Evaluation of bacterial diversity during fermentation process: A comparison between handmade and machine-made higherature Daqu of Maotai-flavor liquor

Abstract

Purpose: Higherature Daqu is a traditional fermentation starter that is used for Chinese Maotai-flavor Baijiu production. Although the bacteria in higherature Daqu are known to be responsible for developing the quality and flavor of Baijiu during the fermentation process, there is little information on the properties of the bacteria during the fermentation of higherature Daqu, especially machine-made higherature Daqu. This has limited the development of the Maotai-flavor Baijiu industry, particularly with regard to the mechanized production of Maotai-flavor Baijiu. Methods: Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing was applied to study bacterial compositions during the fermentation of handmade and machine-made high temperatures. Results: The results show that bacterial diversity in machine-made Daqu was similar but higher than that in handmade Daqu at the end of fermentation, and there was no significant difference between the methods with regard to the dominant genera and their dynamic changes during fermentation. Rhizobium, Bacillus, Thermoactinomyces, Weissella, Lactobacillus, and Saccharopolyspora were the dominant genera during the fermentation of both Daqus, although the relative abundance of these dominant genera differed between the two methods. Interestingly, the machine-made Daqu contained a higher relative abundance of Bacillus than handmade Daqu at all fermentation times. Bacillus is the most important functional bacteria in the fermentation of Maotai-flavor Baijiu, suggesting that mechanical-molding methods could be applied to industrial Maotai-flavor Daqu production. Conclusion: These results suggest that mechanical-molding methods could be applied to industrial Maotai-flavor Daqu production, which could be helpful for industrial Maotai-flavor Baijiu production and the development of fermentation technology.