Abstract:Douchi is a traditional fermented bean product condiment in China，which is favored by consumers due to its unique flavor. The production process of Douchi consists of several operating units，and the difference of operating units can cause differences in the volatile flavor of Douchi，which is mostly caused by changing the composition of microorganisms in the fermentation system. The enzyme system secreted by microorganisms can hydrolyze the macromolecular nutrients in soybean into small molecular nutrients，and finally form a variety of volatile flavor substances，thereby presenting characteristic flavor. Based on this，this paper provides a systematic overview of the classification of Douchi，the volatile flavor profile，analyses the microbial community in Douchi and its correlation with volatile flavor，and summarizes the mechanism of microbial-induced formation of volatile flavor substances.