| Summary: | To reveal the potential relationship between the bacterial community and quality attributes of vacuum-packaged peeled potatoes, the bacterial community dynamics, visual quality, organic acids, flavor and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during 12 days of storage under 10 °C were studied, and a correlation analysis was performed between the bacterial community and VOCs. During the whole storage, the dominant bacteria changed from <i>Ralstonia</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Pantoea</i> and <i>Comamonas</i> to <i>Clostridia</i>, <i>Clostridium</i>, <i>Lacrimispora</i>, <i>Lactococcus</i> and <i>Leuconostoc</i>. The visual quality and hardness deteriorated significantly on day 12; meanwhile, lactic and acetic acid content accumulated to 0.79 and 4.87 mg/g FW, respectively. Potatoes’ flavor deteriorated severely after 8 days, as evidenced by results of an electronic nose (e-nose). A total of 37 VOCs were detected, and the total content showed an increasing trend from 2164.85 to 10658.68 μg/kg during the whole storage. A correlation analysis showed that <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i>, <i>Erwinia</i>, <i>Lacrimispora</i>, <i>Lactococcus</i>, <i>Serratia</i>, <i>Pantoea</i>, <i>Clostridium</i>, <i>Flavobacterium</i> and <i>Clostridia</i> were positively correlated with the biosynthesis of VOCs. In addition, 10 spoilage markers were screened according to a variable importance in projection (VIP) ≥ 1. Ethanol, which was the most abundant spoilage marker, was significantly related to <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i>, <i>Erwinia</i>, <i>Lacrimispora</i> and <i>Lactococcus</i>. The results of this study have great practical significance for prolonging the shelf life of fresh-cut agricultural produce.
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