Microbial Community Succession and Flavor Compound Formation in Sesame-Flavored Baijiu from Zaopei
Wuyang Liu,
Hao Zhou,
Jing Cai,
Shanshan Xu,
Anyuan Chen,
Dongdong Mu,
Xuefeng Wu,
Xingjiang Li
Affiliations
Wuyang Liu
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Hao Zhou
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Jing Cai
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Shanshan Xu
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Anyuan Chen
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Dongdong Mu
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Xuefeng Wu
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
Xingjiang Li
Anhui Fermented Food Engineering Research Center, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei 230601, China
The succession of microbial communities during the fermentation process in sesame-flavored Baijiu cellars profoundly influences the flavor profile of the liquor. However, the key factors driving microbial succession in these cellars remain unclear. This study focuses on the fermentation process of sesame-flavored Baijiu Zaopei in traditional Tongcheng cellars. Samples were collected from the surface, middle, and bottom of the cellar, categorized by fermentation time. Various techniques were employed to analyze the physicochemical properties (including moisture, ethanol, total acid, starch, and reducing sugars), flavor compounds (volatile substances and amino acids), and microbial communities (bacteria and fungi) of the Zaopei during fermentation. A total of 68 flavor compounds were detected, with 16 key flavor compounds and 16 amino acids identified. Microbiologically, the Lactobacillus genus dominated in the later stages of fermentation, while the Issatchenkia species were the predominant fungi. Correlation analysis indicated that environmental factors play a significant role in driving microbial community succession. Acetobacter, Staphylococcus, Pichia, Bacillus, and Kroppenstedtia species may contribute to the synthesis of key flavor compounds. The relative contents of acetic acid, 2-phenylethyl ester, and Benzenepropanoic acid ethyl ester were influenced by multiple microbial groups, suggesting a synergistic fermentation effect. PICRUSt2 predictions revealed significant differences in 41 KEGG pathways at level 2 and 293 pathways at level 3 across different fermentation intervals. These pathways are primarily associated with amino acid, ester, and nucleotide metabolism, as well as bacterial transcription, translation, and signal transduction. This research provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the fermentation mechanisms of sesame-flavored Baijiu.
