In order to study the effect of microorganisms on the flavor of low sodium dry cured mackerel, the effcts obacteriostatic agents (limonene and cinnamaldehyde) treatment on the volatile flavor substances and their precursors sub-stances in low sodium dry cured mackerel were determined. The results showed that both bacteriostatic agents could in-hibit the production of flavor substances in dry cured mackerel， reducing the flavor substances from 36 to 24 and 20,respectively. The key aroma substances were reduced from 9 to 8(octanal, nonanal, heptanol cis-4-decanal, decanal ，hexanal，1-octene- -3- -alcohol and 6- -methyl- -5 -heptene- -2- -one)，and 3- -methylbutyraldehyde was reduced. Bacteriostatic a-gents also inhibited the production of fatty acids and amino acids, suggesting that microbial activities had a significant effect on the flavor of low sodium dry cured mackerel. This study provides some technical support and theoretical refer-ence for the processing technology of dry cured mackerel.