Abstract:To investigate the effects of different aging years (0, 1, 2, 3, 8, and 16 years) and inoculation with three fungal strains on the bioactive substances and microbial community of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, the strains used were Cladosporium perangustum CP16-M1, Aspergillus versicolor CP16-M2, and Penicillium brocae CP16-M4.GC-MS and high-throughput sequencing were used to analyze total flavonoids, volatile compounds, and quality-related microorganisms in the samples. The results showed that the 8-year-aged sample was a critical period for total flavonoid accumulation. Terpene D-limonene was the main volatile component, and a total of 40 compounds including alcohols and phenols were identified.The 16-year-aged sample contained 30 volatile components, among which L-carvone (2.36%) might be the material basis for the "minty aroma" of aged Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. After inoculation with CP16-M2 and CP16-M4, the total flavonoid content was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Inoculation with the three strains increased the number of volatile components, and CP16-M4 increased the content of methyl N-methylanthranilate—a unique component of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium to 37.91%..The abundance of Xeromyces increased with aging time, reaching 95.82% in the 16-year-aged sample. Clavispora, the dominant fungus in the fresh sample (50.37%), showed the greatest difference from samples of other years. After inoculation with the three strains, the dominant genera were Hanseniaspora (44.54%), Clavispora (34.74%), and Xeromyces (33.35%), respectively. Penicillium and Aspergillus showed a strong positive correlation with D-limonene and 3-carene, respectively (P < 0.001). In conclusion, there is a correlation between the volatile components and microbial community. Inoculation with the three strains isolated from 16-year-aged Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium can alter the microbial community, providing theoretical support for elucidating the aging mechanism and directional regulating the quality.