Variation of flavor substance-producing microbiota in four seasons of Chinese liquor fermentation

Abstract

The difference of flavor substances is one of the important factors affecting the quality of liquor. Climate factors affect the composition of microbiota in liquor fermentation, and then affect the composition of flavor substances. Therefore, it is of great significance to analyze the differences of flavor substance-producing microbiota in four seasons of Chinese liquor fermentation. In this study, the seasonal differences of microbiota and flavor substances during the fermentation of Qingke liquor were investigated, and the difference of flavor substance-producing microbiota were analyzed. Lactobacillus, Saccharomycopsis, Wikcerhamaomyces and Saccharomyces were the dominant microbial genera. Phenylethyl alcohol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, ethyl acetate, linoleic acid ethyl ester, ethyl palmitate and diethyl succinate were the dominant flavor substances. ANOSIM analysis indicated that both microbiota and flavor substances were significantly different (P < 0.01) across four seasons. Based on the Spearman correlation analysis, Weissella, Lactococcus, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Pichia, Saccharomycopsis, Saccharomyces and Mucor were the main differential flavor substance-producing microbiota. Source Tracker analysis showed that the total contributions of environmental microbiota on differential flavor substance-producing microbiota in fermented grains across four seasons were 23.81% (spring), 62.10% (summer), 83.75% (autumn) and 44.65% (winter), respectively. Besides, environmental microbiota played an extremely crucial role in the flavor substance-producing microbiota succession during liquor fermentation.

Keywords

Daqu / Environment microbiota / Flavor substances / Liquor fermentation / Season

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Funding

the national first-class discipline program of Light Industry Technology and Engineering(LITE2018-12)

the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(111-2-06)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Jiangnan University