Substrate consumption and microbialgrowth during fermentation of P.mumefruits Results obtained from sugar and organic acids analysis by HPLC showed that sucrose and glucose were dominant sugars, and citric acid was dominant organic acids in P. mume fruits (Fig. 1 and 2). The citric acid content reaches 39.3 g/L, and yet the sucrose and glucose content in the P. mume fruits was very lower, which were 2.16 and 0.66 g/L, respectively (Fig. 1 and 2). The high acid and low sugar properties of P. mume fruits may go against the growth of microorganisms (Mousavi and others 2011). In this study, fermentation using full P. mume fruits allowed citric acid to diffuse slowly into the fermentation broth, which can relieve the inhibition of high acid to the growth of L. fermentium. The growth kinetic of L. fermentium during fermentation of P. mume fruits at 30 °C was presented in Fig. 3. As presented in the Fig.3,aslightincreaseinthemicrobialpopulationoffermentation broth was observed during 10 d of fermentation, reflecting the strain of L. fermentium can adapt to the environment of high acid and low sugar, and grow slowly during fermentation of P. mume fruits. Moreover, during 10 d of fermentation of P. mume fruits, data seem to indicate that no yeast and molds were detected in the fermentation broth, which may due to the inactivation of blanching to these autochthonous microorganisms in the P. mume fruits. The sugar and citric acid of P. mume fruits diffused gradually into the fermentation broth, and also were consumed simultaneously by L. fermentium during fermentation of P. mume fruits (Fig. 1 and 2). The content of sugar and citric acid in the fermentation broth reached the maximal value at 2 d of fermentation. After 2 d of fermentation, the sucrose in the P. mume fruits was