Anaerobic self-induced Fermentation: A Green Bioprocessing Strategy for Enhancing Extraction Efficiency and Bioactivities of Flavonoids from Erigeron breviscapus

Erigeron breviscapus possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, yet its therapeutic application is limited by the low yield of active components. Fermentation technology offers a promising solution to enhance bioactive enrichment. In this study, anaerobic self-induced fermentation was identified as the most effective approach among 12 distinct fermentation strategies evaluated. This method significantly increased the scutellarein yield by 20.35-fold under optimized conditions and reduced microbial α-diversity while inducing substantial community restructuring, characterized by a shift from Proteobacteria to Firmicutes in bacteria and from Ascomycota to Basidiomycota in fungi. Metabolomic analysis identified 223 differentially expressed metabolites, enriched primarily in flavonoid biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism pathways. Key bacterial genera such as Clostridium and Bacillus were strongly correlated with enhanced flavonoid accumulation. Furthermore, the anaerobically self-fermented extract exhibited significantly improved antibacterial and antioxidant activities. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of anaerobic self-induced fermentation as a targeted bioprocessing strategy to amplify the bioactivity and therapeutic potential of E. breviscapus.