBMN) on the Global Natural Products Social Molecular
Networking (GNPS) web platform. These molecules, such as prenylated
cyclic dipeptides and B-vitamins, are functionally important for nutrition,
biofunctions, and flavor. Molecular networking has revealed patterns
in metabolite profiles on a chemical family level in addition to individual
structures.