Succession of microbial community structure in fermented grains during the fermentation of strong-flavor Baijiu and its impact on the metabolism of acids, alcohols, and esters

The study clarified the succession of microbial community structures in fermented grains (FG) and their association with flavor compounds, along with their potential metabolic functions. The community diversity, functional genera and metabolites in FG were investigated by polyphasic detecting approaches. There are 13 dominant microorganisms in FG (relative abundance > 1%). Moisture and acidity are the key indicators driving the succession of microbial communities in FG. Eight kinds of microorganisms were involved in the metabolism of acid, higher alcohols and ethanol in FG and the abundance of pyruvate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly higher than other enzymes (P < 0.05). The results showed that 23 main flavor compounds were the results of the interaction of dominant microorganisms in FG. This study provides a basis for the formation of flavor substances in strong-flavor Baijiu.